This paper presents an efficient video coding algorithm: Three-dimensional
embedded subband coding with optimized truncation (3-D ESCOT), in which coe
fficients in different subbands are independently coded using fractional bi
t-plane coding and candidate truncation points are formed at the end of eac
h fractional bit-plane. A rate-distortion optimized truncation scheme is us
ed to multiplex all subband bitstreams together into a layered one. A novel
motion threading technique is proposed to form threads along the motion tr
ajectories in a scene. For efficient coding of motion threads, memory-const
rained temporal wavelet transforms are applied along entire motion threads.
Block-based motion threading is implemented in conjunction with 3-D ESCOT
in a real video coder. Extension of 3-D ESCOT to object-based coding is als
o addressed. Experiments demonstrate that 3-D ESCOT outperforms MPEG-4 for
most test sequences at the same bit rate. (C) 2001 Academic Press.