Abstract: An adaptive technique for encoding and decoding which facilitates the transmission, reception, storage, or retrieval of a scalable video signal. The invention allows this scaling to be performed entirely in the spatial domain. In a specific embodiment of the invention this scaling is realized by adaptively encoding a video signal based upon a selection taken from among a multiplicity of predictions from previously decoded images, and a selection of compatible predictions obtained from up-sampling lower resolution decoded images of the current temporal reference. A technical advantage of the invention is that both the syntax and signal multiplexing structure of at least one encoded lower-resolution scale of video is compatible with the MPEG-1 standards.

Abstract: An adaptive technique for video encoding and decoding which facilitates the transmission, reception, storage, or retrieval of a scalable video signal. The technique allows this scaling to be performed in both the spatial and frequency domains. In a specific embodiment, video encoding is adaptively performed based upon a selection from among a multiplicity of compatible spatial-domain predictions from previously decoded images, and a selection of compatible predictions obtained from up-sampling decoded lower resolution images. The decoded lower resolution images correspond to a current temporal reference, and at least one of these lower resolution images is encoded in more than one frequency domain scales. In yet another embodiment, one lower resolution signal is encoded (without reference to any other low resolution signal) by employing the MPEG-1 standard, with a modified partitioning of the resultant bitstream into two or more frequency scale bitstreams.

Abstract: A method for coding frames of video wherein a coding circuit (14,16,18) includes a processor (30) for performing an orthogonal transform such as a discretecosine transform and a quantizer (32) for quantizing the resulting transform coefficients. The coding circuit codes the video frames using intra-frame, predictive or interpolative coding to generate code bits at a variable rate. The code bits are stored at a variable rate in a rate buffer (22), which transmits the code bits into a communication channel (24) at a pseudo-constant rate, i.e. a rate which is constant in every time interval of one frame. To maintain the contents of the rate buffer (22) within predetermined limits, the quantization parameters utilized by the quantizer (32) are periodically adjusted to increase or decrease the amount of code bits generated by the coding circuit.