JPEG 2000 : Wavelet Based Image Compression

The need for high-performance image compression is becoming greater and greater as digital imagery finds its way into many areas of everyday life. JPEG2000 is the state-of-the-art compression standard emerges from the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) working under the auspices of the International Standards Organization. The new standard out performs the older JPEG standard by approximately 2 dB of peak signal -tonoise ratio (PSNR) for several images across all compression ratios. Two primary reasons for JPEG2000 s superior performance are the wavelet transform and embedded block coding with optimal truncation (EBCOT). JPEG2000 provides a whole new way of interacting with compressed imagery in a scalable and interoperable fashion. This paper provides a brief review of the new standard, explaining the technology on which it is based and drawing comparisons with JPEG standards. Index Terms JPEG, JPEG2000, Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), image compression, sub-band coding, image coding, Block-code, MRA, color image coding, ROI coding.