Comparison of video codecs and coded video sequences quality using the latest objective and subjective assessment methods

This paper presents the comparisons of the latest subjective video sequence quality assessment methods versus objective quality assessment using H.261, H.263+ and H.264 advanced video coding (AVC). A Simultaneous Double Stimulus for Continuous Evaluation (SDSCE) method was used for subjective quality assessment. The Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) method and the-state-of-the art Structural SIMilarity index method (SSIM) were used for objective quality assessment. The reconstructed video sequences are obtained using H.261, H.263+, H.264 standards encoded to different bit rates ranging from 512 kbit/s through 4096 kbit/s. Results show that the methods SSIM and PSNR are better for high bit rate video assessment and SDSCE for low bit rate video assessment. The SSIM method gives more realistic results than PSNR method. Also compared are H.261, H.263+ and H.264 which is new generation codec and is superior to the older standard codecs.