Variable size finite-state motion vector quantization

In this paper, we present an algorithm which combines Vector Quantization (VQ) techniques with variable size Block Matching Algorithms (BMA) for motion compensated image sequence coding. First, an algorithm which decomposes the image frame into blocks of different sizes with similar motion parameters is proposed. Since the algorithm is based on splitting the block that would result in the highest decrease in distortion, it does not require a merging step. Next, VQ techniques are utilized to expedite the search for the block motion vector without significant sacrifice in temporal entropy reduction performance. We compare the performance and the computational requirements of the proposed algorithm with other BMAs.