Patent ID: 6959116
Filing Date: 2005-10-25
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
1. A method of producing a (run, level) encoded picture from an original picture, said method comprising: producing respective sets of transform coefficients for blocks of pixels in the original picture; quantizing transform coefficients in the respective sets of transform coefficients to produce respective sets of non-zero quantization indices for the blocks of pixels, wherein the non-zero quantization indices for at least some of the blocks are produced by using a quantization step size that is not uniform within said at least some of the blocks; inspecting magnitudes of the non-zero quantization indices for selecting a limited number of largest magnitude non-zero quantization indices for the blocks of pixels in the respective sets of quantization indices to produce respective sets of selected quantization indices having non-zero levels for the blocks of pixels; and (run, level) encoding quantization indices from the respective sets of selected quantization indices to produce the (run, level) encoded picture.