Lossy compression algorithms used in digital video systems produce artifacts whose visibility strongly depends on the actual image content. Simple error measures such as RMSE or PSNR, albeit popular, ignore this important fact and are only a mediocre predictor of perceived quality.
Many applications require more reliable assessment methods.
Some quantitative aspects of an opponent-colors theory. Doc 7 Motion and vision. Doc 4 Motion and vision. Doc 1 CRT colorimetry.