Patent ID: 8472517

Claim:
A method for reducing the total number of bits required to be transferred over a communications link for an image being H pixels high and W pixels wide, comprising: receiving, from a camera, original color values for a plurality of pixels of said image; selecting, by an encoder, a first pixel from said plurality of pixels of said image; determining, by said encoder, whether said first pixel exists outside a region of interest within said image, said region of interest being h pixels high and w pixels wide, where h is less than H and w is less than W; performing first arithmetic operations at said encoder using said original color value for said first pixel to generate a first modified color value, if it is determined that said first pixel exists outside said region of interest within said image, comprising generating said first modified color value using a mathematical equation selected from the following two mathematical equations: RGB′=RGB (1 −T 1 )+( T 1 ) RGB DARKCOLOR where RGB′ represents said first modified color value expressed in an RGB color space format, RGB represents said original color value for said first pixel which is expressed in said RGB color space format, T 1 represents a variable, and RGB DARKCOLOR represents a color value for a color which is expressed in said RGB color space format; and YCbCr′=YCbCr (1 −T 1 )+( T 1 ) YCbCr DARKCOLOR , where YCbCr′ represents said first modified color value expressed in a YCbCr color space format, YCbCr represents said original color value for said first pixel expressed in said YCbCr color space format, T 1 represents a variable and YCbCr DARKCOLOR represents a color value for a color which is expressed in said YCbCr color space format; and performing image compression operations using input data comprising at least said first modified color value; wherein a color represented by said first modified color value is different than a color represented by said original color value for said first pixel.