Video Codec Design: Developing Image and Video Compression Systems

If you a rookie in video codec design, you can get basic knowledge from this book. Basic algorithms are explaned in detail(Such as, DCT, Motion Estimation and Compensation,and Entropy Coding). Read this book and read source code you'll know a lot.

I bought many video related technical books, and I have to say this is the best one on video compression. My other favourite book is: "Video Demystified, 3rd Edition" on the general subject of video technology.This book not only introduces theory and mathematical backgroups for video coding, but also explains to you the "why" in an easy-to-understand manner. The book also summarizes a lot of practical techniques that people developed during the recent years when implementating some of video coding algorithms.It is not the amount of information presented in this book that attacted me, it is the way the author introducing those concepts that really brought my interest. Once you have the interest established and the necessary backgroup, you can now go search the internet for all detail video compression information you need (MPEG1/2/4, H261/263/264 standards, fast ME algorithms, rate-distortion algorithm, source code, etc).I also highly recommend this book as a senior undergrad text book on video coding.

This book belongs to the kind that gives you highest expectation before strongest disappointment.Implied by its title, I bet most people will presume it focuses on the DESIGN of a video codec, not a REVIEW of various techniques in standards.Unfortunately, only Chap. 13 has sth to do with DESIGN.This book may be useful for people who do not know much about video coding, but it's not for people who looks for information on how to design a video codec.From my experience, open source/free software packages, like MPEG4IP, MPEG2encode/decode, TMN H.263 codec, and standards documentation will offer much much more for a reader interested in DESIGN.Not recommended because the title is too misleading.

The book itself is great, although it desperately needs an update (please Iain). But the Tata Indian reprint of the book is shoddily produced and is best avoided. While it has a nice hard cover and matching dust jacket, the paper used for the interior pages is thin and cheap, page 116 was missing (replaced with a copy of page 1), and the illustrations, which are important in a book on image and video quality, are all washed out. If you buy the book, it's probably worth spending the extra money to get the proper Wiley edition.I believe somebody commented that only the final chapter talks about actual codec design, but that's unfair, because the rest of the book goes into detail about what a codec needs to do, why, and how it does it. How can you design a codec without first knowing about motion compensation and transform coding?That Decode to Encode book is more up-to-date, but the writing and the explanations in this book are superior.