Mystery Science Codec 3000
The future in low bitrate video compression?
Maybe you have heard of the JPEG2000 standard? Well, that is a wavelet-based compression scheme. Wavelets are another
mathematical approach to image compression were the signal is divided in both frequiency and space. This method
have many advantages over the common DCT (discrete cosine transform). DCT-based compression schemes like JPEG/MPEG/DivX/Xvid
etc are not very efficient at low bitrates and often result in blocky images.
I've had a thing for wavelets, but it took me some years at the Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) before I could really understand wavelets. This result in MSC3K, Mystery Science Codec 3000, a fully working wavelet-based video/image codec with some interesting features. The MSC3K was a part of my master thesis at BTH.
Unfortunately I'm not currently developing the codec anymore so this page is actually a cry for help! I lack the inspiration and the determination to complete my work on MSC3K, but maybe if YOU would drop me a mail and say what you think of the results here I would find some inspiration =)
I've had a thing for wavelets, but it took me some years at the Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) before I could really understand wavelets. This result in MSC3K, Mystery Science Codec 3000, a fully working wavelet-based video/image codec with some interesting features. The MSC3K was a part of my master thesis at BTH.
Unfortunately I'm not currently developing the codec anymore so this page is actually a cry for help! I lack the inspiration and the determination to complete my work on MSC3K, but maybe if YOU would drop me a mail and say what you think of the results here I would find some inspiration =)
- Good compression performance at low bitrates!
- Still image compression.
- Video compression (P-frames only) with motion estimation.
- Fully scalable quality at bit-level for still images!
- Scalable quality for video, perfect for streaming!
- Really fast encoding.
The classic Lena picture:
The left half is the result from a commercial JPEG plugin for Photoshop (Boxtop ProJpeg). The JPEG plugin shipped with Photoshop is a joke so there is no point in comparing with that one. The image is 512x512 pixels and is encoded with a 1:90 ratio (the plugin couldn't go lower :P) which resulted in a 2.84kb image compared to the original 256kb.
The right half is the result from MSC3K at a 1:100 ratio, i.e. 2.56kb.
Gandalf the grey:
Now it's time for a color image. This one is taken from the LotR homepage. To the left is JPEG compression at a 1:200 ratio. 512x512 pixels compressed from 768kb down to 3.84kb.
To the right is the result from MSC3K at the same 1:200 ratio.
The left half is the result from a commercial JPEG plugin for Photoshop (Boxtop ProJpeg). The JPEG plugin shipped with Photoshop is a joke so there is no point in comparing with that one. The image is 512x512 pixels and is encoded with a 1:90 ratio (the plugin couldn't go lower :P) which resulted in a 2.84kb image compared to the original 256kb.
The right half is the result from MSC3K at a 1:100 ratio, i.e. 2.56kb.
Gandalf the grey:
Now it's time for a color image. This one is taken from the LotR homepage. To the left is JPEG compression at a 1:200 ratio. 512x512 pixels compressed from 768kb down to 3.84kb.
To the right is the result from MSC3K at the same 1:200 ratio.
What do you think? Please let me know!
MSC3K is developed by Jonas Nilsson just to make the world a better place for all of us.
Cheer me up and make me finish this work! Drop me a mail!
MSC3K is developed by Jonas Nilsson just to make the world a better place for all of us.
Cheer me up and make me finish this work! Drop me a mail!