Wyner-Ziv Video Compression Using Rateless LDCP Codes

In this report we consider Wyner-Ziv video compression using rateless LDPC codes. It is shown that the advantages of using rateless LDPC codes in Wyner-Ziv video compression, in comparison to using traditional fixed-rate LDPC codes, are at least threefold: 1) it significantly reduces the storage complexity; 2) it allows seamless integration with mode selection; and 3) it greatly improves the overall system's performance. Experimental results show that by combining rateless LDPC coding with simple skip mode selection, one can build a Wyner-Ziv video compression system that is, at rate 0.2 bits per pixel, about 2dB away from the standard JM software implementation of the H.264 main profile, and about 2.5dB better than the same Wyner-Ziv system using fixed-rate LDPC coding. In terms of encoding complexity, the Wyner-Ziv video compression system is two orders of magnitude less complex than the JM implementation.