Very Low Bit-rate Video Coding

his chapter presents a contemporary review of the various different strategies available to facilitate Very Low Bit-Rate (VLBR) coding for video communications over mobile and fixed transmission channels as well as the Internet. VLBR media is typically classified as having a bit rate between 8 and 64 Kbps. Techniques that are analyzed include Vector Quantization, various parametric model-based representations, the Discrete Wavelet and Cosine Transforms, and fixed and arbitrary shaped pattern-based coding. In addition to discussing the underlying theoretical principles and relevant features of each approach, the chapter also examines their benefits and disadvantages, together with some of the major challenges that remain to be solved. The chapter concludes by providing some judgments on the likely focus of future research in the VLBR coding field.