Wavelet-based joint estimation and encoding of depth-image-based representations for free-viewpoint rendering

We propose a wavelet-based codec for the static depth-image-based representation, which allows viewers to freely choose the viewpoint. The proposed codec jointly estimates and encodes the unknown depth map from multiple views using a novel rate-distortion (RD) optimization scheme. The rate constraint reduces the ambiguity of depth estimation by favoring piecewise-smooth depth maps. The optimization is efficiently solved by a novel dynamic programming along trees of integer wavelet coefficients. The codec encodes the image and the depth map jointly to decrease their redundancy and to provide a RD-optimized bitrate allocation between the two. The codec also offers scalability both in resolution and in quality. Experiments on real data show the effectiveness of the proposed codec.