A Perceptually Optimized Foveation Wavelet Visible Difference Predictor Quality Metric Based on Psychovisual Properties of the Human Visual System (HVS)

Abstract

Region of interest (ROI) image and video compression techniques have been widely used in visual communication applications in an effort to deliver good quality images and videos at limited bandwidths. Foveated imaging exploits the fact that the spatial resolution of the human visual system (HVS) is highest around the point of fixation (foveation point) and decreases dramatically with increasing eccentricity. Exploiting this fact, the authors have developed an appropriate metric for the assessment of ROI coded images, adapted to foveation image coding based on psycho-visual quality optimization tools, which objectively enable us to assess the visual quality measurement with respect to the region of interest (ROI) of the human observer. The proposed metric yields a quality factor called foveation probability score (FPS) that correlates well with visual error perception and demonstrating very good perceptual quality evaluation.