VLSI is a well-established field of research that ignited the modern computing revolution. Serving as a guide to future developments, this book provides a framework for design, modeling concepts, and application of Image Processing based systems using VLSI design techniques.

The past few years have seen a rapid growth in image processing and image communication technologies. New video services and multimedia applications are continuously being designed. Essential for all these applications are image and video compression techniques. The purpose of this book is to report on recent advances in VLSI architectures and their implementation for video signal processing applications with emphasis on video coding for bit rate reduction.Efficient VLSI implementation for video signal processing spans a broad range of disciplines involving algorithms, architectures, circuits, and systems. Recent progress in VLSI architectures and implementations has resulted in the reduction in cost and size of video signal processing equipment and has made video applications more practical.The topics covered in this volume demonstrate the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of VLSI implementation of video signal processing applications, involving interactions between algorithms, VLSI architectures, circuit techniques, semiconductor technologies and CAD for microelectronics.

Character and handwriting recognition by computers is attracting much attention particularly because of its potential for application in many areas such as office automation, bank check processing, recognition of postal addresses and ZIP Codes, signature verification, and document and text recognition.Over the past four decades, many methods have been proposed, developed and tested for computers to recognize characters, and they have been reported in a variety of publications. The present volume is a coherent and integrated publication containing papers which give new research results in this increasingly active field. It is a boon to researchers, scientists and engineers who need to keep abreast of new developments in character and handwriting methodologies and applications.

Annotation. Presents the latest research findings in theory, techniques, algorithms, and major applications of pattern recognition and computer vision, as well as new hardware and architecture aspects. Contains sections on basic methods in pattern recognition and computer vision, nine recognition applications, inspection and robotic applications, and architectures and technology. Some areas discussed include cluster analysis, 3D vision of dynamic objects, speech recognition, computer vision in food handling, and video content analysis and retrieval. This second edition is extensively revised to describe progress in the field since 1993. Chen is affiliated with the electrical and computer engineering department at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

MPEG-4 is the multimedia standard for combining interactivity, natural and synthetic digital video, audio and computer-graphics. Typical applications are: internet, video conferencing, mobile videophones, multimedia cooperative work, teleteaching and games. With MPEG-4 the next step from block-based video (ISO/IEC MPEG-1, MPEG-2, CCITT H.261, ITU-T H.263) to arbitrarily-shaped visual objects is taken. This significant step demands a new methodology for system analysis and design to meet the considerably higher flexibility of MPEG-4. Motion estimation is a central part of MPEG-1/2/4 and H.261/H.263 video compression standards and has attracted much attention in research and industry, for the following reasons: it is computationally the most demanding algorithm of a video encoder (about 60-80% of the total computation time), it has a high impact on the visual quality of a video encoder, and it is not standardized, thus being open to competition. Algorithms, Complexity Analysis, and VLSI Architectures for MPEG-4 Motion Estimation covers in detail every single step in the design of a MPEG-1/2/4 or H.261/H.263 compliant video encoder: Fast motion estimation algorithms Complexity analysis tools Detailed complexity analysis of a software implementation of MPEG-4 video Complexity and visual quality analysis of fast motion estimation algorithms within MPEG-4 Design space on motion estimation VLSI architectures Detailed VLSI design examples of (1) a high throughput and (2) a low-power MPEG-4 motion estimator. Algorithms, Complexity Analysis and VLSI Architectures for MPEG-4 Motion Estimation is an important introduction to numerous algorithmic, architectural and system design aspects of the multimedia standard MPEG-4. As such, all researchers, students and practitioners working in image processing, video coding or system and VLSI design will find this book of interest.

This volume covers the fundamental theory of Cellular Neural Networks as well as their applications in various fields such as science and technology. It contains all 83 papers of the 7th International Workshop on Cellular Neural Networks and their Applications. The workshop follows a biennial series of six workshops consecutively hosted in Budapest (1990), Munich, Rome, Seville, London and Catania (2000).

This book proposes new algorithms to ensure secured communications and prevent unauthorized data exchange in secured multimedia systems. Focusing on numerous applications’ algorithms and scenarios, it offers an in-depth analysis of data hiding technologies including watermarking, cryptography, encryption, copy control, and authentication. The authors present a framework for visual data hiding technologies that resolves emerging problems of modern multimedia applications in several contexts including the medical, healthcare, education, and wireless communication networking domains. Further, it introduces several intelligent security techniques with real-time implementation. As part of its comprehensive coverage, the book discusses contemporary multimedia authentication and fingerprinting techniques, while also proposing personal authentication/recognition systems based on hand images, surveillance system security using gait recognition, face recognition under restricted constraints such as dry/wet face conditions, and three-dimensional face identification using the approach developed here. This book equips perception technology professionals with the latest technologies, techniques, and strategies for multimedia security systems, offering a valuable resource for engineers and researchers working to develop security systems.