Text / Graphics and Image Transmission over Lossy Bandlimited Links

Jeffrey Michael Gilbert, Ph.D. 2000 (advisor: Bob Brodersen)

This thesis describes the application of image compression and networking techniques to the transmission of text / graphics and image data over bandlimitted and lossy links. While much research has focused on image and data compression, this thesis proposes that compression alone is not sufficient, and that transformations into progressive formats and explicit link scheduling can significantly improve performance over bandlimited and lossy links. Analyses and solutions are proposed for both application-independent and application-specific scenarios. Techniques including bitmap and drawing primitive-based approaches, as well as a novel hybrid scheme, are presented. Image compression techniques optimized for text / graphics bitmaps are presented. The application-independent techniques are then applied to the acceleration of the delivery of World Wide Web pages over modem and wireless links. Application-specific techniques are illustrated using the example of a web-based VLSI layout viewer. Various design points trading off bandwidth utilization, error tolerance, and client complexity and power consumption are presented. Architectures, algorithms, as well as prototyping techniques and development frameworks are presented for many of the approaches. Lastly, unifying themes and requirements are synthesized and their implications to network protocol design are discussed.