IILM UNIVERSITY GREATER NOIDA

Course Name: B.Tech CSE

Course Code : UCS3004E3

Topic: Multimedia Systems

Session : 2025-26

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 About the Educator

Instructor Name : Reeta Mishra

Designation : Assistant Professor

School of Computer Science &

Engineering

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 Outline of Lecture

1. Topic Name: Images and Video image acquisition and

representation

Objective: To acquire basic understanding about image

acquisition and representation in multimedia systems
Content:
• Bi-level image compression standards: ITU
(formerly CCITT)
• Group III and IV standards

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 Bi-level image

• Bi-level image = image with only two pixel values: black (0) and
white (1).
• Used in text, scanned documents, QR codes, barcodes.
• Example: Scanned signature
• Diagram: Black-white scanned document.

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 Bi-level images contain only two colors, they require less
storage than grayscale or color images.

• Useful for scanned documents, barcodes, and faxes,

where color is unnecessary.
• Example: A bi-level scanned text page (TIFF) is much
smaller than a full-color image
Applications of Bi-Level Images
Fax machines – Still use CCITT bi-level compression for fast,
efficient transmission.
Barcode & QR codes – Used in product tracking, payment
systems, and logistics.
Medical imaging – Some X-ray scans and microscopy use
binary formats for segmentation.
Engineering drawings & maps – Technical blueprints use bi-
level formats for clarity.

Why do we use bi-level images, when we already have better quality

images (Grayscale, RGB, HD)?
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 Bi-level Image Compression

• Compression technique for binary images.

• Reduces storage/transmission space.
• Example: Fax machine documents.
• Diagram: Uncompressed vs compressed binary image size.

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 Need for Compression

• Large storage for scanned archives.

• Faster transmission over networks.
• Saves bandwidth in fax/email.
• Image: File size comparison (before vs after compression).

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 Types of Bi-level Compression
• Lossless Compression – preserves exact data.
• Lossy Compression – discards some data (rarely used).
• Diagram: Flowchart of lossless vs lossy.

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 Common Methods

• Run-Length Encoding (RLE)

• Huffman Coding
• JBIG (Joint Bi-level Image Group standard)
• CCITT Group 3/4 (Fax compression)
• Diagram: Encoding pipeline.

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 bi-level image compression standards
 Run-Length Encoding (RLE)
 CCITT Group III & IV {In our Syllabus}
 JBIG (Joint Bi-level Image Experts Group
 LZW (Lempel-Ziv-Welch)
 MRC (Mixed Raster Content)

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 Run-Length Encoding (RLE)
• Run-Length Encoding (RLE) is a lossless compression technique that
reduces file size by encoding consecutive repeating values (runs) as
a single value with a count.
• It is most effective for bi-level (binary) images, simple graphics, and
text-based images with large areas of uniform color.
 Instead of storing each pixel individually, RLE stores the number of
times a pixel (or value) repeats.
 Example:
00001111000000001111
RLE compression: (4,0), (4,1), (6,0), (4,1)
• Here, each pair represents (count, pixel value).
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 For grayscale or color images,
• RLE can store runs like this: (5, 255), (3, 128), (6, 0)

 Advantages of RLE
• Simple and efficient for images with large uniform areas.
• Lossless compression – no image quality loss.
• Fast decoding – easy to reconstruct the image.
 Disadvantages of RLE
• Not efficient for complex images with high color variation.
• May increase file size if the image lacks long pixel runs.

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 CCITT Group III & IV
• The CCITT Group III and IV standards are widely used fax
compression techniques developed by the International Telegraph
and Telephone Consultative Committee (CCITT) (now ITU-T).
• These methods are specifically designed for bi-level images (black-
and-white, 1-bit per pixel)
• CCITT Group III Compression
• Group III is designed for fax machines and uses a run-length
encoding (RLE) + Huffman coding approach.
• Run-Length Encoding (RLE): Stores runs of black and white
pixels efficiently.
Huffman Coding: Uses variable-length codes for compression.
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 Explanation of CCITT with Example
• Let’s Consider a bi-level image:
•0 = Black (B) Pixel
•1 = White (W) Pixel
• A binary image: 1111111111000000000011111111110000
• Compress with CCITT which uses both RLE and Huffman coding
Firstly, Breaking it into segments of runs (continuous pixels of the
same color):

• 1111111111 10 white (W) pixels

• 0000000000 10 black (B) pixels
• 111111111 9 white (W) pixels
• 0000 4 black (B) pixels
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 Step 2: Run-Length Encoding (RLE)
10W 10B 9W 4B
Step 3: Frequency Calculation for Huffman Coding

10W Count=1
10B Count=1
9W Count=1
4B Count=1

• Since all values appear only once, Huffman will assign binary codes
15 of equal length.
 • Step 4: Assigning Huffman Codes
• 10W 00
• 10B 01
• 9W 10
• 4B 11
• Step 5: Encoding the RLE Sequence
10W 10B 9W 4B

00 01 10 11
Instead of storing 34 bits 1111111111000000000011111111110000 (original binary row), we now
store only 8 bits, achieving 4x compression!
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 Example 2:
A fax Machine sends the following text:
111111111100000000001111111111000000
0000, Where 0 is black and 1 is a white pixel.

CCITT Group 3 uses RLE and Huffman

coding to compress the pattern. What is the
final compressed output.
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 Breaking it into segments of runs (continuous pixels of the same
color):

•1111111111 10 white (W) pixels

•0000000000 10 black (B) pixels
•1111111111 10 white (W) pixels
•0000000000 10 black (B) pixels
• 10W 10B 10W 10B
10W white pixels
10B black pixels
10W white pixels (appears twice)
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10B black pixels
 Step 3: Frequency Calculation for Huffman Coding
10 (W) Count=2
10 (B) Count=2
• Since both run-lengths appear twice, Huffman coding assigns the
shortest binary codes to these frequent values.
Step 4: Assigning Huffman Codes
• 10W 0 (Since it appears twice)
• 10B 1(Since it also appears twice)
Step 5: Encoding the RLE Sequence
10W 10B 10W 10B
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 CCITT Group IV
• CCITT Group 4 is a lossless, two-dimensional bi-level image
compression standard used for fax transmission and scanned
documents.
• It is an improvement over CCITT Group 3 and is designed to
provide better compression efficiency, especially for text-based
documents.
• CCITT Group 4 uses two main techniques for compression:
• Run-Length Encoding (RLE)
• Modified READ (Relative Element Address Designation) – Instead
of encoding every row independently (as in Group 3), it compares
the current row with the previous row and encodes only the
differences.
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 Key Features of Group 4 Compression:
• Lossless Compression: Maintains exact image quality without degradation.
• Better Efficiency than Group 3: Uses more advanced two-dimensional (2D)
run-length encoding (RLE) techniques, making it more efficient than G3
compression.
• Uses Modified Huffman (MH) & Modified READ Coding:
• Employs a combination of Huffman coding and Relative Element
Address Designate (READ) coding for compression.
• Instead of encoding each scanline independently (like in G3), G4 encodes
differences between successive lines, reducing redundancy.
• No Error Correction: Unlike G3, Group 4 assumes error-free communication
and does not include built-in error correction.

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 Explanation
Lets take an example of a 4x16 bi-level image:
Row 1: 1111000000000000
Row 2: 0000000000111111
Row 3: 1111000000111100
Row 4: 0000111111110000
Step 1: Run-Length Encoding (RLE)
Row 1: 1111000000000000 4B 12W
Row 2: 0000000000111111 10W 6B
Row 3: 1111000000111100 4B 6W 4B 2W
Row 4: 0000111111110000 4W 8B 4W
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 Step 2: Assign Huffman Codes (Pre defined table)
Run Length White Code Black Code

1 010 110

2 011 111

3 0010 1010

4 000011 1001

6 1100110 101011

8 011110 100011

10 0001110 011011

12 001101
100000

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 4. Applying Huffman Codes
Row Run-Length Encoding
MH Huffman Code

4B 12W 1001 100000

1

2 10W, 6B 0001110 101011

3 4B, 6W, 4B, 2W 1001 1100110 1001 011

4 4W, 8B, 4W 000011 011110 000011

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 • The Compressed Code is: 1001 100000 0001110 101011 1001
1100110 1001 011 000011 011110 000011

• The code is 46 bits, the input code was 64 bits thus there is a
reduction of 30%

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 Applications

• Fax transmission
• QR codes and barcodes
• Document archiving (libraries, offices)
• Medical imaging (X-rays in binary form)
• Image: Fax machine + QR code example.

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 Summary

CCITT Group IV compression uses

• Uses Run-Length Encoding (RLE) to count consecutive pixels.
• Uses predefined Huffman codes for black & white pixel runs.
• Compresses bi-level images efficiently (e.g., scanned documents,
faxes).

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