Waterloo BragZone

Comparing different image compression programs has always been difficult. At least two problems plague any such attempt. First, published papers present results for different images (even if it is Lena), at widely scattered compression ratios. And second, most printed renditions obscure those artifacts that you most want to see.

As a suite of test images and a place for archiving results, the Waterloo BragZone hopes to overcome these problems. Central to the effort is the Waterloo Repertoire, a suite of 32 test images. These are divided into three sets:

1. GreySet1 -- 12 small greyscale images, with graphs and samples
2. GreySet2 -- 12 medium greyscale images, with graphs and samples
3. ColorSet -- 8 large full color images, with graphs and samples

These images are used to test the behavior of a diverse set of image compression programs, including those that are:

• DCT-based
• Wavelet-based
• Fractal-based
• Pyramid-based

Most important, sample results available for closer inspection. The subdirectories may be confusing until you understand my naming convention .

For a more detailed discussion, refer to the BragZone readme file. In the very least, be aware that this resource is intended for researchers and graduate students. It is presented in raw form with relatively little discussion. If you are a visitor from the "real world" please read the disclaimer first.

You too can become a member of the BragZone! To find out more, check out the application information sheet.

There are hundreds of megabytes of image files available via anonymous ftp at

links.uwaterloo.ca:/pub/Bragzone/...