DVC delta commands

1. A video compression routine including:

examining pixels in selected past and present video frames;

for a given said present frame and for a current pixel thereof, making fixed bit length packets that define at least the current pixel, said packets including:

(1) pixel-copy packets having at least one packet-type identifier bit and formatted to include a copy code identifying a location in the past and present video frames that is redundant to a current pixel color and a payload identifying an extent of the redundancy;

(2) color defining packets having at least one packet-type identifier bit and at least one color identifier bit;

(3) delta defining packets having at least one packet-type identifier bit and at least one delta identifier bit;

(4) n-color series encoded packets having at least one packet-type identifier bit identifying a consecutive run of pixel colors condition in which the consecutive run of color pixels is comprised only from a set of n number of unique colors, the at least one packet-type identifier bit followed by a payload of a consecutive series of color identifiers in which (1) the color identifiers correspond respectively to the set of n number of unique colors, (2) the consecutive series is identical in length to the consecutive run of pixel colors, and (3) the color identifiers are ordered in the consecutive series to correspond to an order of the consecutive run of pixel colors.

2. A video transmission system, comprising:

a video encoding routine to encode serial pixel data according to an algorithm including, for a given set of consecutive pixels, choosing one of the following encoding that yields higher compression ratios:

(1) copy-pixel encoding that makes data packets defining the number of consecutive pixels that can be represented by copying the color of a respective pixel with a frame location relationship that is redundant to the respective pixel;

(2) individually colored pixel encoding that makes data packets each defining each color of the pixels in said given set of consecutive pixels; and

(3) delta value pixel encoding that makes data packets each defining the difference between the color of a current pixel and a respective pixel with a frame location relationship;

(4) a series pixel encoding that makes a data packet including bits each indicating which color, from an n-color set, applies to each of the pixels to said series of consecutive pixels, wherein pixels in said given set of consecutive pixels are comprised only a set of n number of unique colors, the bits of the data packet representing a consecutive series of color identifiers in which (1) the color identifiers correspond respectively to the set of n number of unique colors, (2) the consecutive series is identical in length to the consecutive run of pixel colors, and (3) the color identifiers are ordered in the consecutive series to correspond to an order of the consecutive run of pixel colors.

3. A video transmission system according to claim 2 , wherein:

the copy-pixel and the delta value pixel encoding include encoding based on a frame location relationship between the present pixel in the present frame and another pixel in the present frame.

4. A video transmission system according to claim 2 , wherein:

the copy-pixel and the delta value encoding includes encoding based on a selection of:

a relationship between the present pixel in the present frame and another pixel to the left of the present pixel in the present frame;

a relationship between the present pixel in the present frame and another pixel above the present pixel in the present frame; and

a relationship between the present pixel in the present frame and another pixel at the same location but in a previous frame.

5. A video transmission system according to claim 2 , wherein:

the series pixel encoding includes encoding wherein a sequential series of x pixels, beginning with the current pixel, are comprised only of colors from a two-color set.

6. A video transmission system, where a video frame comprises pixels defined by n-bit color values partitioned into three y 1 -bit, y 2 -bit, and y 3 -bit channels, comprising;

an encoder that

for the y 1 -bit channel:

for a plurality of directional relationship types of a current pixel relative to a reference pixel, generating a (y 1 -x 1 )-bit delta value by determining a difference between a y 1 -bit reference pixel color value and a respective y 1 -bit current color value, where x 1 is a predetermined number of significant bits of y 1 ;

for the y 2 -bit channel:

for a plurality of directional relationship types of a current pixel relative to a reference pixel, generating a (y 2 -x 2 -bit delta value by determining a difference between a y 2 -bit reference pixel color value and a respective y 2 -bit current color value, where x 2 is a predetermined number of significant bits of y 2 ;

for the y 3 -bit channel:

for a plurality of directional relationship types of a current pixel relative to a reference pixel, generating a (y 3 -x 3 )-bit delta value by determining a difference between. a y 3 -bit reference pixel color value from a respective y 3 -bit current color value, where x 3 is a predetermined number of significant bits of y 3 ;

and if the x 1 , x 2 , and x 3 significant bits of respective y 1 -bit, y 2 -bit and y 3 -bit channels are equal for the n-bit reference pixel color and the n-bit current color value, generating a delta value for each channel; and

a decoder that is adapted to determine the n-bit current color value by adjusting each channel of the n-bit reference pixel color value by the respective delta values.

7. The video transmission system of claim 6 , wherein said plurality of directional relationship types specify the following relationships between the reference pixel and the current pixel:

a location to the left of the current pixel;

a location above the current pixel;

a location in same location as the current pixel but in the previous frame.