Set partitioning in hierarchical trees

SPIHT (Set Partition in Hierarchical Trees) is an image compression algorithm that exploits the inherent similarities across subbands in a wavelet decomposition of an image. The algorithm codes the most important wavelet transform coefficients (in the sense of MSE (Mean Squared Error)) in priority, and transmits the bits so that an increasingly refined copy of the original image is obtained with time.

 One of the advantages with SPITH is that it produces an (optimal) embedded bitstream. This means that the bitstream can be truncated at any instant, and is then guaranteed to yield the best possible reconstruction.