Compression-unimpaired batch-image encryption combining vector quantization and index compression

As the network bandwidth has grown rapidly, it has become common to share a large number of still images via the Internet by means of batch transmission. Unfortunately, most existing methods encrypt only a single image, so there is room for improvement in our ability to send batches of images at one time. A complete reconstruction of the methods is sometimes necessary, especially when considering performance criteria. This paper presents a novel batch-image encryption algorithm that combines Vector Quantization (VQ) and additional index-compression process to benefit from their computational efficiency and low transmission bandwidth without affecting the original compression rate. The experimental results show the performance of this new scheme in terms of compression rate and computational cost. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.