ED: Perceptually tuned Enhanced Compression Model

This paper summarises the design of the candidate ED for the Challenge on Learned Image Compression 2024. This candidate aims at providing an anchor based on conventional coding technologies to the learning-based approaches mostly targeted in the challenge. The proposed candidate is based on the Enhanced Compression Model (ECM) developed at JVET, the Joint Video Experts Team of ITU-T VCEG and ISO/IEC MPEG. Here, ECM is adapted to the challenge objective: to maximise the perceived quality, the encoding is performed according to a perceptual metric, also the sequence selection is performed in a perceptual manner to fit the target bit per pixel objectives. The primary objective of this candidate is to assess the recent developments in video coding standardisation and in parallel to evaluate the progress made by learning-based techniques. To this end, this paper explains how to generate coded images fulfilling the challenge requirements, in a reproducible way, targeting the maximum performance.