Telecommun Syst (2006) 32:165–180 DOI 10.1007/s11235-006-9136-4 Video object transmission by means of virtual reality based object extraction J. P. Bandera · C. Urdiales · B. Segura · F. Sandoval C  Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2006 Abstract This paper presents a new technique to extract objects from a real complex background so that a video sequence can be decomposed into a set of objects as required for object oriented video compression techniques. The proposed method is based on a background subtraction technique. However, instead of using a fixed background, the system relies on predicting one from a previously constructed virtual model of the environment. Thus, camera movements are allowed. These movements are estimated by means of a tracker device. We also present the virtual model construction technique for indoor environments. The method has been successfully tested for several different video sequences including capture errors, partially mapped virtual environments and camera positioning errors. Further work will focus on extending the virtual models not only to environment, but also to objects, and integrating the method in a MPEG4 standard compression system. Keywords Background subtraction . Virtual models . Video transmission . Video compression 1. Introduction The capture, storage and transmission of digital video has received a growing attention in the last decades. Particularly, compression of video sequences has currently become a capital question, due to the huge size of high-resolution images and the demand for videoconference systems, in which these sequences must be transmitted in real time using as little bandwidth as possible. The Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) publishes the best known and most extended compression standards. MPEG standards basically rely on reducing the redundancy of a sequence by using space and time downsampling mechanisms and brightness and color quantification methods. The last of these standards use object oriented compression techniques, and are called ’second generation standards’. The most popular among them is MPEG4 [8]. J. P. Bandera () · C. Urdiales · B. Segura · F. Sandoval Departamento de Tecnolog´ ıa Electr ´ onica, Universidad de M´ alaga E.T.S. Ingenier´ ıa de Telecomunicaci´ on, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, s/n 29071 M´ alaga, Espa˜ na e-mail: jpbandera@uma.es