Advances in microprocessor power, data storage, and compression technology have provided key technologies for creating and playing digital video data on personal computers. The high-capacity disk drives and CD-ROMs satisfy the large storage needs of digital video data. Additionally, today's more powerful microprocessors provide sufficient power to handle digital video data in real time. When these advances are combined with image compression techniques, the result is a powerful integration of video and the personal computer.
Several compression algorithms are currently in use throughout the industry. Some of these algorithms, like MPEG, use additional video hardware to compress and decompress the digitized video. Others are less numerically intensive and can be handled by software running on the main CPU and still maintain sufficient frame rates to provide motion. These are referred to as software-only algorithms or software motion video.
Ultimotion is IBM's technology for software motion video. It is a cross-platform algorithm that uses no hardware acceleration for capture or playback. The following sections describe Ultimotion, a single compression technique capable of providing a spectrum of quality levels from a single copy of the digital video data: