We describe the prototype of a testing device for MPEG compression schemes. The device produces synthetic test patterns specifically designed to evaluate the performance of MPEG coders. The patterns are fed into the coding chain, and the behavior of the coder is evaluated by comparing the original sequence with its decoded version. This approach allows the system to independently evaluate each artifact introduced by the coding process. We developed and describe here a software-based prototype of the pattern for the proposed testing device.

The quality estimation module of the testing device is still under research. The latter will analyze the individual artifacts in the decoded sequence and, on the basis of a spatio-temporal model of the human visual system, assess the quality of the coding chain.