Towards Measurement of Perceived Differences Using EEG

An approach towards the direct measurement of perceived differences using electroencephalography (EEG) is presented. Subjects viewed video clips while their brain activity was registered using EEG. The presented video signals contained compressed as well as uncompressed video sequences. The distortions were introduced by a hybrid video codec. Subjects had to indicate whether or not they had perceived a quality change. In response to a quality change, a voltage change in EEG was observed for all subjects. Potentially, a neuro-technological approach to video assessment could lead to a more objective quantification of quality change detection, overcoming the limitations of subjective approaches (such as subjective bias and the requirement of an overt response). Furthermore, it allows for real-time applications wherein the brain response to a video clip is monitored while it is being viewed.