In
transcoding a frequency transform-encoded
digital video signal representing a sequence of video frames, a foveated, compressed
digital video signal is produced and transmitted over a limited bandwidth
communication channel to a display according to the following method: First, a frequency transform-encoded
digital video signal having encoded frequency coefficients representing a sequence of video frames is provided, wherein the encoding removes temporal redundancies from the video signal and encodes the frequency coefficients as base layer frequency coefficients in a base layer and as residual frequency coefficients in an enhancement layer. Then, an observer's
gaze point is identified on the display. The encoded digital video signal is partially decoded to recover the frequency coefficients, and the residual frequency coefficients are adjusted to reduce the
high frequency content of the video signal in regions away from the
gaze point. The frequency coefficients, including the adjusted residual frequency coefficients, are then recoded to produce a foveated, transcoded digital video signal, and the foveated, transcoded digital video signal is displayed to the observer.