The quantum pulse code modulation (PCM) mode includes a sample quantization operation to add distortion to the encoded video information. Thus, video blocks encoded using PCM with quantization look more uniform with neighboring video blocks that have been encoded by other lossy compression methods, such as, for example, inter-frame coding or intra-frame coding. Prior to encoding quantized samples using PCM, the video encoder may first quantize the input samples of the video information with a quantization step. Data about this quantization step can be reported to the decoder in the bit stream of encoded video information. The video decoder can receive a bit stream of encoded video information, which includes samples of video information encoded using PCM with quantization. These samples are first decoded using pulse code demodulation, and then re-quantized with the same quantization step that was used to encode the video information. The video decoder can extract this quantization step from the bit depth at the output in the bit stream of encoded video information.