Scalable multiple description coding of video sequences

In this paper, we address the problem of robust transmission of compressed visual information and propose two transmission schemes based on Multiple Description Scalable Coding (MDSC). In both schemes, we generate four spatial subsequences from the original video stream, by subsampling in both horizontal and vertical directions. Then, each description is encoded using two subsequences using the H.264/SVC video coder, thus generating two scalable descriptors. In the first scheme, we predict one subsequence from the other one using the inter layer prediction tools. In the second scheme, we exploit the redundancy between the subsequence with the hierarchical dyadic B frame prediction algorithm. These schemes provide better performances with respect to the most used spatial multiple description coded solution, called Polyphase Spatial Subsampling multiple description (PSS-MD), at the cost of a very low additional system complexity.