Multiple description scalable coding using wavelet-based motion compensated temporal filtering

Packet delay jitter and loss due to network congestion pose significant challenges for designing and deploying delay sensitive multimedia applications over the best effort packet switched networks such as the Internet. Recent studies indicate that using Multiple Description Coding (MDC) in conjunction with path or server diversity can mitigate these effects. However, the proposed MDC coding and streaming techniques are based on non-scalable coding techniques. A key disadvantage of these techniques is that they can only improve the error resilience of the transmitted video, but are not able to address two other important challenges associated with the robust transmission of video over unreliable networks: adaptation to bandwidth variations and receiving device characteristics. In this paper, we present a new paradigm, referred to as Multiple Description Scalable Coding (MDSC), that is able to address all the previously mentioned challenges by combining the advantages of scalable coding and MDC. This framework enables tradeoffs between throughput, redundancy and complexity at transmission time, unlike previous non-scalable MDC schemes. Furthermore, we also propose a novel MDSC scheme based on Motion Compensated Temporal Filtering (MCTF), denominated Multiple Description Motion Compensated Temporal Filtering (MDMCTF). We use the inherent ability of current MCTF schemes, using the lifting implementation of temporal filtering. We show how tradeoffs between throughput, redundancy and complexity can easily be achieved by adaptively partitioning the video into several descriptions after MCTF. Based on our simulations using different network conditions, the proposed MD-MCTF framework outperforms existing MDC schemes over a variety of network conditions.