Unified framework for optimal video streaming

• Main Authors: de Cuetos, P., Ross, K.W.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Coding, codes; Constraint theory; Decoding; Degradation; Delay; Detection, estimation, filtering, equalization, prediction; Error correction; Exact sciences and technology; Forward error correction; Information, signal and communications theory; MPEG 4 Standard; Protection; Signal and communications theory; Signal, noise; State feedback; Streaming media; Switching and signalling; Systems, networks and services of telecommunications; Telecommunications; Telecommunications and information theory; Transmission and modulation (techniques and equipments)
• ISSN: 0743-166X; 2641-9874
• DOI: 10.1109/INFCOM.2004.1354562

We study the problem of how to stream layered video (live and stored) over a lossy packet network in order to optimize the video quality that is rendered at the receiver. We present a unified framework that combines scheduling, FEC error protection, and decoder error concealment. In the context of the unified framework, we study both the case of a channel with perfect state information and the case of a channel with imperfect state information (delayed or lost feedback). We adapt the theory of infinite-horizon, average-reward Markov decision processes (MDPs) with average-cost constraints to the problem. Based on simulations with MPEG-4 FGS video, we show that (1) optimizing together scheduling, FEC error correction and error concealment improves performance significantly and (2) policies with static error protection give near-optimal performance. We also find that degradations in quality for a channel with imperfect state information are small; thus our MDP approach is suitable for networks with long end-to-end delays