Geometrically determining the leaky bucket parameters for video streaming over constant bit-rate channels

Abstract

For streaming of pre-encoded bitstreams over constant bit rate (CBR) channels, the channel bandwidth, the receiver buffer capacity as well as the latency requirement vary greatly from application to application. In this paper, we attempt to determine the minimum buffer size and the minimum start-up delay required for streaming a pre-encoded bitstream over CBR channels at any specific bit rate. The proposed method employs geometric operations to derive the optimal determination for low or high bit rates and sub-optimal determination for medium bit rates. The algorithm developed requires little extra information from the encoder and is easy to implement. Our algorithm is implemented in a H.264/AVC video encoder and its performance is compared with that of H.264/AVC hypothetical reference decoder. Our approach provides new theoretical insight and an excellent solution for determining the leaky bucket parameters for video streaming over CBR channels.