Multiple description video using rate-distortion splitting

Abstract

We consider a simple multiple description (MD) video coder, that uses redundancy-rate-distortion criteria to split a one-layer stream generated by a standard video coder into two correlated streams. Our simulation results demonstrate that this MD coder has much better performance for large redundancies than our previous MDTC video coder, although it cannot perform as well at low redundancies. This MD video coder is very simple to implement and is compatible with H.263 to the extent that each description can be decoded by a standard H.263 decoder. This MD coder was used in a previous study on the transport of MD and layered video over an EGPRS wireless network, where the fact that it creates two streams with very balanced rates was a strong advantage.