Quality-Aware Loss-Robust Scalable Speech Streaming Based on Speech Quality Estimation

Abstract

This paper proposes a quality-aware loss-robust scalable speech streaming (QLSSS) method to improve the perceived speech quality (PSQ) of a scalable wideband speech streaming (SWSS) system over IP networks. To this end, the proposed method estimates the PSQ and the packet loss rate (PLR) from the received speech data. Subsequently, it decides the amount of redundant speech data (RSD) that a speech decoder can use to reconstruct lost speech signals for high PLRs. According to this decision, the proposed method optimizes a scalable speech coding mode for current speech data (CSD) and RSD bitstreams in order to prevent speech quality from being degraded under the estimated packet loss condition and maintain the transmission bandwidth. The effectiveness of the proposed method is then demonstrated using the ITU-T Recommendations G.729.1 and P.563 as a scalable wideband speech codec and a PSQ estimator, respectively. It is shown from the experiments that an SWSS system employing the proposed QLSSS method significantly improves speech quality under packet loss conditions.