Proposed Unequal Error Protection Scheme Research Articles

Block Recovery Rate-Based Unequal Error Protection for Three-Screen TV

This paper describes a three-screen television system using a block recovery rate (BRR)-based unequal error protection (UEP). The proposed in-home wireless network uses scalable video coding (SVC) and UEP with forward error correction (FEC) for maximizing the quality of service (QoS) over error-prone wireless networks. For efficient FEC packet assignment, this paper proposes a simple and efficient performance metric, a BRR which is defined as a recovery rate of temporal and quality layer from FEC assignment by analyzing the hierarchical prediction structure including the current packet loss. It also explains the SVC layer switching scheme according to network conditions such as packet loss rate (PLR) and available bandwidth (ABW). In the experiments conducted, gains in video quality with the proposed UEP scheme vary from 1 to 3 dB in Y-peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) with corresponding subjective video quality improvements.

Robust Transmission of prioritized H.264/AVC employing linear block codes and non-uniform 8PSK modulation for wireless communications

Due to the fruitful and diversified contents of multimedia traffic and the vulnerable environment of wireless communications, applying unequal error protection (UEP) is now an active research topic. In this paper, we present a novel and alternative method of providing UEP by combining the channel code with the modulation-assisted symbol. We use the powerful BCH code and non-uniform 8PSK modulation to handle UEP of the prioritized H.264/AVC bit stream. Based on the non-uniformly distributed property of the importance of intracoded (I-frame) and the predictive coded frame (p-frame), we have found a suitable approach for the non- uniform 8PSK signal constellation. Simulation results show that our proposed UEP scheme is able to significantly improve the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). It has been shown that at a value of Eb/No of 14 dB the video sequence transmitted at a bit rate of 512 Kbps yields a 4 dB gain in PSNR compared with the uniform 8PSK modulation case which makes the proposed UEP scheme robust to wireless communication errors.

Unequal error protection scheme based hierarchical 16-QAM for 3-D video transmission

In this paper, an unequal error protection (UEP) scheme based on hierarchical quadrature amplitude modulation (HQAM) for three-dimensional (3-D) video transmission is proposed. The proposed scheme exploits unique characteristics of the color plus depth map stereoscopic video, where the color sequence has a more significant impact on the reconstructed video quality. The UEP scheme assigns more protection to the color sequence than the depth map so as to achieve high quality 3-D video. Different levels of protection are assigned through hierarchical 16-QAM. The color data with high priority (HP) are mapped onto the most significant bits (MSBs) of the 16- QAM constellation points and the depth map with low priority (LP) are mapped onto the less significant bits (LSBs). Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed UEP scheme outperforms the conventional equal error protection (EEP) schemes by up to 5 dB in terms of the received left and right views quality.

A framework for error protection of region of interest coded images and videos

In this paper, we propose a framework for unequal error protection (UEP) of image and video streaming over a wireless channel. Our framework of allocating the parity symbols associated with error control coding to the image or video codestream takes advantage of the different levels of importance that particular spatial regions of visual multimedia content has to human observers. As such, it provides stronger protection against transmission impairments to those parts of an image or video stream that correspond to the regions of interest (ROIs) while weaker protection is applied to the background (BG). For this purpose, an image or video stream represented by a sequence of packets is split into smaller cells in such a way that certain cells contain the parts of a codestream that represent ROIs and the last cell carries solely BG information. The available parity budget obtained from the given code rate is then distributed among these cells based on their contribution to the overall perceptual quality of a reconstructed image or video. A dynamic programming approach is utilized to facilitate optimal allocation of parity to ROIs and BG for ROI based UEP. The performance of the proposed ROI based UEP scheme is analyzed and compared with both the optimal UEP without ROI processing and equal error protection (EEP) in terms of an objective perceptual quality metric, the structural similarity (SSIM) index. Performance results validate the effectiveness of our framework and the superior performance of the proposed UEP scheme compared to EEP. The performance of the proposed UEP scheme matches well with that of the optimal UEP without ROI processing, especially, for multiple spatial description image and video coding while computational complexity can be kept much lower.

A novel hierarchical QAM-based unequal error protection scheme for H.264/AVC video over frequency-selective fading channels

A novel unequal error protection (UEP) scheme based on the hierarchical quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) is proposed for H.264/AVC video transmission over frequency selective fading channels. In order to avoid the situation that data with higher priority in the H.264/AVC video streams to be mapped onto subcarriers in deep fading, an OFDM subcarrier classification strategy with two signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) thresholds is presented. Simulation results show that the proposed UEP scheme outperforms the state-of-the-art UEP method by up to 1.6 dB in terms of the quality of the reconstructed video.

A new unequal error protection scheme based on FMO

This paper presents a novel scheme for video transmission over error-prone networks. The proposed scheme exploits the error resilient features of H.264/AVC and employs an unequal error protection (UEP) approach to protect effectively the streams. A novel algorithm is proposed to classify macroblocks into slice groups using the explicit mode of Flexible Macroblock Ordering (FMO). A rate distortion optimized algorithm is used to assign unequal amounts of FEC protection to the resulting slice groups according to their importance. In addition, a Converged Motion Estimation (CME) is proposed to further improve the proposed UEP scheme. The idea behind the CME is to make the macroblocks be referenced in a skewed manner, such that highly important macroblocks are converged on only a few and the use of redundancy for error protection is efficient. Simulation results show the superiority of the proposed method over other approaches for transmission of H.264/AVC streams.

A low complexity hierarchical QAM symbol bits allocation algorithm for unequal error protection of wireless video transmission

A low complexity hierarchical quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) symbol bits allocation algorithm for unequal error protection of video transmission over wireless channels is proposed in this paper. An unequal error protection (UEP) scheme using hierarchical QAM, which takes into consideration the non-uniformly distributed importance of intracoded frame (I-frame) and predictive coded frame (P-frame) in a group of pictures (GOP), is first proposed. In order to optimally allocate the hierarchical QAM's high priority (HP), medium priority (MP) and low priority (LP) symbol bits to the H.264/AVC video, a generic solution for optimal allocation of hierarchical QAM's high priority (HP), medium priority (MP) and low priority (LP) symbol bits to the H.264/AVC video is then proposed. Finally, a low complexity symbol bits allocation algorithm, namely ranking search algorithm, which reduces the computational complexity of the proposed optimal symbol bits allocation algorithm, is proposed. Simulation results show that our proposed UEP scheme outperforms the classical equal error protection (EEP) scheme and also the previous UEP scheme.

Group-of-pictures-based unequal error protection for scalable video coding extension of H.264/AVC

We address the problem of unequal error protection (UEP) for SNR enhancement layer network abstraction layer (NAL) units of scalable video coding extension of H.264/AVC standard over wireless packet-erasure channel. We develop a UEP scheme by jointly selecting SNR NAL units and allocating unequal amounts of protection to selected NAL units for every group of pictures in the sequence. A simple heuristic algorithm is proposed to quickly derive the protection pattern. Experimental results demonstrate the proposed UEP scheme provides significant error resilience.

A fast forward error correction allocation algorithm for unequal error protection of video transmission over wireless channels

A new fast forward error correction (FEC) allocation algorithm for unequal error protection (UEP) of video transmission over wireless channels is proposed in this paper. First, an UEP scheme, which takes into consideration the non-uniformly distributed importance of frames in a group of pictures (GOP) and macroblocks in a video frame, is proposed. An enhanced video error propagation model, namely expected number of macroblocks error propagation (ENMEP) is also proposed in this paper to measure the amount of error propagation caused by transmission errors. Finally, by making use of our proposed ENMEP error propagation model, a fast FEC allocation algorithm for our proposed UEP scheme is also proposed. Simulation results demonstrate that our scheme outperforms the previous UEP scheme and the classical equal error protection (EEP) scheme.

Layer-weighted unequal error protection for scalable video coding extension of H.264/AVC

The scalable video coding extension of H.264/AVC is a current standardization project. This paper deals with unequal error protection (UEP) scheme for scalable video bitstream over packet-lossy networks using forward error correction (FEC). The proposed UEP scheme is developed by exploiting jointly the unequal importance existing both in temporal layers and quality layers of hierarchial scalable video bitstream. For efficient assignment of FEC codes, the proposed UEP scheme uses a simple and efficient performance metric, namely layer-weighted expected zone of error propagation (LW-EZEP). The LW-EZEP is adopted for quantifying the error propagation effect on video quality degradation from packet loss in temporal layers and in quality layers. Compared to other UEP schemes, the proposed UEP scheme demonstrates strong robustness and adaptation for variable channel status.

Robust JPEG image transmission using unequal error protection and code combining

AbstractJPEG image transmission over noisy channels is highly problematic due to the sensitivity of the JPEG bit stream to error propagation. The use of resynchronization markers and channel coding do not alleviate the problem completely thus making retransmissions inevitable. In packetized image transmission, image packets are repeated n times, to ensure reliable transmission. This paper proposes a new unequal error protection (UEP) scheme which jointly optimizes the allocation of channel code rates and number of repeats to image packets, subject to a constraint on the maximum overall transmission rate. The coding scheme used is the rate compatible punctured convolutional code coupled with the code‐combining technique. An unequal allocation of headers to the image packets is also performed in order to reduce the overall distortion due to error propagation. Simulation results show that the proposed UEP scheme provides a gain of more than 8 dB in peak‐to‐peak signal‐to‐noise ratio over a tandem scheme. The flexibility of the proposed scheme, and the major performance gains obtained, make the scheme appealing for applications like, web‐based image browsing, multi‐hop networks, and wireless image transmission. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cost-distortion optimized unequal error protection for object-based video communications

Object-based video coding is a relatively new technique to meet the fast growing demand for interactive multimedia applications. Compared with conventional frame-based video coding, it consists of two types of source data: shape information and texture information. Recently, joint source-channel coding for multimedia communications has gained increased popularity. However, very limited work has been conducted to address the problem of joint source-channel coding for object-based video. In this paper, we propose a cost-distortion optimal unequal error protection (UEP) scheme for object-based video communications. Our goal is to achieve the best video quality (minimum total expected distortion) with constraints on transmission cost and delay in a lossy network environment. The problem is solved using Lagrangian relaxation and dynamic programming. The performance of the proposed scheme is tested using simulations of a narrow-band block-fading wireless channel with additive white Gaussian noise and a simplified differentiated services Internet channel. Experimental results indicate that the proposed UEP scheme can significantly outperform equal error protection methods.

The design and simulated performance of a mobile video telephony application for satellite third-generation wireless systems

The design and performance of a low bit-rate video telephony service for mobile third-generation (3G) systems is presented. The ITU-T G.723.1 speech coding and the ITU-T H.263 video coding recommendations are used, as proposed by the ITU-T H.324 low bit-rate multimedia communications recommendation. The target bit-rate for the H.324 service is 64 kb/s. The design is performed in conjunction with that of a wideband-code division multiple access (W-CDMA) radio transmission technology (RTT) system, proposed by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the satellite component of the ITU IMT-2000 standard. Most of the results could also be applied to the 3G terrestrial systems. The use of concatenated channel coding with convolutional inner coding and Reed-Solomon (RS) outer coding is investigated. Service designs based on equal error protection (EEP) and unequal error protection (UEP) schemes for the audio and video sources are compared. The simulation of the proposed video telephony services shows that significantly more graceful video and audio degradation is obtained with the proposed UEP scheme than with a more straightforward EEP method. The UEP scheme reduces significantly the occurrence of highly annoying audio and video artefacts, allowing satellite-based video telephony services that are compatible with the current Internet-based applications.