This paper addresses the problem of streaming packetized media over a lossy packet network in a rate-distortion optimized way. We show that although the data units in a media presentation generally depend on each other according to a directed acyclic graph, the problem of rate-distortion optimized streaming of an entire presentation can be reduced to the problem of error-cost optimized transmission of an isolated data unit. We show how to solve the latter problem in a variety of scenarios, including the important common scenario of sender-driven streaming with feedback over a best-effort network, which we couch in the framework of Markov decision processes. We derive a fast practical algorithm for nearly optimal streaming in this scenario, and we derive a general purpose iterative descent algorithm for locally optimal streaming in arbitrary scenarios. Experimental results show that systems based on our algorithms have steady-state gains of 2-6 dB or more over systems that are not rate-distortion optimized. Furthermore, our systems essentially achieve the best possible performance: the operational distortion-rate function of the source at the capacity of the packet erasure channel.

/pdf/rate-distortion-optimized-streaming-of-packetized-media-4eovs7229q.pdf

Rate-distortion optimized streaming of packetized media

Cross-layer design breaks away from traditional network design where each layer of the protocol stack operates independently. We explore the potential synergies of exchanging information between different layers to support real-time video streaming. In this new approach information is exchanged between different layers of the protocol stack, and end-to-end performance is optimized by adapting to this information at each protocol layer. We discuss key parameters used in the cross-layer information exchange along with the associated cross-layer adaptation. Substantial performance gains through this cross-layer design are demonstrated for video streaming.

Cross-layer design of ad hoc networks for real-time video streaming

Personal content server apparatus and associated methods that allow a user (e.g., cable or satellite network subscriber) to access content, such as a video program, from a location outside the subscriber's network. In one embodiment, a personal content server streams the content to the subscriber over a network connection from the local e.g., (subscription) network to a remote network upon authorization by a content manager process. Various access, business or operational rules are applied depending on the content and delivery mode; e.g., to live video broadcast, video-on-demand (VOD), or archived content from the subscriber's digital video recorder (DVR) or networked PVR. Secondary content (e.g., promotions, advertisements, etc.) can also be selectively replaced if desired in order to make the remotely delivered content more appropriate to the remote user's context.

Personal content server apparatus and methods

An encoding device includes a color component separating unit for separating an input bit stream for the respective color components, a block dividing unit for dividing an input color component signal into blocks to generate a signal of an encoding unit area, a predicted image generating unit for generating a predicted image for the signal, a determining unit for determining a prediction mode used for encoding according to a prediction efficiency of the predicted image, a prediction error encoding unit for encoding a difference between the predicted image corresponding to the prediction mode determined by the determining unit and the input color component signal, and an encoding unit for variable length-coding the prediction mode, an output from the prediction error encoding unit, and a color component identification flag indicating the color component to which the input bit stream belongs as a result of the color component separation.

Image encoding device, image decoding device, image encoding method, and image decoding method

Disclosed are a method and a apparatus for encoding a video, and a method and apparatus for decoding a video, in which neighboring pixels used to perform intra prediction on a current block to be encoded are filtered and intra prediction is performed by using the filtered neighboring pixels.

Method and apparatus for encoding video, and method and apparatus for decoding video

Proxy caching has been used to speed up Web browsing and reduce networking costs. In this paper, we study the extension of proxy caching techniques to streaming video applications. A trivial extension consists of storing complete video sequences in the cache. However, this may not be applicable in situations where the video objects are very large and proxy cache space is limited. We show that the approaches proposed in this paper (referred to as selective caching), where only a few frames are cached, can also contribute to significant improvements in the overall performance. In particular, we discuss two network environments for streaming video, namely, quality-of-service (QoS) networks and best-effort networks (Internet). For QoS networks, the video caching goal is to reduce the network bandwidth costs; for best-effort networks, the goal is to increase the robustness of continuous playback against poor network conditions (such as congestion, delay, and loss). Two different selective caching algorithms (SCQ and SCB) are proposed, one for each network scenario, to increase the relevant overall performance metric in each case, while requiring only a fraction of the video stream to be cached. The main contribution of our work is to provide algorithms that are efficient even when the buffer memory available at the client is limited. These algorithms are also scalable so that when changes in the environment occur it is possible, with low complexity, to modify the allocation of cache space to different video sequences.

/pdf/scalable-proxy-caching-of-video-under-storage-constraints-11r95w3uj3.pdf

Scalable proxy caching of video under storage constraints

Scalable, or layered, media representation appears to be more suitable for transmission over the current heterogeneous networks. In this paper we study the problem of scalable layered streaming media delivery over a lossy channel. The goal is to find an optimal transmission policy to achieve the best playback quality at the client end. The problem involves some trade-offs such as time-constrained delivery and data dependencies. For example, a layer should be dropped before transmission if it already has a delay such that it cannot be played before its scheduled time. Moreover, less important layers with near-playback-time may also be dropped or delayed for delivery in order to save bandwidth for other layers with a high priority. We propose a framework for scalable streaming media delivery, that involves a novel scheduling algorithm called Expected runtime Distortion Based Scheduling (EDBS) which decides the order in which packets should be transmitted in order to improve client playback quality in the presence of channel losses. A fast greedy search algorithm is presented that achieves almost the same performance as an exhaustive search technique (98% of the time it results in the same schedule) with very low complexity and is applicable for real-time application.

/pdf/optimal-scheduling-for-streaming-of-scalable-media-1vwp0erde0.pdf

Optimal scheduling for streaming of scalable media

This paper addresses the problem of streaming packetized media over a lossy packet network, in a rate-distortion optimized way. Out of all the packets that a sender could transmit at a given transmission opportunity, we show how the sender should compute which packets, if any, to transmit in order to meet an average rate constraint while minimizing the average end-to-end distortion. Experimental results show that our system has steady-state gains of 3-7 dB or more over systems that are not rate-distortion optimized.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ChouS02a.pdf

Rate-distortion optimized sender-driven streaming over best-effort networks

For use in media communications, e.g. in the delivery of video and audio or in teleconferencing, a media file or title is partitioned for secured, efficient delivery. A data sequence representing the file is partitioned into smaller subsequences, with a first subsequence being chosen to convey a degraded-quality representation of the data, and the other sequences for complementing the first subsequence to obtain a superior-quality representation. Among areas of applicability are media on demand, real-time communications and broadcasting, and online media locker, jukebox and chat room services.

Zhourong Miao

Papers

Rate-distortion optimized streaming of packetized media

Scalable proxy caching of video under storage constraints

Optimal scheduling for streaming of scalable media

Rate-distortion optimized sender-driven streaming over best-effort networks

Method and system for delivering media data