Optimal resource allocation for wireless video over CDMA networks

We present a multiple-channel video transmission scheme in wireless CDMA networks over multipath fading channels. We map an embedded video bitstream, which is encoded into multiple independently decodable layers by 3D-ESCOT video coding technique, to multiple CDMA channels. One video source layer is transmitted over one CDMA channel. Each video source layer is protected by a product channel code structure. A product channel code is obtained by the combination of a row code based on rate compatible punctured convolutional code (RCPC) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) error detection and a source-channel column code, i.e., systematic rate-compatible Reed-Solomon (RS) style erasure code. For a given budget on the available bandwidth and total transmit power, the transmitter determines the optimal power allocations and the optimal transmission rates among multiple CDMA channels, as well as the optimal product channel code rate allocation, i.e., the optimal unequal Reed-Solomon code source/parity rate allocations and the optimal RCPC rate protection for each channel. In formulating such an optimization problem, we make use of results on the large-system CDMA performance for various multiuser receivers in multipath fading channels. The channel is modeled as the concatenation of wireless BER channel and a wireline packet erasure channel with a fixed packet loss probability. By solving the optimization problem, we obtain the optimal power level allocation and the optimal transmission rate allocation over multiple CDMA channels. For each CDMA channel, we also employ a fast joint source-channel coding algorithm to obtain the optimal product channel code structure. Simulation results show that the proposed framework allows the video quality to degrade gracefully as the fading worsens or the bandwidth decreases, and it offers improved video quality at the receiver.     

Multiuser cross-layer resource allocation for video transmission over wireless networks

With the advancement of video-compression technology and the wide deployment of wireless networks, there is an increasing demand for wireless video communication services, and many design challenges remain to be overcome. In this article, we discuss how to dynamically allocate resources according to the changing environments and requirements, so as to improve the overall system performance and ensure individual quality of service (QoS). Specifically, we consider two aspects with regard to design issues: cross-layer design, which jointly optimizes resource utilization from the physical layer to the application layer, and multiuser diversity, which explores source and channel heterogeneity for different users. We study how to efficiently transmit multiple video streams, encoded by current and future video codecs, over resource-limited wireless networks such as 3G/4G cellular system and future wireless local/metropolitan area networks (WLANs/WMANs).     

Scalable rate control for video transmission over UMTS

This paper proposes a mechanism for the congestion control for video transmission over Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Our scheme is applied when the mobile user experiences real time multimedia content and adopts the theory of a widely accepted rate control method in wired networks, namely equation‐based rate control. In this approach, the transmission rate of the multimedia data is determined as a function of the packet loss rate, the round trip time and the packet size and the server explicitly adjusts its sending rate as a function of these parameters. Through a number of simulations and experiments we validate the correctness and measure the performance and efficiency of the mechanism. A first level of evaluation is carried out using the ns‐2 simulator. A second level then validates the proposed mechanism in real world traffic scenarios by performing experiments in a commercial UMTS network. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rate allocation for video transmission over lossy correlatednetworks

A novel rate allocation algorithm for video transmission over lossy networks subject to bursty packet losses is presented. A Gilbert-Elliot model is used at the encoder to drive the selection of coding parameters. Experimental results using the H.26L test model show a significant performance improvement with respect to the assumption of independent packet losses     

Precoded OFDM with adaptive vector channel allocation for scalable video transmission over frequency-selective fading channels

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has been applied in broadband wireline and wireless systems for high data rate transmission where severe intersymbol interference (ISI) always occurs. The conventional OFDM system provides advantages through conversion of an ISI channel into ISI-free subchannels at multiple frequency bands. However, it may suffer from channel spectral s and heavy data rate overhead due to cyclic prefix insertion. Previously, a new OFDM framework, the precoded OFDM, has been proposed to mitigate the above two problems through precoding and conversion of an ISI channel into ISI-free vector channels. In this paper, we consider the application of the precoded OFDM system to efficient scalable video transmission. We propose to enhance the precoded OFDM system with adaptive vector channel allocation to provide stronger protection against errors to more important layers in the layered bit stream structure of scalable video. The more critical layers, or equivalently, the lower layers, are allocated vector channels of higher transmission quality. The channel quality is characterized by Frobenius norm metrics; based on channel estimation at the receiver. The channel allocation information is fed back periodically to the transmitter through a control channel. Simulation results have demonstrated the robustness of the proposed scheme to noise and fading inherent in wireless channels.     

Optimal control of source and channel rate for VBR video transmission over VBR channels

In this letter we propose a control-theoretic approach for the joint source and channel rate control problem of transporting variable bit-rate (VBR) compressed video over VBR channels. Compared with traditional solutions, our solution has no special requirements for the encoder and decoder buffer sizes, and can use much less memory and calculation time to achieve the optimal control. The proposed algorithm can be used in both off-line and on-line coding.     

Analysis of video transmission over lossy channels

A theoretical analysis of the overall mean squared error (MSE) in hybrid video coding is presented for the case of error prone transmission. Our model covers the complete transmission system including the rate-distortion performance of the video encoder, forward error correction, interleaving, and the effect of error concealment and interframe error propagation at the video decoder. The channel model used is a 2-state Markov model describing burst errors on the symbol level. Reed-Solomon codes are used for forward error correction. Extensive simulation results using an H.263 video codec are provided for verification. Using the model, the optimal tradeoff between INTRA and INTER coding as well as the optimal channel code rate can be determined for given channel parameters by minimizing the expected MSE at the decoder. The main focus of this paper is to show the accuracy of the derived analytical model and its applicability to the analysis and optimization of an entire video transmission system     

Rate control for robust video transmission over burst-errorwireless channels

We study the problem of rate control for transmission of video over burst-error wireless channels, i.e., channels such that errors tend to occur in clusters during fading periods. In particular we consider a scenario consisting of packet based transmission with automatic repeat request (ARQ) error control and a back channel. We start by showing how the delay constraints in real time video transmission can be translated into rate constraints at the encoder, where the applicable rate constraints at a given time depend on future channel rates. With the acknowledgments received through the back channel we have an estimate of the current channel state. This information, combined with an a priori model of the channel, allows us to statistically model the future channel rates. Thus the rate constraints at the encoder can be expressed in terms of the expected channel behavior. We can then formalize a rate distortion optimization problem, namely, that of assigning quantizers to each of the video blocks stored in the encoder buffer such that the quality of the received video is maximized. This requires that the rate constraints be included in the optimization, since violating a rate constraint is equivalent to violating a delay constraint and thus results in losing a video block. We formalize two possible approaches. The first one seeks to minimize the distortion for the expected rate constraints given the channel model and current observation. The second approach seeks to allocate bits so as to minimize the expected distortion for the given model. We use both dynamic programming and Lagrangian optimization approaches to solve these problems. Our simulation results demonstrate that both the video distortion at the decoder and packet loss rate can be significantly reduced when incorporating the channel information provided by the feedback channel and the a priori model into the rate control algorithm     

Optimal power allocation for relayed transmissions over Rayleigh-fading channels

Relayed transmission is a way to attain broader coverage by splitting the communication link from the source to the destination into several shorter links/hops. One of the main advantages of this communication technique is that it distributes the use of power throughout the hops. This implies longer battery life and lower interference introduced to the rest of the network. In this context, this paper investigates the optimal allocation of power over these links/hops for a given power budget. All hops are assumed to be subject to independent Rayleigh fading. Outage probability which is the probability that the link quality from source to destination falls below a certain threshold is used as the optimization criterion. Numerical results show that optimizing the allocation of power enhances the system performance, especially if the links are highly unbalanced in terms of their average fading power or if the number of hops is large. Interestingly, they also show that nonregenerative systems with optimum power allocation can outperform regenerative systems with no power optimization.     

Optimal bit allocation for coding of video signals over ATMnetworks

We consider optimal encoding of video sequences for ATM networks. Two cases are investigated. In one, the video units are coded independently (e.g., motion JPEG), while in the other, the coding quality of a later picture may depend on that of an earlier picture (e.g., H.26x and MPEGx). The aggregate distortion-rate relationship for the latter case exhibits a tree structure, and its solution commands a higher degree of complexity than the former. For independent coding, we develop an algorithm which employs multiple Lagrange multipliers to find the constrained bit allocation. This algorithm is optimal up to a convex-hull approximation of the distortion-rate relations in the case of CBR (constant bit-rate) transmission. It is suboptimal in the case of VBR (variable bit-rate) transmission by the use of a suboptimal transmission rate control mechanism for simplicity. For dependent coding, the Lagrange-multiplier approach becomes rather unwieldy, and a constrained tree search method is used. The solution is optimal for both CBR and VBR transmission if the full constrained tree is searched. Simulation results are presented which confirm the superiority in coding quality of the encoding algorithms. We also compare the coded video quality and other characteristics of VBR and CBR transmission     

Resource allocation for downlink multiuser video transmission over wireless lossy networks

Demand for multimedia services, such as video streaming over wireless networks, has grown dramatically in recent years. The downlink transmission of multiple video sequences to multiple users over a shared resource-limited wireless channel, however, is a daunting task. Among the many challenges in this area are the time-varying channel conditions, limited available resources, such as bandwidth and power, and the different transmission requirements of different video content. This work takes into account the time-varying nature of the wireless channels, as well as the importance of individual video packets, to develop a cross-layer resource allocation and packet scheduling scheme for multiuser video streaming over lossy wireless packet access networks. Assuming that accurate channel feedback is not available at the scheduler, random channel losses combined with complex error concealment at the receiver make it impossible for the scheduler to determine the actual distortion of the sequence at the receiver. Therefore, the objective of the optimization is to minimize the expected distortion of the received sequence, where the expectation is calculated at the scheduler with respect to the packet loss probability in the channel. The expected distortion is used to order the packets in the transmission queue of each user, and then gradients of the expected distortion are used to efficiently allocate resources across users. Simulations show that the proposed scheme performs significantly better than a conventional content-independent scheme for video transmission.     

Mechanism-based resource allocation for multimedia transmission over spectrum agile wireless networks

We propose to add a new dimension to existing wireless multimedia systems by enabling autonomous stations to dynamically compete for communication resources through adjustment of their internal strategies and sharing their private information. We focus on emerging spectrum agile wireless networks, where developing an efficient strategy for managing available communication resources is of high importance. The proposed dynamic resource management approach for wireless multimedia changes the passive way stations are currently adapting their joint source-channel coding strategies according to available wireless resources. Each wireless station can play the resource management game by adapting its multimedia transmission strategy depending on the experienced channel conditions and user requirements. The resource allocation game is coordinated by a network moderator, which deploys mechanism-based resource management to determine the amount of transmission time to be allocated to various users on different frequency bands such that certain global system metrics are optimized. Subsequently, the moderator charges the various users based on the amount of resources it has allocated to them, in order to discourage them from being dishonest about their resource requirements. We investigate and quantify both the users' and the system performance when different cross-layer strategies, and hence users' levels of smartness, are deployed by wireless stations. Our simulations show that mechanism-based resource management outperforms conventional techniques such as air-fair time and equal time resource allocation in terms of the obtained system utility. They also provide insights that can guide the design of emerging spectrum agile network protocols and applications     

Unequal error protection for MPEG-2 video transmission over wireless channels

This paper proposes an unequal error protection (UEP) method for MPEG-2 video transmission. Since the source and channel coders are normally concatenated, if the channel is noisy, more bits are allocated to channel coding and fewer to source coding. The situation is reversed when the channel conditions are more benign. Most of the joint source channel coding (JSCC) methods assume that the video source is subband coded, the bit error sensitivity of the source code can be modeled, and the bit allocations for different subband channels will be calculated. The UEP applied to different subbands is the rate compatible punctured convolution channel coder. However, the MPEG-2 coding is not a subband coding, the bit error sensitivity function for the coded video can no longer be applied. Here, we develop a different method to find the rate-distortion functions for JSCC of the MPEG-2 video. In the experiments, we show that the end-to-end distortion of our UEP method is smaller than the equal error protection method for the same total bit-rate.     

一种MIMO系统中的新型资源分配算法

本文提出了一种MIMO(Multi-Input and Multi-Output)系统中的新型自适应调制和功率分配算法,在奇异值分解的基础上通过注水算法进行功率分配,此后根据所分配的功率与信道状态信息来确定自适应调制的门限及相应的调制阶数,并在自适应调制后通过功率修正因子来弥补常见算法中功率不能得到有效利用的问题,仿真结果表明该算法可以得到较高的频谱效率.     

Non-predictive multi-scaled based MLVQ video coding for robust transmission over mobile channels

A new non-predictive video codec for mobile applications is presented. The scheme omits the prediction step in the temporal axis and increases robustness of its transmission in the mobile channel. The same subbands from each frame in the group of frames (GOP) are joined together to exploit their spatial-temporal redundancies. The significant vectors of the joined subbands within the GOP are quantised using a novel multi-stage lattice vector quantisation. This process reduces quantisation errors and enhances the reconstructed frame quality. Experimental results are shown to be significantly better than H.263 and comparable to the current H.264 standards in an erroneous hilly terrain mobile environment using the TETRA channel simulator for some test video sequences.     

Rate-distortion optimized unequal loss protection for video transmission over packet erasure channels

Video transmission over networks often suffers from packet loss due to network congestions and stringent end-to-end delay constraints. In this paper, we develop a Rate-Distortion optimized Unequal Loss Protection (RD-ULP) scheme to combat packet loss. Based on packet-level transmission distortion modeling, we estimate the amount of contribution of each video packet to the reconstructed video quality, which defines the priority level of each packet. Unequal amounts of protection are then allocated to different video packets according to their priority levels and the dynamic channel conditions. The proposed RD-ULP resource allocation problem is formulated as a constrained nonlinear optimization problem. An optimization algorithm based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is then developed to solve the optimal resource allocation problem. Our extensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed RD-ULP scheme, which outperforms existing methods by up to 2 dB in the reconstructed video quality.     

A rate adaptation transcoding scheme for real-time video transmission over wireless channels

In this work, we investigate the problem of bit-rate adaptation transcoding for transmitting video over burst-error wireless channels, i.e., channels such that errors tend to occur in clusters during fading periods. In particular, we consider a scenario consisting of packet-based transmission with an Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) error control and a feedback channel. With the acknowledgements received through the feedback channel and a statistical channel model, we have an estimate of the current channel state, and effective channel bandwidth. In this paper, we analyze the buffering implications of inserting a video transcoder at the wireless access point with the variable bit-rate channel as the target. We derive the conditions that both the source encoder and transcoder buffers have to meet for preventing the end decoder buffer from underflowing. Furthermore, we propose a bit-rate adaptation algorithm for VBR transcoders used in the wireless access point. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can accurately control the bit-rate of the transcoded video stream and reduce the number of frames been skipped without violating the end-to-end delay requirement.     

Robust adaptive transmission of images and video over multiple channels

Reliable transmission of images and video over wireless networks must address both potentially limited bandwidths and the possibilities of loss. When bandwidth sufficient to transmit the bit stream is unavailable on a single channel, the data can be partitioned over multiple channels with possibly unequal bandwidths and error characteristics at the expense of more complex channel coding (i.e., error correction). This paper addresses the problem of efficiently channel coding and partitioning pre-encoded image and video bit streams into substreams for transmission over multiple channels with unequal and time-varying characteristics. Within channels, error protection is unequally applied based on both data decoding priority and channel packet loss rates, while cross-channel coding addresses channel failures. In comparison with conventional product codes, the resulting product code does not restrict the total encoded data to a rectangular structure; rather, the data in each channel is adaptively coded according to the channel's varying conditions. The coding and partitioning are optimized to achieve two performance criteria: maximum bandwidth efficiency and minimum delay. Simulation results demonstrate that this approach is effective under a variety of channel conditions and for a broad range of source material.     

A new resource allocation scheme based on a PSNR criterion forwireless video transmission to stationary receivers over Gaussianchannels

A new resource allocation scheme is proposed for video service over a Gaussian channel. For video quality rating, we introduce a suitable metric: the average peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) or the average channel-induced PSNR degradation. Then, we model the end-to-end distortion considering the error propagation effect caused by motion compensation. On the basis of this model, we propose an efficient resource allocation scheme for real video service. Unlike conventional schemes, the new scheme satisfies the PSNR requirement of each video user by adjusting the bit-error rate level with the changes of image characteristics. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme utilizes the bandwidth more efficiently than conventional schemes