A diversity-based scheme for reducing error propagation in video

We describe a robust codec for the transmission of very low bit-rate video over channels with bursty errors. The codec uses a diversity-based method in the form of multiple description codes to reduce the effect of errors in the video bit-stream. To improve the efficiency for transmission of very low bit-rate video, the codec also exploits adaptivity by only protecting macroblocks (using multiple description codes) which would otherwise be poorly concealed by the decoder. Simulations show significant improvements in the performance of the codec when compared to codecs which use intra macroblock updating (raster scan and random) with the same overhead for reducing the effects of errors