An integrated smooth transmission control and temporal scaling scheme for MPEG-4 streaming video

Limited bandwidth and variable network conditions compromise throughput performance and smoothness, and eventually impair the playback quality of video streams. Scalable video coding provides enhanced flexibility in stream manipulation, adapting video to the network dynamics. The efficiency of a scalability technique is dependent on the underlying congestion control and particularly on its ability to maintain a smooth transmission rate. In this context, we combine a smooth transmission control, namely scalable streaming video protocol (SSVP), with a temporally coding algorithm in order to optimize the delivery and playback of MPEG-4 streaming video. Simulation experiments indicate that this combined approach can provide significant performance gains over a wide range of network and session dynamics.