An efficient multicast algorithm for the scalable extension of H.264/AVC over IEEE 802.11 WLANs

We present an efficient resource allocation algorithm for scalable video multicast over wireless links with limited channel access time and transmit energy budget. We first introduce a multicast architecture for the scalable extension of H.264/AVC based video delivery over IEEE 802.11 WLANs. We show that the resource allocation problem is a mixed-integer program for which we propose an efficient solution. Our algorithm explicitly takes into account of relevant factors, such as quality demands of multicast clients, wireless channel conditions, packet length, and different priorities of SVC layers. We maximize the utility of video streaming whilst satisfying channel access and energy constraints. The proposed solution jointly considers PHY mode selection and SNR allocation. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves significant performance improvements for multicast clients in resource-constrained wireless networks.