Soft decoding of VLC encoded data for robust transmission of packetized video

The soft decoding of variable-length encoded texture data generated, e.g., by video coders such as H.263+ and sent over a packetized network (Internet or mixed Internet radio-mobile) is considered here. Existing soft decoding techniques usually make use of either the number of bits in a block or the number of symbols in a block. Thus, this side information has to be transmitted. This paper describes an algorithm making use only of information available in the packetized bitstream, and is thus compatible with existing standards. Simulations illustrating the efficiency of the proposed decoding procedure are provided.