Progressive bitstream transmission over tandem channels

We propose a novel distortion minimization technique for the transmission of a packetized progressive bitstream. We consider tandem channels introducing bit errors and packet erasures. We formalize the distortion minimization problem as a constrained optimization problem and propose an algorithm that optimally allocates the available budget between the bit error and packet loss protection components. We show that our proposed optimization technique is robust and has a linear complexity in the transmission rate. Numerical results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.