Adaptive playout scheduling for VoIP using the k-Erlang distribution

We propose a new adaptive playout scheme for VoIP. The k-Erlang distribution is introduced to model the packet inter-arrival time distribution. A cost function is proposed for the next played out packet in the buffer based on modelling packet-arrival times with the k-Erlang distribution. The cost function essentially balances the average buffering delay and the packet-loss rate. The optimal playout length of the packet is determined by minimizing the cost function and realized by either inserting or dropping pitch cycles from the packet. Our real-world data experiments show that our scheme outperforms two reference methods for both low-jitter and high-jittera cases.