A rate control mechanism for packet video in the Internet

Datagram networks such as the Internet do not provide guaranteed resources such as bandwidth or guaranteed performance measures such as maximum delay. One way to support packet video in these networks is to use feedback mechanisms that adapt the output rate of video coders based on the state of the network. The authors present one such mechanism. They describe the feedback information, and how it is used by the coder control algorithm. They also examine how the need to operate in a multicast environment impacts the design of the control mechanism. This mechanism has been implemented in the H.261 video coder of IVS. IVS is a videoconference system for the Internet developed at INRIA. Experiments indicate that the control mechanism is well suited to the Internet environment. In particular, it makes it possible to establish and maintain quality videoconferences even across congested connections in the Internet. Furthermore, it prevents video sources from swamping the resources of the Internet, which could lead to unacceptable service to all users of the network