An HMM-based simulation model for the production of coded image data

A hidden Markov model (HMM)-based telecommunication traffic source is proposed in the paper as an accurate model for the `bursty´ traffic produced by a typical variable bit-rate video codec. The model is based on an HMM algorithm, which switches between ten constant-activity, Markov-based cell generation modes, according to a second `hidden´ Markov process, in an attempt to reproduce the low-level cell-generation statistics of the codec. The accuracy of this model (which has been verified by comparing the traffic produced by this source with `real´ traffic, produced through the simulated compression of two test images), combined with its relatively simple implementation, sound mathematical basis and general applicability, makes it an ideal source model for packet video traffic