information Article Efficient Delivery of Scalable Video Using a Streaming Class Model Jason J. Quinlan * ID , Ahmed H. Zahran ID and Cormac J. Sreenan Department of Computer Science, University College Cork, T12 YT57 Cork, Ireland;
[email protected] (A.H.Z.);
[email protected] (C.J.S.) * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +353-21-4205384 Received: 7 February 2018; Accepted: 6 March 2018; Published: 8 March 2018 Abstract: When we couple the rise in video streaming with the growing number of portable devices (smart phones, tablets, laptops), we see an ever-increasing demand for high-definition video online while on the move. Wireless networks are inherently characterised by restricted shared bandwidth and relatively high error loss rates, thus presenting a challenge for the efficient delivery of high quality video. Additionally, mobile devices can support/demand a range of video resolutions and qualities. This demand for mobile streaming highlights the need for adaptive video streaming schemes that can adjust to available bandwidth and heterogeneity, and can provide a graceful changes in video quality, all while respecting viewing satisfaction. In this context, the use of well-known scalable/layered media streaming techniques, commonly known as scalable video coding (SVC), is an attractive solution. SVC encodes a number of video quality levels within a single media stream. This has been shown to be an especially effective and efficient solution, but it fares badly in the presence of datagram losses. While multiple description coding (MDC) can reduce the effects of packet loss on scalable video delivery, the increased delivery cost is counterproductive for constrained networks.