Optimized error protection for scalable video multicast streaming on multiple channels

We present a framework with optimized error protection for different network abstraction layer (NAL) units of the H.264/AVC scalable video coding (SVC) streams for real-time multicast streaming on multiple channels. In order to efficiently utilize the network resource, different spatial layers are transmitted on different radio channels. Users request streams of different resolution by subscribing to the necessary radio channels. On each radio channel, we optimize the error protection for the spatial layer transmitted on that channel, considering the importance of different NAL units and channel quality of subscribers on that channel. As a further development of our previous framework for multicast streaming application of SVC stream with quality scalability on single radio channel, the framework in this paper supports spatial scalability and guarantees optimized error protection for different spatial layers. Our simulations show that graceful degradation can be achieved for videos with different resolutions. The user distribution with different channel quality is considered in the framework and a good tradeoff in terms of the video quality is achieved on each channel among different users.