A network coding scheduling for Multiple Description video streaming over wireless networks

Network coding (NC) can achieve the maximum information flow in a network by allowing nodes to combine received packets before retransmission. Several works have shown NC to be beneficial in wireless networks, but the delay introduced by buffering before decoding raises a problem in real-time streaming applications. Here, we propose a framework for video delivery in wireless networks that combines Expanding Window Network Coding (EWNC), Multiple Description Coding (MDC), and a novel Rate-Distortion Optimised (RDO) scheduling algorithm that optimises the order in which the video packets are included in the coding window at the current sending opportunity. Results show that our approach consistently outperforms both EWNC applied on single description coding (SDC) and EWNC applied to MDC when a trivial scheduling is used.