On interaction between loss characterization and forward error correction in wireless multimedia communication

With the steadily growing synergy between existing heterogeneous networks, the wireless LAN appears as the de-facto wireless access network in the end-to-end multimedia services distribution chain. Unlike in the traditional wired multi-hop networks (Internet) where congestions increase persistently both delays and losses, wireless packet losses are often location- and time-varying. Particularly, WLAN communication is characterized by high bit error rates that translates into tight loss dependency. The loss process may rapidly shift between different loss correlations levels, resulting in poor forward error correction (FEC) recovery capabilities. In this paper, we address this issue by providing a combined loss model to accurately characterize the wireless loss distribution features. We use control theory guided parameter tuning in order to urge the convergence of the loss models towards seizing the instantaneous loss distribution trends. Finally, we derive a new loss-specific QoS metrics for new FEC block allocation scheme.