Weighted multi-playback buffer management for scalable video streaming

Video streaming in a best effort network, where bandwidth availability fluctuates over time, is one of the most challenging in the multimedia research field. Bandwidth fluctuation leads to a variation in the delay of the video flow and therefore degradation of the quality of experience (QOE). To tolerate variations in instantaneous bandwidth, the scalable video codec (SVC) an extension of the H.264/AVC was designed. This paper presents the weighted multi-playback buffer management system for scalable video streaming in a congested network. The approach intrinsically provides weighted protection to the more important video layers within a video stream. We compare the performance of our weighted scheme with a multi-playback buffer which gives equal protection to every video layer. The simulation results show that weighted multi-playback buffer management can improve the average Y-PSNR and the continuity of the SVC video stream.