Perfecting Protection for Interactive Multimedia: A survey of forward error correction for low-delay interactive applications

Many current and emerging applications require low-latency communication, including interactive voice and video communication, multiplayer gaming, multiperson augmented/virtual reality, and various Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Forward error correction (FEC) codes for low-delay interactive applications have several characteristics that distinguish them from traditional FEC. The encoding and decoding operations must process a stream of data packets in a sequential fashion. Strict latency constraints limit the use of long block lengths, interleaving, or large buffers. Furthermore, these codes must achieve fast recovery from burst losses and yet be robust to other types of loss patterns.