User-adaptive layer and power allocation for video multicast over wireless

Determining the optimum multicast parameters is a challenge for point-to-multipoint video/multimedia transmission to a set of users with diverse device capabilities and channel conditions. Recent advancements in H.264/AVC video coding standard allow the users to receive video services based on their terminal capabilities and link quality. In this paper we propose an algorithm to determine the optimum transmission parameters, namely, number of layers and transmission power of each layer, for scalable video multicast over wireless. A utility based approach, that is sensitive to user capabilities and link conditions, is used for power control to deliver best user experience. The algorithm uses discontinuous transmission mode for saving power. An improvement varying from 20% to almost 50% has been observed as compared to the competitive algorithms. Performance improvement is much higher, with an average improvement varying from 40% to almost 100%, when the video is transmitted at higher data rates for short durations, thereby allowing users to save more power and enabling the service providers to make optimal use of system capacity.