Modeling and analysis of frame-level forward error correction for MPEG video over burst-loss channels

Forward error correction (FEC) is a common error control technique to improve the quality of video streaming over lossy channels. To optimize the data recovery performance, frame-level FEC schemes have been proposed for streaming video to maximize playable frame rate (PFR) within transmission rate constraint on a random binary symmetric channel (BSC). However, burst loss is a commonplace in current Internet architecture, and the FEC efficacy can be degraded since the burst data losses easily exceed the error correction capacity of FEC. Accordingly, an estimated video quality model over burst loss channels is proposed in this paper to evaluate the impact of burst loss for FEC-based video applications. In addition to the model analysis, the simulation experiments on the NS-2 network simulator are conducted at a given estimate of the packet loss probability and average burst length. The results suggest a useful reference in designing the FEC scheme for video applications, and as the video coding and channel parameters are given, the proposed model can provide the optimal FEC solution to achieve a better reconstructed video quality than the FEC model based on a random BSC channel.