Video Content Adaptation Based on SVC and Associated RTP Packet Loss Detection and Signaling

The development of Scalable Video Coding (SVC) has been directed to serve a wide range of terminals over heterogeneous networks with the same encoded bit stream. SVC provides an elegant solution to adapt the video content, as it allows terminal and/or gateways accessing only a sub-part of the stream, without affecting the semantics of the source video signal. This paper describes adaptation mechanisms based on SVC, focusing on the implementation in the context of the IST project ENTHRONE. A particular emphasis is placed on adaptation techniques based on SVC NAL unit header extension, and on innovative RTP packet loss handling mechanisms, specifically conceived to handle losses in scenarios where SVC to SVC and SVC to H.264/AVC adaptation is performed and layered multicast cannot be used.