Long-term memory motion-compensated prediction for robust video transmission

Long-term memory prediction extends the spatial displacement vector utilized in hybrid video coding by a variable time delay permitting the use of more than one reference frame for motion compensation. This extension provides improved rate-distortion performance. However, motion compensation in combination with transmission errors leads to temporal error propagation that occurs when the reference frames at encoder and decoder differ. In this paper, we present a framework that incorporates an error estimate into rate-constrained motion estimation and mode decision. Experimental results with a Rayleigh fading channel show that long-term memory motion compensation significantly outperforms single-frame prediction.