Scalable video streaming using UEP network coding for wireless multi-hop cellular networks

In this paper, we investigate a combination of scalable video coding, packet-level unequal error protection (UEP) random linear coding (RLC) and cooperative relay-assisted transmission for multimedia delivery to mobile users in emerging wireless cellular networks. We focus on the setup where both the base station (BS) and the relay node (RN) apply the UEP RLC over packets of video content in order to improve the received video quality at the mobile user equipment (UE). We derive analytical tools that predict the decoding probabilities of different scalable video layers at the UE as a function of the UEP RLC code design parameters applied at the BS and the RN. Numerical examples point out to the efficiency and adaptivity of the proposed solution to heterogeneous users requirements, both in the coverage area of the BS and the RN.