Error-resilient transmission of H.264/AVC streams using flexible macroblock ordering

We present a novel scheme for the transmission of H.264/AVC video streams over packet loss networks. The proposed scheme exploits the error resilient features of H.264/AVC codec and employs Reed-Solomon codes to protect effectively the streams. A novel technique for adaptive classification of macroblocks into three slice groups using Flexible Macroblock Ordering is also proposed. The optimal classification of macroblocks and the optimal channel rate allocation are achieved by iterating two interdependent steps by means of dynamic programming techniques. Simulations clearly demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method over other recent algorithms for transmission of H.264/AVC streams.