Comparative analysis of H.263 resilience techniques for H.223-based video transmission over slow-fading channels

The objective of this work is to analyze and compare H.263 resilience techniques for H.223-based real-time video transmission over narrow-band slow-fading channels. These channel conditions, which are typical for pedestrian video communications, are very critical, because they require Forward Error Correction (FEC), since data retransmission is not feasible, due to high network delay, and they reduce the effectiveness of FEC techniques - due to the bursty nature of the channel. In this work, two different strategies for H.263 video protection against channel errors are considered and compared. The strategies are tested over a slow-fading wireless channel, over which the H.263 video streams, organized and multiplexed by the H.223 Multiplex Protocol, are transmitted. Both standard FEC techniques considered by the H.223 recommendation for equal error protection of the video stream, and unequal error protection (UEP) through GOB synchronization (see Abrardo et al.(1)) are tested. The experimental results of this comparative analysis prove the superiority of the UEP technique for H.223-based video transmission.