Adaptive layer selection technique for low-power scalable video coding (SVC) system

Abstract

A scalable video coding (SVC) encoding server can usually provide a single bitstream with a fixed maximum service layer to different kinds of devices having different resource requirements, capacities, and performance levels. As mobile communication technology rapidly develops, multiple channels have become available to single-user devices. We propose a new adaptive layer selection algorithm to cope with variations in available channel connections, and to provide maximized video streaming quality in terms of the consumed power (complexity) of the encoding server. To achieve this, the initial negotiation strategy of the connected device is designed based on performance (decoding and rendering). With an initial connection, the proposed SVC encoder changes the proper maximum layers according to the connection status of multiple channels. Experimental results verify that the proposed scheme is effective in terms of the consumed power (complexity) and memory usage of the encoding server.