Cross-layer optimization for multiuser video streaming over wireless networks

Video communication over wireless networks is still a considerably challenging task due to the burst of the video stream and the time-varying of the wireless channel. In this paper, we propose a cross-layer optimization approach for multiuser video streaming over wireless networks. We focus on the optimization among application layer, MAC layer and physical layer. Unlike recent schemes which analyze the video stream in the pixel domain, we define a frame relative importance index (FRII) using the compression domain information to express the video characteristics. No need to fully decompress the video stream, it can reduce the computational complexity substantially. Simulation results show that, the proposed framework outperforms the recent scheme with no cross-layer optimization by 1.6 dB in terms of the average PSNR of all users.