Embedded Packetization Framework for Layered Multiple Description Coding

We present an embedded packetization framework for layered multiple description codes, in which both the base layer and the enhancement layer share the same number of packets, while each packet is partitioned into two parts, each belongs to one layer. In this framework, optimizing a single multiple description code for high-bandwidth clients and directly applying it to low-bandwidth clients only result in slight performance degradation for the latter. We also propose two local search algorithms, with one extending the solution optimized for low-bandwidth clients to be available for high-bandwidth clients, and the other improving the weighted average performance of both high- and low-bandwidth clients. Our analysis shows that the performance gains are significant, and a better performance tradeoff among all clients can be achieved than previous solutions.