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MPEG-21 bitstream syntax descriptions for scalable video codecs

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Abstract

In order to obtain a useful multichannel publication environment, a content producer has to respect the different terminal and network characteristics of the multimedia devices of its target audience. Embedded scalable video bitstreams, together with a complementary content adaptation framework, give the possibility to respond to heterogeneous usage environments. In this paper, temporally scalable H.264/MPEG-4 AVC encoded bitstreams and bitstreams encoded by relying on the fully-embedded MC-EZBC wavelet-based codec are used. The MPEG-21 Bitstream Syntax Description Language (BSDL) specification is used to generate high-level XML descriptions of the structure of a bitstream. As such, the adaptation of a scalable video stream can be realized in the XML domain, rather than on the bitstream itself. Different transformation technologies are compared to each other as well. Finally, a practical setup of a video streaming use case is discussed by relying on the MPEG-21 BSDL framework.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Multimedia Lab, Ghent University – IBBT, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Davy De Schrijver, Sam Lerouge & Wesley De Neve

  2. Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Multimedia Lab, Ghent University – IBBT – IMEC, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Chris Poppe & Rik Van de Walle

Authors
  1. Davy De Schrijver
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  2. Chris Poppe
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  3. Sam Lerouge
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  4. Wesley De Neve
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  5. Rik Van de Walle
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Davy De Schrijver.

Additional information

Davy De Schrijver received the master degree in computer science from Ghent University, Belgium, in 2003. He joined the Multimedia Lab in 2003 where he is currently working toward the PhD degree. His research interests include scalable video coding technologies, media content adaptation, fractal coding, interactive digital television, and MPEG standardization.

Chris Poppe received the master degree in industrial sciences from KaHo Sint-Lieven, Belgium, in 2002 and received his master degree in computer science from Ghent University, Belgium, in 2004. He joined the Multimedia Lab in 2004 where he is currently working toward the PhD degree. His research interests include scalable video coding technologies, context collection and processing, content adaptation and MPEG standardization.

Sam Lerouge received his master degree in computer science from Ghent University, Belgium in 2001. Since then, he started working toward the PhD degree in the Multimedia Lab, which he obtained in 2005. His research focuses on applications that use scalable video coding, in particular the maximization of the visual quality in constrained environments.

Wesley De Neve received the master degree in computer science from Ghent University, Belgium, in 2002. He joined the Multimedia Lab in 2002 where he is currently working toward the PhD degree. His research interests include video coding technologies, media content adaptation, and multimedia APIs.

Rik Van de Walle received his M.Sc. and PhD degrees in Engineering from Ghent University, Belgium in 1994 and 1998 respectively. After a visiting scholarship at the University of Arizona (Tucson, USA), he returned to Ghent University, where he became professor of multimedia systems and applications, and head of the Multimedia Lab. His current research interests include multimedia content delivery, presentation and archiving, coding and description of multimedia data, content adaptation, and interactive (mobile) multimedia applications.

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De Schrijver, D., Poppe, C., Lerouge, S. et al. MPEG-21 bitstream syntax descriptions for scalable video codecs. Multimedia Systems 11, 403–421 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00530-006-0021-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00530-006-0021-5

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