Network-Distributed Video Coding

TL;DR

This paper discusses network-distributed video coding (NDVC) as a scalable and storage-efficient alternative to simulcast and transcoding for adapting videos to diverse devices and network conditions.

Contribution

It explores the techniques of NDVC, highlighting its potential to balance storage costs and computational complexity in video delivery.

Findings

NDVC reduces storage compared to simulcast.

NDVC has lower computational costs than transcoding.

NDVC offers a scalable solution for video adaptation.

Abstract

Nowadays, an enormous amount of videos are streamed every day to countless users, all using different devices and networks. These videos must be adapted in order to provide users with the most suitable video representation based on their device properties and current network conditions. However, the two most common techniques for video adaptation, simulcast and transcoding, represent two extremes. The former offers excellent scalability, but requires a large amount of storage, while the latter has a small storage cost, but is not scalable to many users due to the additional computing cost per requested representation. As a third, in-between approach, network-distributed video coding (NDVC) was proposed within the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). The aim of NDVC is to reduce the storage cost compared to simulcast, while retaining a smaller computing cost compared to transcoding. By exploring the proposed techniques for NDVC, we show the workings of this third option for video providers to deliver their contents to their clients.