Streaming H.264/AVC video over the Internet

Abstract

We propose a novel end-to-end architecture for streaming H.264/AVC (advanced video coding) unicast video over the Internet. The proposed video streaming architecture is based primarily on a new transport layer protocol, the stream control transmission protocol (SCTP). We show that the network-friendly specification of H.264/AVC and the novel technical characteristics of SCTP, when coupled together are able to provide a highly adaptive and flexible system for unicast video streaming. With simulation results we prove (1) that our system is capable of maintaining good perceptual quality under various loss conditions and (2) that the proposed system maintains TCP-friendliness.