Multiview video transmission over broadband wireless networks

Abstract

One of the foremost problems faced by network operators in recent years has been the rapid rise in demand for multimedia services. Users are expecting better data rates and continuous on-the-go connections. Being considered as the next evolution in multimedia, 3D video transmission over cellular networks serves as motivation for further research. Reviewed peer-literature indicates that this area of study is still relatively unexplored. This dissertation is concerned with an underlying Evolved Packet System (EPS) network and considers both the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and Long Term Evolution (LTE). The all-IP paradigm allows videos to be transmitted packet-wise to the user. To fully understand the dependence of a successful mobile 3D TPTV system on every module, multiple compression standards are used for encoding 3D video. These are the H.264 for Advanced Video Coding (A VC), H.264 for Multiview Video Coding (MVC) and the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standards, since both simulcasting as well as inter-view predictive coding transmissions are considered. The simulation setup is based on an urban environment, where harsher fading values are experienced by the User Equipment (UE). The inclusion of spatial multiplexing, mobility and handovers, try to sum up the system feasibility. Most of the results are concerned with throughput. However, delay and jitter are also important metrics in video transmission because they both can be detrimental to the quality perceived by the user. Initial scenarios are concerned with these metrics as the user is placed in different bandwidth setups, different link distances from the UE, different fading traces, and different transmission modes. Additionally, cell-edge handovers are required due to the associated user mobility. As more users join the system, the limit of allowed 3D video subscribers can be determined, as well as the effects on delay and jitter as this limit is exceeded. A simple cross-layer approach to video transmission is also considered, based on LTE's Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC) module. The proposed system can be extended to a rural environment where deployment of fixed networks has always been a major issue. Obtained results indicate that 3D mobile transmission is feasible, even with the first release of the L TE standard. Once 3D displays become commercially available on major mobile devices, mobile 3D IPTV can easily be deployed.