Hybrid key/Wyner-Ziv frames with flexible macroblock ordering for improved low delay distributed video coding

This paper proposes a concealment based approach to generating the side information and estimating the correlation noise for low-delay, pixel-based, distributed video coding. The proposed method employs a macroblock pattern similar to the one used in the dispersed type FMO of H.264 for grouping the macroblocks of each frame into intra coded (key) and Wyner-Ziv groups. Temporal concealment is then used at the decoder for "concealing" the missing macroblocks (estimating the side information - predicting the Wyner-Ziv macroblocks). The actual intra coded/decoded macroblocks are used for estimating the correlation noise. The results indicate significant performance improvements relative to existing motion extrapolation based approaches (up to 25% bit rate reduction). © 2007 SPIE-IS&T.