A framework for robust and scalable audio streaming

Abstract

We propose a framework to achieve bandwidth efficient, error robust and bitrate scalable audio streaming. Our approach is compatible with most audio compression format. The main contributions of this paper include: 1) the proposal of a Multi-stage Interleaving (MSI) strategy which translates packet loss into loss of separate frequency components that are less perceptually significant; and 2) the design of a Layered Unequal-Sized Packetization (LUSP) scheme which enables bitrate scalability and prioritized packet transmission. The combination of the proposed MSI and LUSP allows the use of a set of simple yet effective methods of error concealment in the compressed domain. Our approach offers significant advantages over existing methods in terms of memory consumption (a savings of over 40 times in the sample MP3 implementation), and computational complexity, which are critical issues for battery-powered small devices.