Incorporating user perception in adaptive video streaming systems

There is an increasing demand for streaming video applications over both the fixed Internet and wireless IP networks. The fluctuating bandwidth and time-varying delays of best-effort networks makes providing good quality streaming a challenge. Many adaptive video delivery mechanisms have been proposed over recent years; however, most do not explicitly consider user-perceived quality when making adaptations, nor do they define what quality is. This chapter describes research that proposes that an optimal adaptation trajectory through the set of possible encodings exists, and indicates how to adapt transmission in response to changes in network conditions in order to maximize user-perceived quality.