Network-Distributed Video Coding

Nowadays, an enormous amount of videos are streamed every day to countless users, all using different devices and networks. These videos must be adapted in order to provide users with the most suitable video representation based on their device properties and current network conditions. However, the two most common techniques for video adaptation, simulcast and transcoding, represent two extremes. The former offers excellent scalability, but requires a large amount of storage, while the latter has a small storage cost, but is not scalable to many users due to the additional computing cost per requested representation. As a third, in-between approach, network-distributed video coding (NDVC) was proposed within the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). The aim of NDVC is to reduce the storage cost compared to simulcast, while retaining a smaller computing cost compared to transcoding. By exploring the proposed techniques for NDVC, we show the workings of this third option for video providers to deliver their contents to their clients.