SNR scalability in H.264/AVC using data partitioning

Abstract

Although no scalability is explicitly defined in the H.264/AVC specification, some forms of scalability can be achieved by using the available coding tools in a creative way. In this paper we will explain how to use the data partitioning tool to perform a coarse form of SNR scalability. The impact of various parameters, including the presence of IDR frames and the number of intra-coded macroblocks per frame, on bit rate and bit rate savings and on quality and quality loss will be discussed. Furthermore we will introduce and elaborate a possible use case for the technique proposed in this paper. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.