Encoding of video in layers based on perceptual quality of video

Layering techniques for video transmission are a promising way to satisfy receivers in heterogeneous environments. A number of receiver-initiated, sender-initiated, and hybrid protocols have been developed to transmit video in layers. These are supported in different ways by many CODECs. However, there is still a need to do a comparative study of various layering techniques to determine the best way. The study should include the effect of number of layers, bit rate and frame rate of each layer, available bandwidth and rate of packet drop on the perceptual quality of video. This paper examines some of these factors and describes our preliminary results.