Overview of the Scalable Video Coding Extension of H.264/AVC

Abstract:
Scalability at a bit-stream level is a desirable feature for many applications. The need for scalability may arise from graceful degradation requirements, or adaptation needs for varying spatial formats, bit rates, or battery support. The Joint Video Team of the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) and the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) is currently standardizing a scalable video coding (SVC) extension of their H.264/AVC standard. This SVC project has achieved significant improvements in coding efficiency with an increased supported degree of scalability relative to the scalable profiles of existing video coding standards while keeping the complexity of the scalable decoder close to single-layer H.264/AVC decoding. This paper gives an overview of the basic concepts for extending H.264/AVC towards SVC. The basic tools for providing temporal, spatial, and quality scalability are described in detail and analyzed regarding their efficiency and complexity.