Multiuser cross-layer resource allocation for video transmission over wireless networks

With the advancement of video-compression technology and the wide deployment of wireless networks, there is an increasing demand for wireless video communication services, and many design challenges remain to be overcome. In this article, we discuss how to dynamically allocate resources according to the changing environments and requirements, so as to improve the overall system performance and ensure individual quality of service (QoS). Specifically, we consider two aspects with regard to design issues: cross-layer design, which jointly optimizes resource utilization from the physical layer to the application layer, and multiuser diversity, which explores source and channel heterogeneity for different users. We study how to efficiently transmit multiple video streams, encoded by current and future video codecs, over resource-limited wireless networks such as 3G/4G cellular system and future wireless local/metropolitan area networks (WLANs/WMANs).