Packet loss analysis for media streaming with network coding in wireless broadcast networks

For media streaming, throughput are inadequate to fully determine media playback quality at receivers. Packet loss behavior is also crucial in designing a high performance media streaming system. In this paper, we carry out analysis on packet loss behavior when network coding is performed at the Base Station (BS) with limited buffer in a wireless broadcast network. Two types of packet loss at the BS are considered, namely packet loss at the input introduced by buffer overflow (L _in), and packet loss at the output due to channel errors and late arrivals (L _out). Our analysis is based on a bulk-service queue model denoted as M/G(a, b)/1/B. The major contribution of this research is the successful derivation of the probability distribution of queue states at an arbitrary time by applying the supplementary variable technique. Given particular channel conditions, this probability distribution enables us to obtain the relationship between two types of packet loss (L _in,L _out) and the supportable arrival rates at the BS. Then, the maximum allowable arrival rate when L _in and L _out are constrained can be determined. This is critical for the design of appropriate congestion control for media streaming at the BS. Extensive simulations have been performed to demonstrate that the results from our analysis are consistent with that from simulations.