Performance of multiple description coders on a real channel

In this paper we explore the ability of multiple description (MD) source coders to achieve good performance on channels other than ideal MD channels. We examine both the overall system design and compare the performance of a system with MD source coder to that of a more traditional system using a layered source coder. For the memoryless channels we consider, MD source coding cannot achieve acceptable performance for a memoryless Gaussian source without appropriate channel coding. Also, in memoryless channels, a system with MD source coding outperforms a layered source coding system only in very poor channels. The introduction of memory in the channel degrades the performance of both systems equally. Using interleaving to reduce the impact of memory in the channel has more influence on performance than the choice of source coder.