Patent ID: 7283589

Claim:
A method comprising: generating a plurality of encoded bitstream segments by applying a layered coding scheme to a video stream; calculating a contribution to distortion reduction associated with each of the plurality of encoded video bitstream segments according to a formula: Δ D ( f,l,i )=Δ D 0 ( f,l,i )+Δ D dr ( f,l,i ) wherein: ΔD 0 (f,l,i) represents a distortion reduction of a bitstream segment associated with an f th frame, an l th bitplane, and an i th macroblock; and ΔD dr (f,l,i) represents a drifting suppression of the bitstream segment associated with the f th frame l th bitplane, and i th macroblock; selecting multiple bitstream segments from the plurality of encoded bitstream segments based on a comparison of the contribution to distortion reduction associated with individual ones of the encoded bitstream segments; and packetizing the multiple bitstream segments into data packets such that a first data packet contains bitstream segments associated with multiple bit-planes of a first macro block, and such that no other one of the data packets contains bitstream segments associated with the first macro block.