Video over IP requires high bandwidth. Transmission of video data over unreliable communication channels might result in packet loss and error. Forward Error Correction (FEC) is a mechanism to control packet loss and errors in data transmission over the IP network. The sender encodes the messages in a redundant way by using the error-correcting code. The redundancy feature enables the receiver to detect errors and correct the errors without retransmission. This mechanism is useful when communication is one way and has multiple receivers.

The FEC mechanism uses the FEC schemes defined in RFC 5445, the FEC building block defined in RFC 5052, and the SDP signaling defined in RFC 5109. Avaya Workplace Client uses the proprietary SDP signaling and FEC building blocks and schemes, which are not compatible with the IETF standard.

FEC detects errors and protects the principal video but does not protect the data for audio channels. FEC is also applicable for H264/SVC video codecs.