  We address the connection between the multiple-description (MD) problem and
Delta-Sigma quantization. The inherent redundancy due to oversampling in
Delta-Sigma quantization, and the simple linear-additive noise model resulting
from dithered lattice quantization, allow us to construct a symmetric and
time-invariant MD coding scheme. We show that the use of a noise shaping filter
makes it possible to trade off central distortion for side distortion.
Asymptotically as the dimension of the lattice vector quantizer and order of
the noise shaping filter approach infinity, the entropy rate of the dithered
Delta-Sigma quantization scheme approaches the symmetric two-channel MD
rate-distortion function for a memoryless Gaussian source and MSE fidelity
criterion, at any side-to-central distortion ratio and any resolution. In the
optimal scheme, the infinite-order noise shaping filter must be minimum phase
and have a piece-wise flat power spectrum with a single jump discontinuity. An
important advantage of the proposed design is that it is symmetric in rate and
distortion by construction, so the coding rates of the descriptions are
identical and there is therefore no need for source splitting.
