An uncoded multimedia transmission (UMT) system is one that skips quantization and entropy coding in compression and all subsequent binary operations, including channel coding and bit-to-symbol mapping of modulation. By directly transmitting non-binary symbols with amplitude modulation, the uncoded system avoids the annoying cliff effect observed in the coded transmission system. This advantage makes uncoded transmission more suited to both unicast in varying channel conditions and multicast to heterogeneous users.