This disclosure generally relates to encoding, transmission, and decoding of digital video, and more particularly to methods and systems for minimizing decoding delay in distributed video coding (DVC). In one embodiment, a video decoding method is disclosed. The video decoding method may include obtaining side information and obtaining a syndrome bit chunk corresponding to a non-key-frame bit-plane. One or more processors may perform one non-key-frame bit-plane channel decoding iteration using the side information and the syndrome bit chunk. A decoded bit-plane may be generated via performing the at least one non-key-frame bit-plane channel decoding iteration. Also, a bit error rate measure for the decoded bit-plane may be determined. A number of additional syndrome bit chunks to request may be determined based on the bit error rate measure, and the request for the additional syndrome bit chunks provided.