Network Assisted Content Distribution for Adaptive Bitrate Video Streaming
20 Jun 2017-pp 62-75
TL;DR: Measurements show the substantial improvement in cache hitrates in conjunction with SABR indicating a rich design space for jointly optimized SDN-assisted caching architectures for video streaming applications.
Abstract: State-of-the-art Software Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WANs) provide the foundation for flexible and highly resilient networking. In this work we design, implement and evaluate a novel architecture (denoted SABR) that leverages the benefits of SDN to provide network assisted Adaptive Bitrate Streaming. With clients retaining full control of their streaming algorithms we clearly show that by this network assistance, both the clients and the content providers benefit significantly in terms of QoE and content origin offloading. SABR utilizes information on available bandwidths per link and network cache contents to guide video streaming clients with the goal of improving the viewer's QoE. In addition, SABR uses SDN capabilities to dynamically program flows to optimize the utilization of CDN caches.; AB@Backed by our study of SDN assisted streaming we discuss the change in the requirements for network-to-player APIs that enables flexible video streaming. We illustrate the difficulty of the problem and the impact of SDN-assisted streaming on QoE metrics using various well established player algorithms. We evaluate SABR together with state-of-the-art DASH quality adaptation algorithms through a series of experiments performed on a real-world, SDN-enabled testbed network with minimal modifications to an existing DASH client. Our measurements show the substantial improvement in cache hitrates in conjunction with SABR indicating a rich design space for jointly optimized SDN-assisted caching architectures for video streaming applications.
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TL;DR: This survey provides an overview of the different methods proposed over the last several years of bitrate adaptation algorithms for HTTP adaptive streaming, leaving it to system builders to innovate and implement their own method.
Abstract: In this survey, we present state-of-the-art bitrate adaptation algorithms for HTTP adaptive streaming (HAS). As a key distinction from other streaming approaches, the bitrate adaptation algorithms in HAS are chiefly executed at each client, i.e. , in a distributed manner. The objective of these algorithms is to ensure a high quality of experience (QoE) for viewers in the presence of bandwidth fluctuations due to factors like signal strength, network congestion, network reconvergence events, etc. While such fluctuations are common in public Internet, they can also occur in home networksor even managed networks where there is often admission control and QoS tools. Bitrate adaptation algorithms may take factors like bandwidth estimations, playback buffer fullness, device features, viewer preferences, and content features into account, albeit with different weights. Since the viewer’s QoE needs to be determined in real-time during playback, objective metrics are generally used including number of buffer stalls, duration of startup delay, frequency and amount of quality oscillations, and video instability. By design, the standards for HAS do not mandate any particular adaptation algorithm, leaving it to system builders to innovate and implement their own method. This survey provides an overview of the different methods proposed over the last several years.
289 citations
Cites methods from "Network Assisted Content Distributi..."
...[134] designed an SDNassisted architecture for HAS systems, termed SABR....
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TL;DR: This article proposes a joint collaborative caching and processing framework that supports Adaptive Bitrate (ABR)-video streaming in MEC networks and proposes practically efficient solutions, including a novel heuristic ABR-aware proactive cache placement algorithm when video popularity is available.
Abstract: Mobile-Edge Computing (MEC) is a promising paradigm that provides storage and computation resources at the network edge in order to support low-latency and computation-intensive mobile applications. In this article, we propose a joint collaborative caching and processing framework that supports Adaptive Bitrate (ABR)-video streaming in MEC networks. We formulate an Integer Linear Program (ILP) that determines the placement of video variants in the caches and the scheduling of video requests to the cache servers so as to minimize the expected delay cost of video retrieval. The considered problem is challenging due to its NP-completeness and to the lack of a-priori knowledge about video request arrivals. Our approach decomposes the original problem into a cache placement problem and a video request scheduling problem while preserving the interplay between the two. We then propose practically efficient solutions, including: (i) a novel heuristic ABR-aware proactive cache placement algorithm when video popularity is available, and (ii) an online low-complexity video request scheduling algorithm that performs very closely to the optimal solution. Simulation results show that our proposed solutions achieve significant increase in terms of cache hit ratio and decrease in backhaul traffic and content access delay compared to the traditional approaches.
144 citations
Cites methods from "Network Assisted Content Distributi..."
...The experiment of ABR streaming using Software Defined Networking (SDN) was carried out in [36] where the system utilizes the information on network condition and cache contents to guide video streaming clients for improved QoE....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a comprehensive survey of QoE management solutions in current and future networks, and present a list of identified future QOE management challenges regarding emerging multimedia applications, network management and orchestration.
Abstract: The highly demanding Over-The-Top (OTT) multimedia applications pose increased challenges to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for assuring a reasonable Quality of Experience (QoE) to their customers due to lack of flexibility, agility and scalability in traditional networks. The future networks are shifting towards the cloudification of the network resources via Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV). This will equip ISPs with cutting-edge technologies to provide service customization during service delivery and offer QoE which meets customers’ needs via intelligent QoE control and management approaches. Towards this end, we provide in this paper a tutorial and a comprehensive survey of QoE management solutions in current and future networks. We start with a high-level description of QoE management for multimedia services, which integrates QoE modelling, monitoring, and optimization. This followed by a discussion of HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS) solutions as the dominant technique for streaming videos over the best-effort Internet. We then summarize the key elements in SDN/NFV along with an overview of ongoing research projects, standardization activities and use cases related to SDN, NFV, and other emerging applications. We provide a survey of the state-of-the-art of QoE management techniques categorized into three different groups: a) QoE-aware/driven strategies using SDN and/or NFV; b) QoE-aware/driven approaches for adaptive streaming over emerging architectures such as multi-access edge computing, cloud/fog computing, and information-centric networking; and c) extended QoE management approaches in new domains such as immersive augmented and virtual reality, mulsemedia and video gaming applications. Based on the review, we present a list of identified future QoE management challenges regarding emerging multimedia applications, network management and orchestration, network slicing and collaborative service management in softwarized networks. Finally, we provide a discussion on future research directions with a focus on emerging research areas in QoE management, such as QoE-oriented business models, QoE-based big data strategies, and scalability issues in QoE optimization.
89 citations
TL;DR: This paper provides a tutorial and a comprehensive survey of QoE management solutions in current and future networks, and provides a survey of the state-of-the-art of QeE management techniques categorized into three different groups.
Abstract: We provide in this paper a tutorial and a comprehensive survey of QoE management solutions in current and future networks. We start with a high level description of QoE management for multimedia services, which integrates QoE modelling, monitoring, and optimization. This followed by a discussion of HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS) solutions as the dominant technique for streaming videos over the best-effort Internet. We then summarize the key elements in SDN/NFV along with an overview of ongoing research projects, standardization activities and use cases related to SDN, NFV, and other emerging applications. We provide a survey of the state-of-the-art of QoE management techniques categorized into three different groups: a) QoE-aware/driven strategies using SDN and/or NFV; b) QoE-aware/driven approaches for adaptive streaming over emerging architectures such as multi-access edge computing, cloud/fog computing, and information-centric networking; and c) extended QoE management approaches in new domains such as immersive augmented and virtual reality, mulsemedia and video gaming applications. Based on the review, we present a list of identified future QoE management challenges regarding emerging multimedia applications, network management and orchestration, network slicing and collaborative service management in softwarized networks. Finally, we provide a discussion on future research directions with a focus on emerging research areas in QoE management, such as QoE-oriented business models, QoE-based big data strategies, and scalability issues in QoE optimization.
46 citations
Cites background from "Network Assisted Content Distributi..."
...Based on these reasons, we discuss next the MPEG-SAND standard where centralized nodes within the network have been proposed recently to enhance the delivery of DASH content [106], [107]....
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TL;DR: A programmable QoE-SDN App is proposed, enabling network exposure feedback from MNOs to VSPs towards network-aware video segment selection and caching, in the context of HAS, and a mobility prediction mechanism based on the Self-similar Least-Action Walk model is introduced, toward proactive segment caching.
Abstract: While video streaming has dominated the Internet traffic, video service providers (VSPs) compete on how to assure the best quality of experience (QoE) to their customers. HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS) has become the de facto way that helps VSPs work-around potential network bottlenecks that inevitably cause stallings. However, HAS-alone cannot guarantee a seamless viewing experience, since this highly relies on the mobile network operators’ (MNOs) infrastructure and evolving network conditions. Software-defined networking (SDN) has brought new perspectives to this traditional paradigm where VSPs and MNOs are isolated, allowing the latter to open their network for more flexible, service-oriented programmability. This paper takes advantage of recent standardization trends in SDN and proposes a programmable QoE-SDN App, enabling network exposure feedback from MNOs to VSPs towards network-aware video segment selection and caching, in the context of HAS. The video selection problem is formulated using Knapsack optimization and relaxed to partial sub-problems that provide segment encodings that can mitigate stallings. Furthermore, a mobility prediction mechanism based on the Self-similar Least-Action Walk model is introduced, toward proactive segment caching. A number of use cases, enabled by the QoE-SDN App, are designed to evaluate the proposed scheme, revealing QoE benefits for VSPs and bandwidth savings for MNOs.
44 citations
Cites background from "Network Assisted Content Distributi..."
...Then, [20] considers caching, and proposes an SDN-based Adaptive Bit Rate (SABR) architecture, where video users are informed regarding each cache’s content as well as get a short-term prediction of the bottleneck bandwidth to reach each cache, so that their adaptation decisions are better....
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"Network Assisted Content Distributi..." refers background or methods in this paper
...For a detailed description of DASH we refer the interested reader to [36]....
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...KEYWORDS SDN, OpenFlow, QoE, ABR streaming, DASH, Network assisted streaming, Video quality metrics, Caching...
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...1 shows the design of an SDI infrastructure to provide application services for the most popular ABR streaming instantiation, i.e., DASH....
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...We evaluate SABR together with state-of-theart DASH quality adaptation algorithms through a series of experiments performed on a real-world, SDN-enabled testbed network with minimal modifications to an existing DASH client....
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...In order to best represent a real-world ABR streaming application, we implement our SDN assisted adaptation algorithm as part of an existing open source Python-based DASH client emulator [19]....
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