AngelCast: cloud-based peer-assisted live streaming using optimized multi-tree construction

Increasingly, commercial content providers (CPs) offer streaming solutions using peer-to-peer (P2P) architectures, which promises significant scalabil- ity by leveraging clients’ upstream capacity. A major limitation of P2P live streaming is that playout rates are constrained by clients’ upstream capac- ities – typically much lower than downstream capacities – which limit the quality of the delivered stream. To leverage P2P architectures without sacri- ficing quality, CPs must commit additional resources to complement clients’ resources. In this work, we propose a cloud-based service AngelCast that enables CPs to complement P2P streaming. By subscribing to AngelCast, a CP is able to deploy extra resources (angel), on-demand from the cloud, to maintain a desirable stream quality. Angels do not download the whole stream, nor are they in possession of it. Rather, angels only relay the minimal fraction of the stream necessary to achieve the desired quality. We provide a lower bound on the minimum angel capacity needed to maintain a desired client bit-rate, and develop a fluid model construction to achieve it. Realizing the limitations of the fluid model construction, we design a practical multi- tree construction that captures the spirit of the optimal construction, and avoids its limitations. We present a prototype implementation of AngelCast, along with experimental results confirming the feasibility of our service.Supported in part by NSF awards #0720604, #0735974, #0820138, #0952145, #1012798 #1012798 #1430145 #1414119. (0720604 - NSF; 0735974 - NSF; 0820138 - NSF; 0952145 - NSF; 1012798 - NSF; 1430145 - NSF; 1414119 - NSF

Building Community and Collaboration Applications for MMOGs

Supporting collaborative activities among the online players are one of the major challenges in the area of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG), since they increase the richness of gaming experience and create more engaged communities. To this direction, our study has focused on the provision of services supporting and enhancing the players' in-game community and collaboration activities. We have designed and implemented innovative tools exploiting a game adaptation technology, namely, the In-game Graphical Insertion Technology (IGIT), which permits the addition of web-based applications without any need from the game developers to modify the game at all, nor from the game players to change their game installation. The developed tools follow a design adapted to the MMOG players' needs and are based on the latest advances on Web 2.0 technology. Their provision is performed through the core element of our system, which is the so-called Community Network Game (CNG) Server. One of the important features provided by the implemented system's underlying framework is the utilization of enhanced Peer-to-Peer (P2P) technology for the distribution of user-generated live video streams. In this paper, we focus on the architecture of the CNG Server as well as on the design and implementation of the online community and collaboration tools

Multimedia delivery in the future internet

The term “Networked Media” implies that all kinds of media including text, image, 3D graphics, audio and video are produced, distributed, shared, managed and consumed on-line through various networks, like the Internet, Fiber, WiFi, WiMAX, GPRS, 3G and so on, in a convergent manner [1]. This white paper is the contribution of the Media Delivery Platform (MDP) cluster and aims to cover the Networked challenges of the Networked Media in the transition to the Future of the Internet. Internet has evolved and changed the way we work and live. End users of the Internet have been confronted with a bewildering range of media, services and applications and of technological innovations concerning media formats, wireless networks, terminal types and capabilities. And there is little evidence that the pace of this innovation is slowing. Today, over one billion of users access the Internet on regular basis, more than 100 million users have downloaded at least one (multi)media file and over 47 millions of them do so regularly, searching in more than 160 Exabytes1 of content. In the near future these numbers are expected to exponentially rise. It is expected that the Internet content will be increased by at least a factor of 6, rising to more than 990 Exabytes before 2012, fuelled mainly by the users themselves. Moreover, it is envisaged that in a near- to mid-term future, the Internet will provide the means to share and distribute (new) multimedia content and services with superior quality and striking flexibility, in a trusted and personalized way, improving citizens’ quality of life, working conditions, edutainment and safety. In this evolving environment, new transport protocols, new multimedia encoding schemes, cross-layer inthe network adaptation, machine-to-machine communication (including RFIDs), rich 3D content as well as community networks and the use of peer-to-peer (P2P) overlays are expected to generate new models of interaction and cooperation, and be able to support enhanced perceived quality-of-experience (PQoE) and innovative applications “on the move”, like virtual collaboration environments, personalised services/ media, virtual sport groups, on-line gaming, edutainment. In this context, the interaction with content combined with interactive/multimedia search capabilities across distributed repositories, opportunistic P2P networks and the dynamic adaptation to the characteristics of diverse mobile terminals are expected to contribute towards such a vision. Based on work that has taken place in a number of EC co-funded projects, in Framework Program 6 (FP6) and Framework Program 7 (FP7), a group of experts and technology visionaries have voluntarily contributed in this white paper aiming to describe the status, the state-of-the art, the challenges and the way ahead in the area of Content Aware media delivery platforms

The evolution of P2P networks for file exchange: the interaction between social controversy and technical change

Since the irruption of Napster in 1999, Peer-to-Peer computer networks for file exchange have been at the heart of a heated debate that has eventually evolved into a wide social controversy across the world, involving legal, economical, and even political issues. This essay analyzes the effects of this controversy on the technical innovations that have shaped the evolution of those systems. It argues that the usual image of a single two-sided conflict does not account for most of the technical changes involved. P2P entrepreneurs and creators show a wide range of motivations and business strategies -if any- and users are not a monolithic group with a common set of goals and values. As a result, the actual historical evolution of those networks does not follow a simple linear path but a more complex and multidirectional development

Next-generation optical access seamless Evolution: concluding results of the European FP7 project OASE

Increasing bandwidth demand drives the need for next-generation optical access (NGOA) networks that can meet future end-user service requirements. This paper gives an overview of NGOA solutions, the enabling optical access network technologies, architecture principles, and related economics and business models. NGOA requirements (including peak and sustainable data rate, reach, cost, node consolidation, and open access) are proposed, and the different solutions are compared against such requirements in different scenarios (in terms of population density and system migration). Unsurprisingly, it is found that different solutions are best suited for different scenarios. The conclusions drawn from such findings allow us to formulate recommendations in terms of technology, strategy, and policy. The paper is based on the main results of the European FP7 OASE Integrated Project that ran between January 1, 2010 and February 28, 2013

Enabling Large-Scale Peer-to-Peer Stored Video Streaming Service with QoS Support

This research aims to enable a large-scale, high-volume, peer-to-peer, stored-video streaming service over the Internet, such as on-line DVD rentals. P2P allows a group of dynamically organized users to cooperatively support content discovery and distribution services without needing to employ a central server. P2P has the potential to overcome the scalability issue associated with client-server based video distribution networks; however, it brings a new set of challenges. This research addresses the following five technical challenges associated with the distribution of streaming video over the P2P network: 1) allow users with limited transmit bandwidth capacity to become contributing sources, 2) support the advertisement and discovery of time-changing and time-bounded video frame availability, 3) Minimize the impact of distribution source losses during video playback, 4) incorporate user mobility information in the selection of distribution sources, and 5) design a streaming network architecture that enables above functionalities.To meet the above requirements, we propose a video distribution network model based on a hybrid architecture between client-server and P2P. In this model, a video is divided into a sequence of small segments and each user executes a scheduling algorithm to determine the order, the timing, and the rate of segment retrievals from other users. The model also employs an advertisement and discovery scheme which incorporates parameters of the scheduling algorithm to allow users to share their life-time of video segment availability information in one advertisement and one query. An accompanying QoS scheme allows reduction in the number of video playback interruptions while one or more distribution sources depart from the service prematurely.The simulation study shows that the proposed model and associated schemes greatly alleviate the bandwidth requirement of the video distribution server, especially when the number of participating users grows large. As much as 90% of load reduction was observed in some experiments when compared to a traditional client-server based video distribution service. A significant reduction is also observed in the number of video presentation interruptions when the proposed QoS scheme is incorporated in the distribution process while certain percentages of distribution sources depart from the service unexpectedly