Available Bandwidth Estimation for Adaptive Video Streaming in Mobile Ad Hoc

[EN] We propose in this paper an algorithm for available bandwidth estimation in mobile ad hoc networks and its integration into a conventional routing protocol like AODV for improving the rate-adaptive video streaming. We have introduced in our approach a local estimation of the available bandwidth as well as a prediction of the consumed bandwidth. This information allows video application to adjust its transmission rate avoiding network congestion. We conducted a performance evaluation of our solution through simulation experiments using two network scenarios. In the simulation study, transmission of video streams encoded with the H.264/MPEG-4 advanced video coding standard was evaluated. The results reveal performance improvements in terms of packet loss, delay and PSNR.Castellanos, W.; Guerri Cebollada, JC.; Arce Vila, P. (2019). Available Bandwidth Estimation for Adaptive Video Streaming in Mobile Ad Hoc. International Journal of Wireless Information Networks. 26(3):218-229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10776-019-00431-0S21822926

Performance Evaluation of Scalable Video Streaming in Mobile Ad hoc Networks

(c) 2016 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other users, including reprinting/ republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted components of this work in other works.The development of video streaming services on wireless ad hoc networks is a challenge task as a consequence of different limitations such as bandwidth-constrained, variable capacity links and energy-constrained operation. Moreover, the dynamic topology of nodes causes frequent link failures and high error rates. We propose in this paper a performance evaluation of the scalable video streaming over mobile ad hoc networks. In particular, we focus on the rate-adaptive strategy for streaming scalable video (H.264/SVC). In order to provide QoS mechanisms in the routing process, a new routing protocol is introduced. This protocol estimates the available bandwidth value, which is sent to video source in order to adapt the bit rate during the video transmission. We also propose a simulation framework that supports evaluation studies for scalable video streaming. In the simulation experiments, SVC streams with combined scalability (quality and temporal scalability) were used. As quality scalability method, we used Medium Grain Scalability (MGS). The results reveal that the rate-adaptive method helps avoid or reduce the congestion in MANETs obtaining a better quality in the received videos.Castellanos, W.; Guerri Cebollada, JC.; Arce Vila, P. (2016). Performance Evaluation of Scalable Video Streaming in Mobile Ad hoc Networks. IEEE Latin America Transactions. 14(1):122-129. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/83347S12212914

A QoS-aware routing protocol with adaptive feedback scheme for video streaming for mobile networks

One of the major challenges for the transmission of time-sensitive data like video over mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) is the deployment of an end-to-end QoS support mechanism. Therefore, several approaches and enhancements have been proposed concerning the routing protocols. In this paper we propose a new QoS routing protocol based on AODV (named AQA-AODV), which creates routes according to application QoS requirements. We have introduced link and path available bandwidth estimation mechanisms and an adaptive scheme that can provide feedback to the source node about the current network state, to allow the application to appropriately adjust the transmission rate. In the same way, we propose a route recovery approach into the AQA-AODV protocol, which provides a mechanism to detect the link failures in a route and re-establish the connections taking into account the conditions of QoS that have been established during the previous route discovery phase. The simulation results reveal performance improvements in terms of packet delay, number of link failures and connection setup latency while we make more efficient use of the available bandwidth than other protocols like AODV and QAODV. In terms of video transmission, the obtained results prove that the combined use of AQA-AODV and the scalable video coding provides an efficient platform for supporting rate-adaptive video streaming.Castellanos Hernández, WE.; Guerri Cebollada, JC.; Arce Vila, P. (2016). A QoS-aware routing protocol with adaptive feedback scheme for video streaming for mobile networks. Computer Communications. 77:10-25. doi:10.1016/j.comcom.2015.08.012S10257

Buffering Technique for Optimizing Energy Consumption in the Transmission of MultimediaTraffic in Ad-Hoc Networks

Energy constraints on wireless nodes represent a current field of research. Such restrictions are particularly significant because of the great amount of features and applications currently available on devices, which contribute to dramatically increase energy consumption. However, when transmitting delay-sensitive data, such as multimedia streaming, a balance between energy optimization and quality of service is required. In this sense, there are many works that address this issue from different layers of network architecture separately; however, a more efficient solution could be achieved by combining the management capabilities of the different layers and the joint use of such information, which is called a crosslayer mechanism. Moreover, despite the fact that the IEEE 802.11 standard defines an energy management mechanism at MAC level, it is envisaged only for structured networks, leaving just general guidelines for other kind of networks, such as Ad- Hoc networks. Therefore, as a first step towards the design of a cross-layer scheme, this paper analyzes the flaws of IEEE 802.11 standard as regards the infrastructureless mode and proposes an optimization mechanism for energy management in Ad-Hoc networks. The proposed approach is based on a buffering mechanism, which is able to increase power-saving periods of time in Ad-Hoc nodes. Simulations using NS3 indicate that it is possible to obtain higher levels of residual energy at the end of a transmission using the proposed scheme.Gonzalez, S.; Arce Vila, P.; Guerri Cebollada, JC. (2015). Buffering Technique for Optimizing Energy Consumption in the Transmission of MultimediaTraffic in Ad-Hoc Networks. IEEE Latin America Transactions. 13(1):250-258. doi:10.1109/TLA.2015.7040655S25025813

Evaluation of the MDC and FEC over the quality of service and quality of experience for video distribution in ad hoc networks

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) offer an excellent scenario for deploying communication applications because of the connectivity and versatility of this kind of networks. In contrast, the topology is usually extremely dynamic causing high rate of packet loss, so that ensuring a specific Quality of Service (QoS) for real-time video services becomes a hard challenge. In this paper, we evaluate the effect of using Multiple Description Coding (MDC) and Forward Error Correction (FEC) techniques for improving video quality in a multimedia content distribution system. A hybrid architecture using fixed and wireless ad hoc networks is proposed, which enables the use of multipoint-to-point transmission. MDC and FEC mechanisms can be combined with multipath transmission to increase the network efficiency and recover lost packets, improving the overall Quality of Experience (QoE) of the receiver. Simulations have been analyzed paying attention to objective parameters (Peak Signal to Noise Ratio, Packet Delivery Ratio, Decodable Frame Rate and interruptions) and subjective parameters. Results show that MDC increases the probability of packet delivery and FEC is able to recover lost frames and reduce video interruptions in moderate mobility scenarios, resulting in the improvement of video quality and the final user experience.This work was supported by project MIQUEL (TEC2007- 68119-C02-01/TCM) of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. The authors would like to thank the Editor and the reviewers for helpful suggestions to improve the quality of this paper.Acelas Delgado, P.; Arce Vila, P.; Guerri Cebollada, JC.; Castellanos Hernández, WE. (2014). Evaluation of the MDC and FEC over the quality of service and quality of experience for video distribution in ad hoc networks. Multimedia Tools and Applications. 68(3):969-989. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-012-1111-3969989683Apostolopoulos JG, Wong T, Tan W, Wee SJ (2002) On multiple description streaming with content delivery networks. IEEE INFOCOMBoukerche A (2009) Algorithms and protocols for wireless and mobile ad hoc networks. John Wiley & Sons IncChow CO, Ishii H (2007) Enhancing real-time video streaming over mobile ad hoc networks using multipoint-to-point communication. Comput Commun 30:1754–1764Clausen T, Jacquet P (2003) Optimized link state routing protocol (OLSR), RFC 3626Corrie B et al (2003) Towards quality of experience in advanced collaborative environments. Third Annual Workshop on Advanced Collaborative EnvironmentsGabrielyan E, Hersch R (2006) Reliable multi-path routing schemes for real-time streaming. International Conference on Digital Telecommunications, pp 65–65Gandikota VR, Tamma BR, Murthy CSR (2008) Adaptive-FEC based packet loss resilience scheme for supporting voice communication over adhoc wireless networks. IEEE Trans Mobile Comput 7:1184–1199Gharavi H (2008) Multi-channel for multihop communication links. International Conference on Telecommunications, pp 1–6Grega M, Janowski L, Leszczuk M, Romaniak P, Papir Z (2008) Quality of experience evaluation for multimedia services. Przegląd Telekomunikacyjny i Wiadomości Telekomunikacyjne 4:142–153Hsieh MY, Huang YM, Chian TC (2007) Transmission of layered video streaming via multi-path on ad hoc networks. Multimed Tool Appl 34:155–177ITU—International Telecommunication Union (2007) Definition of quality of experience (QoE)”, Reference: TD 109rev2 (PLEN/12)ITU-R Recommendation BT.500-12 (2009) Methodology for the subjective assessment of the quality of television pictures. International Telecommunication Union, GenevaITU-T Recommendation P.910 (2000) Subjective video quality assessment methods for multimedia applications. International Telecommunication Union, GenevaKao KL, Ke ChH, Shieh CH (2006) An advanced simulation tool-set for video transmission performance evaluation. IEEE Region 10 Conference, pp 1–40Ke CH et al (2006) A novel realistic simulation tool for video transmission over wireless network. Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Sensor Networks, Ubiquitous, and Trsutworthy ComputingKeisuke U, Cheeonn C, Hiroshi I (2008) A study on video performance of multipoint-to-point video streaming with multiple description coding over ad hoc networks. EEJ Trans Electron, Inf Syst 128:1431–1437Kilkki K (2008) Quality of experience in communications ecosystem. J Univers Comput Sci 14:615–624Li A (2007) RTP payload format for generic forward error correction. RFC 5109, Dec. 2007Li J, Blake C, Couto DD, Lee H, Morris R (2001) Capacity of ad hoc wireless networks. 7th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking, pp 16–21Liao Y, Gibson JD (2011) Routing-aware multiple description video coding over mobile ad-hoc networks. IEEE Trans Multimed 13:132–142Lindeberg M, Kristiansen S, Plagemann T, Goebel V (2011) Challenges and techniques for video streaming over mobile ad hoc networks. Multimed Syst 17:51–82Mao S et al (2003) Video transport over ad hoc networks: multistream coding with multipath transport. IEEE J Sel Area Comm 21:1721–1737Ni P (2009) Towards Optimal Quality of Experience Via Scalable Video Coding. Mälardalen University Press Licentiate Theses, SwedenPinson MH, Wolf S (2004) A new standardized method for objectively measuring video quality. IEEE Trans Broadcast 50:312–322Rong B, Qian Y, Lu K, Hu RQ, Kadoch M (2010) Multipath routing over wireless mesh networks for multiple description video transmission. IEEE J Sel Area Comm 28:321–331Schierl T, Ganger K, Hellge C, Wiegand T, Stockhammer T (2006) SVC-based multisource streaming for robust video trans- mission in mobile ad hoc networks. IEEE Wireless Comm 13:96–103Schierl T, Stockhammer T, Wiegand T (2007) Mobile video transmission using scalable video coding. IEEE Trans Circ Syst Video Tech 17:1204–1217Schwarz H, Marpe D, Wiegand T (2007) Overview of the scalable video coding extension of the H.264/AVC standard. IEEE Trans Circ Syst Video Tech 17:1103–1120VQEG (2008) Video quality experts group. Available online: http://www.vqeg.orgWang Z et al (2004) Image quality assessment: from error visibility to structural similarity. IEEE Trans Image Process 13:600–612Wei W, Zakhor A (2004) Robust multipath source routing protocol (RMPSR) for video communication over wireless ad hoc net- works. Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo 2:1379–1382Winkler S, Mohandas P (2008) The evolution of video quality measurement: from PSNR to hybrid metrics. IEEE Trans Broadcast 54:660–668Xunqi Y, Modestino JW, Bajic IV (2005) Performance analysis of the efficacy of packet-level FEC in improving video transport over networks. IEEE International Conference on Image Processing 2:177–180Zink M, Schmitt J, Steinmetz R (2005) Layer-encoded video in scalable adaptive streaming. IEEE Trans Multimed 7:75–8

IPTV-Oriented Network Architecture

[EN] Although it emerged as a means to improve switching speed at the core network, MPLS has spread rapidly as a very !exible and robust solution for network providers to enable triple play services and reduce costs at the same time. As network complexity grows and a higher scalability is required to meet customer demands and give them the necessary Quality of Experience, more advanced features and functions must be included at the 'brains' of the network. To this end, a more automated and video delivery oriented path reservation mechanism based on RSVP-TE has been developed and tested in a lab environment with real-world ISP network equipment. We have added additional video intelligence capabilities to the network using Juniper routers and taking advantage of the JUNOS SDK for third-party developers. Finally, some measurements have been taken to validate our IPTV-oriented architecture, showing that it is possible to achieve a reasonably better bandwidth utilization by using the proposed video LSP reservation scheme.The work described in this paper was carried out with the support and network equipment of Juniper Network's Partner Solution Development Platform program.Murcia Olivares, V.; Delgado Calot, AP.; Arce Vila, P.; Guerri Cebollada, JC. (2011). IPTV-Oriented Network Architecture. Waves. 3(1):32-39. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/57651S32393

Proxy-based near real-time TV content transmission in mobility over 4G with MPEG-DASH transcoding on the cloud

[EN] This paper presents and evaluates a system that provides TV and radio services in mobility using 4G communications. The system has mainly two blocks, one on the cloud and another on the mobile vehicle. On the cloud, a DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) receiver obtains the TV/radio signal and prepares the contents to be sent through 4G. Specifically, contents are transcoded and packetized using the DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) standard. Vehicles in mobility use their 4G connectivity to receive the flows transmitted by the cloud. The key element of the system is an on-board proxy that manages the received flows and offers them to the final users in the vehicle. The proxy contains a buffer that helps reduce the number of interruptions caused by hand over effects and lack of coverage. The paper presents a comparison between a live transmission using 4G connecting the clients directly with the cloud server and a near real-time transmission based on an on-board proxy. Results prove that the use of the proxy reduces the number of interruptions considerably and, thus, improves the Quality of Experience of users at the expense of slightly increasing the delay.This work is supported by the Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnologico Industrial (CDTI) from the Government of Spain under the project "Plataforma avanzada de conectividad en movilidad" (CDTI IDI-20150126) and the project "Desarrollo de nueva plataforma de entretenimiento multimedia para entornos nauticos" (CDTI TIC-20170102).Arce Vila, P.; De Fez Lava, I.; Belda Ortega, R.; Guerri Cebollada, JC.; Ferrairó, S. (2019). Proxy-based near real-time TV content transmission in mobility over 4G with MPEG-DASH transcoding on the cloud. Multimedia Tools and Applications. 78(18):26399-26425. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-019-07840-6S2639926425781

Android real-time audio communications over local wireless

This paper describes an Android mobile application that allows voice communications through short-range wireless networks, mainly Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The application is able to replicate as close as possible the behavior of a two-way radio device. The application is designed to receive audio streams from multiple devices simultaneously and to send them. The main design considerations of the application, such as audio recording and playing, audio coding or data transmission, are explained through the paper.Belda Ortega, R.; Arce Vila, P.; De Fez Lava, I.; Fraile Gil, F.; Guerri Cebollada, JC. (2012). Android real-time audio communications over local wireless. Waves. (4):35-42. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/57677S3542

Simulation and experimental testbed for adaptive video streaming in ad hoc networks

[EN] This paper presents a performance evaluation of the scalable video streaming over mobile ad hoc networks. In particular, we focus on the rate-adaptive method for streaming scalable video (H.264/SVC). For effective adaptation a new cross-layer routing protocol is introduced. This protocol provides an efficient algorithm for available bandwidth estimation. With this information, the video source adjusts its bit rate during the video transmission according to the network state. We also propose a free simulation framework that supports evaluation studies for scalable video streaming. The simulation experiments performed in this study involve the transmission of SVC streams with Medium Grain Scalability (MGS) as well as temporal scalability over different network scenarios. The results reveal that the rate-adaptive strategy helps avoid or reduce the congestion in MANETs obtaining a better quality in the received videos. Additionally, an actual ad hoc network was implemented using embedded devices (Raspberry Pi) in order to assess the performance of the proposed adaptive transmission mechanism in a real environment. Additional experiments were carried out prior to the implementation with the aim of characterizing the wireless medium and packet loss profile. Finally, the proposed approach shows an important reduction in energy consumption, as the study revealed.This paper was performed with the support of the National Secretary of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (SENESCYT)–Ecuador Government (scholarship 195-2012) and the Multimedia Communications Group (COMM) belong to the Institute of Telecommunications and Multimedia Applications (iTEAM)-Universitat Politècnica de València.Gonzalez-Martinez, SR.; Castellanos Hernández, WE.; Guzmán Castillo, PF.; Arce Vila, P.; Guerri Cebollada, JC. (2016). Simulation and experimental testbed for adaptive video streaming in ad hoc networks. Ad Hoc Networks. 52:89-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adhoc.2016.07.007S891055

Uso de contenedores Docker en el entorno educativo

[EN] The use of different software programs in the realization of laboratory practices usually entails problems for both teachers and students, due to the fact of carrying out the installation and maintenance of the programs, which sometimes tend to present compatibility problems derived from updates. This article proposes the use of Docker, a tool that provides an execution environment that contains all the programs to be used in a practice, thus facilitating the generation of learning environments. Moreover, this work presents a real experience in the use of the aforementioned tool carried out over three courses in a subject with practical exercises in the field of Telecommunications and Information Technologies, detailing the advantages and drawbacks that the use of Docker has meant for both faculty and students.[ES] La utilización de diferentes programas software en la realización de prácticas de laboratorio suele conllevar problemas tanto para el profesorado como para el alumnado, por el hecho de llevar a cabo la instalación y mantenimiento de los programas, los cuales a veces suelen presentar problemas de compatibilidad derivados de actualizaciones. En este artículo se propone el uso de Docker, herramienta que permite disponer de un entorno de ejecución que contiene todos los programas a utilizar en una práctica, facilitando así la generación de entornos de aprendizaje. Asimismo, en este trabajo se presenta una experiencia real de uso de dicha herramienta, llevada a cabo a lo largo de tres cursos en una asignatura de prácticas del campo de las Telecomunicaciones y las Tecnologías de la Información, detallando las ventajas e inconvenientes que el uso de Docker ha supuesto tanto para el profesorado como para el alumnado.De Fez Lava, I.; Arce Vila, P.; Belda Ortega, R.; Guerri Cebollada, JC. (2021). Uso de contenedores Docker en el entorno educativo. En IN-RED 2021: VII Congreso de Innovación Edicativa y Docencia en Red. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 905-915. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2021.2021.13800OCS90591