Optimized algorithms for multimedia streaming

Abstract

Since the introduction of video streaming a decade ago, it has been experiencing a dramatic growth and becoming an important multimedia communication method over Internet. Video streaming applications require real-time data delivery in order to provide continuous playback at clients with good perceptual quality. Nevertheless, lack of system resources and quality of service (QoS) support from Internet pose many issues that need to be resolved, such as how to deliver scalable coded video over networks with varying bandwidth, how to cater to heterogeneous requests simultaneously, and how to cache video efficiently. This research includes studies of different components of a video streaming system, and proposes several optimization models and algorithms to improve system performance in the presence of mutative environment and constrained resources. The dissertation validates the proposed models, algorithms, schemes and explores their characteristics through extensive simulations.