Retransmission in distributed media streaming

Abstract

This paper considers the use of Automatic Request Request (ARQ) schemes in distributed media streaming. We analytically model three different ARQ schemes and derive effective packet loss rate and burst length of these schemes. Our model is verified through simulations and experiments over wide-area network. Our results show that retransmitting lost packet from senders other than the one who lost the packet could reduce effective loss rate and burst length. We also find that ARQ with a dedicated retransmitter out-performs other schemes if the retransmitter is chosen appropriately. Copyright 2005 ACM.