Congestion control for interactive video-on-demand over ATM

An interactive video-on-demand (IVoD) system consists of a video server and a client connected together through a high speed network, Use of interactive video-on-demand in an educational environment is very interactive because students frequently pause, fast-forward, skip and view frame-by-frame. Designing a network able to support interactivity and make efficient use of bandwidth is challenging. In this paper we evaluate the suitability of a number of congestion control schemes (based on the service categories of ATM) for carrying interactive video on demand. We have developed analytical models to evaluate and compare the various schemes. Data on interactive behaviour of students obtained from IVoD trails carried out in our laboratory have been used in the models. We show that the renegotiated constant bit rate service category has considerable potential for carrying IVoD over a high speed network, such as the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). We also show the use of an application layer, (such as Winsock 2), by the server to limit congestion within the network. (C) 1999 Academic Press.