Improving Video Quality by Diversification of Adaptive Streaming Strategies

Users quite often experience volatile channel conditions which negatively influence multimedia transmission. HTTP adaptive streaming has emerged as a new promising technology where the video quality can be adjusted to variable network conditions. Nevertheless, the new technology does not remain without drawbacks. As it has been observed, multiple video players sharing the same network link have often problems with achieving good efficiency and stability of play-out due to a mutual interference and competition among video players. Our investigation indicates that there may be another cause for under-performance of the streamed video. In an emulated environment, we implemented three algorithms of adaptive video play-out based on bandwidth or buffer assessment. As we show, traffic generated by players employing the same or similar play-out strategies is positively correlated and synchronised (clustered), whereas traffic originated from different play-out strategies shows negative or no correlations. However, when some of the parameters of the play-out strategies are randomised, the correlation and synchronisation diminish what has a positive impact on the smoothness of the traffic and on the video quality perceived by end users. Our research shows that non-correlated traffic flows generated by play-out strategies improve efficiency and stability of streamed adaptive video.