Understanding and Improving the Performance of Streaming Video Services

了解并提高流视频服务的性能

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-04263
• 负责人: Brecht, Tim
• 金额: $ 1.68万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=709715
• 关键词: Understanding; Improving; Performance; Streaming; Video

My research program studies problems related to measuring, understanding and improving the performance of streaming video services, including the WiFi networks that often limit their successful delivery. The goal of these efforts is to provide tangible benefits to those who deploy such systems and their end users. There are a wide variety of services that stream video over the Internet. Some of these include: Amazon, Apple, HBO, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, major sports leagues, and television networks (e.g., CBC, CTV, Global, and TSN). Streaming video now constitutes more than 50% of Internet traffic and as these services continue to expand and supplant traditional television services, the number of servers required to supply content keeps growing. Therefore, designing, implementing and improving the performance of these services is critical to improving the user's experience and to maintaining or reducing the cost of owning, operating, and subscribing to such services. Although video and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) continue to add resources to and improve their infrastructure, many devices used to watch streaming video are limited by the WiFi network used to connect to the Internet. Recent research has shown that the performance of the home WiFi network and not the ISP link often limits the rate at which data can be obtained from the Internet. The problem is that when many access points and devices operate within the same vicinity each device suffers because contention and interference reduce the available bandwidth of the wireless channel. Improvements in streaming video service infrastructure and WiFi networks are both required to ensure a good quality of experience for users while streaming videos. Our research will break new ground in methods for improving the performance of video streaming services and in devising techniques for measuring, characterizing, understanding and improving the performance of WiFi networks. Benefits to the field include: 1) a detailed, in depth understanding of the important factors that impact the performance of streaming video services and WiFi networks, 2) significant improvements in their performance, and 3) the creation of new tools and infrastructure for use by other researchers to measure, study and further improve video services and WiFi networks. Benefits to Canada will be the efficient delivery of higher quality video streaming services at lower costs and increased demand for high-bandwidth ISP services. This will help ISPs as well as content providers (e.g., Rogers, Bell, CBC, CTV, TSN, Sportsnet and others) who want to increase their streaming video presence and to retain and attract customers. Additionally, our research to improve WiFi network performance for streaming video will also benefit the millions of Canadians who rely on WiFi networks every day for business and leisure.

我的研究项目研究了与测量、理解和提高流媒体视频服务的性能相关的问题，包括经常限制其成功交付的WiFi网络。这些努力的目标是为部署这种系统的人及其最终用户提供切实的好处。 在互联网上播放视频的服务种类繁多。其中一些包括：亚马逊、苹果、HBO、Hulu、Netflix、YouTube、主要体育联盟和电视网络(例如CBC、CTV、Global和TSN)。流媒体视频现在占互联网流量的50%以上，随着这些服务不断扩大并取代传统的电视服务，提供内容所需的服务器数量不断增加。因此，设计、实施和改进这些服务的性能对于改善用户体验以及维持或降低拥有、运营和订阅此类服务的成本至关重要。 尽管视频和互联网服务提供商(ISP)不断增加资源并改进其基础设施，但许多用于观看流媒体视频的设备受到用于连接到互联网的WiFi网络的限制。最近的研究表明，家庭WiFi网络的性能而不是ISP链路的性能往往会限制从互联网获取数据的速率。问题是，当许多接入点和设备在同一附近运行时，每个设备都会受到影响，因为竞争和干扰会减少无线信道的可用带宽。 流媒体视频服务基础设施和WiFi网络都需要改进，以确保用户在流媒体视频的同时获得良好的体验质量。我们的研究将在改进视频流服务性能的方法以及设计测量、表征、理解和改进WiFi网络性能的技术方面开辟新的天地。 对该领域的好处包括：1)详细、深入地了解影响流媒体视频服务和WiFi网络性能的重要因素；2)它们的性能显著提高；3)创建新的工具和基础设施，供其他研究人员用来测量、研究和进一步改进视频服务和WiFi网络。加拿大的好处将是以更低的成本高效地提供更高质量的视频流服务，并增加对高带宽互联网服务提供商服务的需求。这将帮助互联网服务提供商和内容提供商(例如，Rogers、Bell、CBC、CTV、TSN、Sportsnet和其他)增加他们的流媒体视频业务，并留住和吸引客户。此外，我们为改善流媒体视频的WiFi网络性能而进行的研究也将使数百万每天依赖WiFi网络进行商务和休闲的加拿大人受益。