Multimedia Networking: An Overview

Instructor: Anirban Mahanti Office: ICT 745 Email: [email protected] Adapted from the companion web site of the text Computer Networking: A Top Down
Approach Featuring the Internet, 3rd edition, Jim Kurose and Keith Ross Addison-Wesley, 2005.

CPSC 601.43

Outline
The Internet Protocol Stack (Review) MM networking applications Multimedia over best effort Internet Evolving the Internet to support multimedia

apps

Stored media streaming (in some detail) What will we cover in this course?

CPSC 601.43

Internet protocol stack (Review 1/5)

application: supporting network applications
r

FTP, SMTP, STTP TCP, UDP

transport: host-host data transfer

r

application transport network link physical

network: routing of datagrams from source

to destination
r

IP, routing protocols

link: data transfer between neighboring

network elements
r

PPP, Ethernet

physical: bits on the wire

CPSC 601.43

The Network Layer (Review 2/5)

End systems inject datagrams in the networks A transmission path is determined for each packet

(routing) A best effort service

r r r

Datagrams might be lost Datagrams might be arrive out of order Jitter in arrival of datagrams from the same stream

Analogy: Postal system

CPSC 601.43

The Transport Layer (Review 3/5)

Concerned with end-to-end data transfer between

end systems (hosts) Transmission unit is called segment TCP/IP networks such as the Internet provides two types of services to applications
r

connection-oriented service Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connectionless service - User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

CPSC 601.43

Connection-oriented Service (Review 4/5)

Handshaking between client & server programs r Parameters for ensuing exchange r Maintain connection-state Packet switches do not maintain any connection-

state;
r

Similar to a phone conversation TCP is bundled with reliability, congestion control,

hence connection-oriented

and flow control.

CPSC 601.43

UDP: Connectionless Service (Review 5/5)

No handshaking Send whenever and however you want A best effort service r No reliability r No congestion & flow control services Why is it needed?

CPSC 601.43

Outline
The Internet Protocol Stack (Review) MM networking applications Multimedia over best effort Internet Evolving the Internet to support multimedia

apps

Stored media streaming (in some detail) What will we cover in this course?

CPSC 601.43

MM Networking Applications
Classes of MM applications: 1) Streaming stored audio and video 2) Streaming live audio and video 3) Real-time interactive audio and video Fundamental characteristics: Typically delay sensitive
r r

end-to-end delay delay jitter

But loss tolerant:

Jitter is the variability of packet delays within the same packet stream

infrequent losses cause minor glitches Antithesis of data, which are loss intolerant but delay tolerant.

CPSC 601.43

Streaming Stored Multimedia (1/2)

VCR-like functionality: client can pause, rewind, FF, push slider bar r 10 sec initial delay OK r 1-2 sec until command effect OK r need a separate control protocol?

timing constraint for still-to-be

transmitted data: in time for playout

CPSC 601.43 10

Streaming Stored Multimedia (2/2)

Cumulative data

1. video recorded

2. video sent

network delay

3. video received, played out at client time

streaming: at this time, client playing out early part of video, while server still sending later part of video
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Streaming Live Multimedia

Examples: Internet radio talk show Live sporting event Streaming playback buffer playback can lag tens of seconds after transmission still have timing constraint Interactivity fast forward impossible rewind, pause possible!
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Interactive, Real-Time Multimedia

applications: IP telephony,

video conference, distributed interactive worlds

audio: < 150 msec good, < 400 msec OK
includes application-level (packetization) and network delays higher delays noticeable, impair interactivity

end-end delay requirements:

r

session initialization
r

how does callee advertise its IP address, port number, encoding algorithms?

CPSC 601.43

13

Outline
The Internet Protocol Stack (Review) MM networking applications Multimedia over best effort Internet Evolving the Internet to support multimedia

apps

Stored media streaming (in some detail) What will we cover in this course?

CPSC 601.43

14

Multimedia Over Best Effort Internet

TCP/UDP/IP: no guarantees on delay, loss

But you said multimedia apps requires ? QoS and level of performance to be ? ? effective! ?

Todays Internet multimedia applications use application-level techniques to mitigate (as best possible) effects of delay, loss
CPSC 601.43 15

Outline
The Internet Protocol Stack (Review) MM networking applications Multimedia over best effort Internet Evolving the Internet to support multimedia

apps

Stored media streaming (in some detail) What will we cover in this course?

CPSC 601.43

16

How to provide better support for Multimedia? (1/4)

Integrated services philosophy:

architecture for providing QOS guarantees in IP

networks for individual flows Fundamental changes in Internet so that apps can reserve end-to-end bandwidth Components of this architecture are
r r r r r

Admission control Reservation protocol Routing protocol Classifier and route selection Packet scheduler

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How to provide better support for Multimedia? (2/4)

Concerns with Intserv: Scalability: signaling, maintaining per-flow router state difficult with large number of flows Flexible Service Models: Intserv has only two classes. Desire qualitative service classes
r r

E.g., Courier, xPress, and normal mail E.g., First, business, and cattle class

Diffserv approach: simple functions in network core, relatively complex functions at edge routers (or hosts) Dont define define service classes, provide functional components to build service classes

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How to provide better support for Multimedia? (3/4)

Content Distribution Networks (CDNs)
Challenging to stream large files (e.g.,

origin server in North America

video) from single origin server in real time Solution: replicate content at hundreds of servers throughout Internet r content downloaded to CDN servers ahead of time r placing content close to user avoids impairments (loss, delay) of sending content over long paths r CDN server typically in edge/access network

CDN distribution node

CDN server in S. America CDN server in Europe

CDN server in Asia

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How to provide better support for Multimedia? (4/4) Multicast/Broadcast

duplicate

R1

duplicate creation/transmission

R1
duplicate

R2

R2

R3

R4

R3

R4

(a)

(b)

Source-duplication versus in-network duplication. (a) source duplication, (b) in-network duplication

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Outline
The Internet Protocol Stack (Review) MM networking applications Multimedia over best effort Internet Evolving the Internet to support multimedia apps Stored media streaming (in some detail)
r r r

Streaming Architectures Real Time Streaming Protocol Packet Loss Recovery

What will we cover in this course?

CPSC 601.43

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Internet multimedia: simplest approach

audio or video stored in file files transferred as HTTP object

received in entirety at client r then passed to player

r

audio, video not streamed: no, pipelining, long delays until playout!
CPSC 601.43 22

Streaming vs. Download of Stored Multimedia Content

Download: Receive entire content

before playback begins

r

High start-up delay as media file can be large ~ 4GB for a 2 hour MPEG II movie

Streaming: Play the media file

while it is being received

r

Reasonable start-up delays Reception Rate >= playback rate. Why?

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Progressive Download

browser GETs metafile browser launches player, passing metafile player contacts server server downloads audio/video to player
CPSC 601.43 24

Streaming from a streaming server

This architecture allows for non-HTTP protocol between server and

media player Can also use UDP instead of TCP.

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Streaming Multimedia: Client Buffering

constant bit rate video transmission client video reception
buffered video

Cumulative data

variable network delay

constant bit rate video playout at client

client playout delay

time

Client-side buffering, playout delay compensate

for network-added delay, delay jitter

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Streaming Multimedia: Client Buffering

variable fill rate, x(t)

constant drain rate, d

buffered video

Client-side buffering, playout delay compensate

for network-added delay, delay jitter

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Streaming Multimedia: UDP or TCP?

UDP
server sends at rate appropriate for client (oblivious to network congestion !) r often send rate = encoding rate = constant rate r then, fill rate = constant rate - packet loss short playout delay (2-5 seconds) to compensate for network delay jitter error recover: time permitting

TCP

send at maximum possible rate under TCP fill rate fluctuates due to TCP congestion control larger playout delay: smooth TCP delivery rate HTTP/TCP passes more easily through firewalls

CPSC 601.43

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Outline
The Internet Protocol Stack (Review) MM networking applications Multimedia over best effort Internet Evolving the Internet to support multimedia apps Stored media streaming (in some detail)
r r r

Streaming Architectures Real Time Streaming Protocol Packet Loss Recovery

What will we cover in this course?

CPSC 601.43

29

Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP)

HTTP Does not target multimedia content No commands for fast forward, etc. RTSP: RFC 2326 Client-server application layer protocol. For user to control display: rewind, fast forward, pause, resume, repositioning, etc What it doesnt do: does not define how audio/video is encapsulated for streaming over network does not restrict how streamed media is transported; it can be transported over UDP or TCP does not specify how the media player buffers audio/video

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RTSP Example
Scenario:
metafile communicated to web browser browser launches player player sets up an RTSP control connection, data

connection to streaming server

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Metafile Example
<title>Twister</title> <session> <group language=en lipsync> <switch> <track type=audio e="PCMU/8000/1" src = "rtsp://audio.example.com/twister/audio.en/lofi"> <track type=audio e="DVI4/16000/2" pt="90 DVI4/8000/1" src="rtsp://audio.example.com/twister/audio.en/hifi"> </switch> <track type="video/jpeg" src="rtsp://video.example.com/twister/video"> </group> </session>
CPSC 601.43 32

RTSP Operation

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RTSP Exchange Example

C: SETUP rtsp://audio.example.com/twister/audio RTSP/1.0 Transport: rtp/udp; compression; port=3056; mode=PLAY S: RTSP/1.0 200 1 OK Session 4231 C: PLAY rtsp://audio.example.com/twister/audio.en/lofi RTSP/1.0 Session: 4231 Range: npt=0C: PAUSE rtsp://audio.example.com/twister/audio.en/lofi RTSP/1.0 Session: 4231 Range: npt=37 C: TEARDOWN rtsp://audio.example.com/twister/audio.en/lofi RTSP/1.0 Session: 4231 S: 200 3 OK
CPSC 601.43 34

Outline
The Internet Protocol Stack (Review) MM networking applications Multimedia over best effort Internet Evolving the Internet to support multimedia apps Stored media streaming (in some detail)
r r r

Streaming Architectures Real Time Streaming Protocol Packet Loss Recovery

What will we cover in this course?

CPSC 601.43

35

Packet Loss
network loss: IP datagram lost due to network

congestion (router buffer overflow) delay loss: IP datagram arrives too late for playout at receiver
r

delays: processing, queueing in network; end-system (sender, receiver) delays Tolerable delay depends on the application

How can packet loss be handled? r We will discuss this next

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Receiver-based Packet Loss Recovery

Generate replacement packet r Packet repetition r Interpolation r Other sophisticated schemes Works when audio/video stream exhibits short-

term self-similarity Works for relatively low loss rates (e.g., < 5%) Typically, breaks down on bursty losses

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Forward Error Correction (FEC)

for every group of n packets generate k redundant

packets send out n+k packets, increasing the bandwidth by factor k/n. can reconstruct the original n packets provided at most k packets are lost from the group Works well at high loss rate (for a proper choice of k) Handles bursty packet losses Cost: increase in transmission cost (bandwidth)

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Another FEC Example

piggyback lower quality stream Example: send lower resolution audio stream as the redundant information

Whenever there is non-consecutive loss, the

receiver can conceal the loss. Can also append (n-1)st and (n-2)nd low-bit rate chunk
CPSC 601.43 39

Interleaving: Recovery from packet loss

Interleaving Re-sequence packets before transmission Better handling of burst losses Results in increased playout delay

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Summary: Internet Multimedia: bag of tricks

use UDP to avoid TCP congestion control (delays)

for time-sensitive traffic

client-side adaptive playout delay: to compensate

for delay server side matches stream bandwidth to available client-to-server path bandwidth
r r

chose among pre-encoded stream rates dynamic server encoding rate

error recovery (on top of UDP) r FEC, interleaving r retransmissions, time permitting r conceal errors: repeat nearby data
CPSC 601.43 41

What will we study in this course?

Empirical measurements Multicast support
r

IP Multicast, Application layer multicast Scalable streaming, CDNs TCP overview, TCP Vegas, unicast and multicast rate control protocol Integrated/differentiated services, AQM

Content Distribution
r

Rate Control
r

Quality of Service
r

Packet loss recovery

CPSC 601.43 42

Example: Streaming Popular Content

Consider a popular media file r Playback rate: 1 Mbps r Duration: 90 minutes r Request rate: once every minute Can a video server handle such high loads? r Approach 1: Start a new stream for each request r Allocate server and disk I/O bandwidth for each request r Bandwidth required at server= 1 Mbps x 90 r How to improve efficiency?
CPSC 601.43 43

Streaming Popular Content using Batching

Approach 2: Leverage the multipoint delivery capability of

modern networks Playback rate = 1 Mbps, duration = 90 minutes Group requests in non-overlapping intervals of 30 minutes:
r r

Max. start-up delay = 30 minutes Bandwidth required = 3 channels = 3 Mbps

Channel 1 Channel 2 Channel 3 0 3 0 60 90 120 150 Time (minutes) 180 210 240
CPSC 601.43 44

Batching Issues
Bandwidth increases linearly with decrease

in start-up delays delays?

r

Can we reduce or eliminate start-up

Periodic Broadcast Protocols r Stream Merging Protocols r CDNs

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Another Example: Streaming Live Multimedia

How to stream to large numbers of clients? r Example: A popular sporting event r Use multicast/broadcast What about client heterogeneity? r E.g., clients might have different available b/w r Use layered/scalable video
ADSL Dial-up

Internet
High-speed Access
CPSC 601.43 46

Video Server

Multimedia Networking
Exciting, industry relevant research topic Multimedia is everywhere Tons of open problems Questions?

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