Parallel HTTP for Video Streaming in Wireless Networks

To stream video using HTTP, a client device sequentially requests and receives chunks of the video file from the server over a TCP connection. It is well-known that TCP performs poorly in networks with high latency and packet loss such as wireless networks. On mobile devices, in particular, using a single TCP connection for video streaming is not efficient, and thus, the user may not receive the highest video quality possible. In this thesis, we design and analyze a system called ParS that uses parallel TCP connections to stream video on mobile devices. Our system uses parallel connections to fetch each chunk of the video file using HTTP range requests. We present measurement results to characterize the performance of ParS under various network conditions in terms of latency, loss rate, and bandwidth. Given the limited communication and computational resources of mobile devices, we then focus on determining the minimum number of TCP connections required to achieve high utilization of the wireless bandwidth. We develop a simple model and study its accuracy using ns-3 simulations which confirm the utility of our model for estimating the minimum number of TCP connections required to fully utilize the available bandwidth.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Computer Science

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Ansari, Mohsen

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Ghaderi, Majid

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Li, Zongpeng
• Fapojuwo, Abraham

• Computer Science

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/27254

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/3507