Efficient Traffic Scheduling for Real Time VBR MPEG Video Transmission Over DOCSIS-Based HFC Networks

Data-over-cable service interface specifications (DOCSIS), the de facto standard in the cable industry, defines a scheduling service called real-time polling service (rtPS) to provision quality of service (QoS) transmission of real-time variable bit rate (VBR) videos. However, the rtPS service intrinsically has high latency, which makes it not applicable to real-time traffic transport. In this paper, we present a novel traffic scheduling algorithm for hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks based on DOCSIS that aims to provide QoS for real-time VBR video transmissions. The novel characteristics of this algorithm, as compared to those described in published literatures, include 1) it predicts the bandwidth requirements for future traffic using a novel traffic predictor designed to provide simple yet accurate online prediction; and 2) it takes the attributes of physical (PHY) layer, media access control (MAC) layer and application layer into consideration. In addition, the proposed traffic scheduling algorithm is completely compatible with the DOCSIS specification and does not require any protocol changes. We analyze the performance of the proposed traffic predictor and traffic scheduling algorithm using real-life MPEG video traces. Simulation results indicate that 1) the proposed traffic predictor significantly outperforms previously published techniques with respect to the prediction error and 2) compared with several existing scheduling algorithms, the proposed traffic scheduling algorithm surpasses other mechanisms in terms of channel utilization, buffer usage, packet delay, and packet loss rate.