Performance Analysis of IPTV Traffic in Home Networks

A heterogeneous wired and wireless network architecture is proposed for in-home IPTV distribution. To identify the bottleneck in the home network and estimate the network capacity, we develop an analytical framework to quantify the maximum number of IPTV connections that can be supported with guaranteed QoS in the wired and multi-hop wireless networks, respectively. We extend the fluid flow model analysis to capture both the burstiness of IPTV sources and the time-varying characteristics of multi-hop wireless channels. Extensive NS-2 simulations with H.264 HDTV sources over wired and multi- hop wireless paths are given, which validate the analysis. The analytical and simulation results provide important guidelines for the planning of future home networks and IPTV systems.