QOE enhancement through cost-effective adaptation decision process for multiple-server streaming over HTTP

Single-source HTTP Adaptive Streaming protocols (HAS), such as MPEG-DASH, have become the de-facto solutions to deliver video over the Internet. By avoiding buffer stalling events that are mainly caused by the lack of throughput at client or at server side, HAS protocols increase end-user's Quality of Experience (QoE). We propose to extend HAS capabilities to a pragmatic DASH-compliant Multiple-Source Streaming solution (MS-Stream) that simultaneously utilizes several servers. MS-Stream offers the opportunity to obtain higher QoE by exploiting expanded bandwidth and link diversity in heterogeneous distributed streaming infrastructures, such as distributed home-gateways or geographically distributed set-top-boxes belonging to Over-The-Top video service providers. This paper exposes a cost-effective two-phase adaptation process with dual (i.e., bitrate and number of sources) adaptation decisioning prior segment request and in-segment download adaptation. Our approach was empirically evaluated for on-demand video streaming over the Internet. An online demonstration is also made available [1].