Video Placement and Configuration of Distributed Video Servers on Cable TV Networks

A large-scale, distributed video-on-demand (VOD) system allows geographically dispersed residential and business users to access video services, such as movies and other multimedia programs or documents on demand from video servers on a high-speed network. In this paper, we first demonstrate through analysis and simulation the need for a hierarchical architecture for the VOD distribution network.We then assume a hierarchical architecture, which fits the existing tree topology used in today's cable TV (CATV) hybrid fiber/coaxial (HFC) distribution networks. We develop a model for the video program placement, configuration, and performance evaluation of such systems. Our approach takes into account the user behavior, the fact that the user requests are transmitted over a shared channel before reaching the video server containing the requested program, the fact that the input/output (I/O) capacity of the video servers is the costlier resource, and finally the communication cost. In a...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2000
• Where: MMS
• Authors: Constantinos Vassilakis, Michael Paterakis, Peter Triantafillou
• Keywords: Hierarchical Architecture, Information Technology, MMS 2000, User Requests, Video Servers