Performance of distribution networks under VBR video traffic

In this study we tested the average delay and packet loss performance of access networks under variable bit rate (VBR) video traffic. We used ns-2 simulator to perform the simulations, and actual as well as synthetically generated ON/OFF sources with ON and OFF times taken from exponential or Pareto distributions are used as inputs to the simulated networks. To make sure that the synthetic sources have VBR-video like characteristics we chose the parameters of these sources such that their Hurst parameter is as close to 1 as possible. We then tested the performance of a network when data produced by these sources is applied as input. The results show that both actual and synthetic sources produce similar results and that the access networks should have at least 1 Mbps speeds to support acceptable quality video transmission.