A Device and Network-Aware Scaling Framework for Efficient Delivery of Scalable Video over Wireless Networks

In recent years, the number of devices that can support multimedia-content over wireless networks has increased significantly. With devices ranging from cellular phones to TV´s, there is a challenge faced by content service providers to support multimedia delivery for a diverse set of devices. Scalable video coding (SVC) may provide a solution by enabling devices with techniques to extract video streams scaled to match their capabilities. However, SVC can be significantly bandwidth inefficient. By sending the highest possible quality stream over the network, irrespective of the capabilities of the end-devices and the network, SVC can limit the number of devices being served and reduce the network´s average quality satisfaction. In this paper, we present a device and network- aware scaling (DeNAS) framework to address these problems. Based on device capability information, network capacity, and the desired service objective, DeNAS finds the suitable scaling level for each video stream prior to its delivery over the wireless network. We demonstrate the effectiveness of DeNAS through simulation and show that DeNAS is able to improve quality satisfaction, increase bandwidth efficiency, and satisfy a greater number of clients simultaneously.