Analysis of P2P Streaming Based on the Characterization of Live User-Generated Video

Services that offer users the possibility of transmitting their own live streaming video content, using Web 2.0-based platforms, are increasing in popularity. In this context, we propose and evaluate solutions that contribute to improve the scalability of this type of system. This work encompasses two major steps. First, we collected data from a popular online live video sharing service, and provide a characterization of key aspects of user dynamic behavioral patterns. Next, we used our characterization findings to drive the design and evaluation, via simulation, of alternative content distribution architectures. In particular, motivated by some of our findings, we combine the traditional Peer-to-Peer and client-server architectures into a new hybrid strategy, evaluating its cost-effectiveness in comparison with the two more conventional schemes. Simulation results, covering different metrics and scenarios, indicate that the hybrid strategy yields the best tradeoffs between quality of service and bandwidth requirements.