Packet loss in video transfers over IP networks

In this paper, we investigate the behavior of packet loss in Internet Protocol (IP) networks with two transport protocols: User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). We simulate packet loss in congested networks, and we use wavelet analysis to characterize packet loss collected from the trace driven simulation studies. We also analyze the impact of time-scales on the characterization and modeling of loss processes. Our analysis reveals that the packet loss behavior depends on the underlying transport protocol and that the packet loss in UDP transfers exhibits long-range dependence over the coarser time-scales. Furthermore, we show that packet loss patterns preserve the long-range characteristics of the traffic traces generated by the video sources.