Dynamic Adaptive Video Streaming: Towards a systematic comparison of ICN and TCP/IP
Résumé
Streaming of video contents over the Internet is
experiencing an unprecedented growth. While video permeates
every application, it also puts tremendous pressure in the network
– to support users having heterogeneous accesses and expecting high quality of experience, in a furthermore cost-effective
manner. In this context, Future Internet (FI) paradigms, such
as Information Centric Networking (ICN), are particularly well
suited to not only enhance video delivery at the client (as in the
DASH approach), but to also naturally and seamlessly extend
video support deeper in the network functions.
In this paper, we contrast ICN and TCP/IP with an experimental approach, where we employ several state-of-the-art
DASH controllers (PANDA, AdapTech, and BOLA) on an ICN vs
TCP/IP network stack. Our campaign, based on tools which we
developed and made available as open-source software, includes
multiple clients (homogeneous vs heterogeneous mixture, synchronous vs asynchronous arrivals), videos (up to 4K resolution),
channels (e.g., DASH profiles, emulated WiFi and LTE, real
3G/4G traces), and levels of integration with an ICN network
(i.e., vanilla NDN, wireless loss detection and recovery at the
access point, load balancing). Our results clearly illustrate, as
well as quantitatively assess, benefits of ICN-based streaming,
warning about potential pitfalls that are however easy to avoid.