Design and performance study of scalable video storage in a disk-array-based video server

Abstract

This paper explores a data placement method based on rate staggering t o store scalable video data in a diskarray-based video server. Scalable video means a video which is coded in such a way t h a t subsets of the full video bit stream can be decoded t o create low quality/resolution videos. supporting layered multiple resolutions from a video server is very desirable in many applications. Note t h a t in a disk array the video data corresponding t o dinerent rates of the same video clip are n o t required t o reside in the same disk. In view of this, we propose and explore in this paper the approach of rate staggering, i.e., staggering video data in the disk array based o n data rates. It is noted t h a t the advantages of the proposed rate staggering method enable a video server t o provide feasible solutions t o some video stream requests which cannot be met otherwise. The system throughput can thus be increased. Performance studies on the methods proposed are conducted.It is empirically shown t h a t a VOD system employing rate staggering can signi ... cantly outperform a system employing time staggering for the playout of scalable video..Index Terms: Multi-resolution video, video server.