Efficient mobile multimedia streaming

Abstract

Modern mobile devices have evolved into small computers that can render multimedia streaming content anywhere and anytime. These devices can extend the viewing time of users and provide more business opportunities for service providers. Mobile devices, however, make a challenging platform for providing high-quality multimedia services. The goal of this thesis is to identify these challenges from various aspects, and propose efficient and systematic solutions to solve them. In particular, we study mobile video broadcast networks in which a base station concurrently transmits multiple video streams over a shared air medium to many mobile devices. We propose algorithms to optimize various quality-of-service metrics, including streaming quality, bandwidth efficiency, energy saving, and channel switching delay. We analytically analyze the proposed algorithms, and we evaluate them using numerical methods and simulations. In addition, we implement the algorithms in a real testbed to show their practicality and efficiency. Our analytical, simulation, and experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithms can: (i) maximize energy saving of mobile devices, (ii) maximize bandwidth efficiency of the wireless network, (iii) minimize channel switching delays on mobile devices, and (iv) efficiently support heterogeneous mobile devices. Last, we give network operators guidelines on choosing solutions suitable for their mobile broadcast networks, which allow them to provide millions of mobile users much better viewing experiences, attract more subscribers, and thus increase the revenues.