FastScan: Robust Low-Complexity Rate Adaptation Algorithm for Video Streaming over HTTP

TL;DR

FastScan is a new low-complexity algorithm for HTTP video streaming that optimizes quality of experience by balancing playback rate and fairness, demonstrating superior robustness and performance over existing algorithms in real bandwidth conditions.

Contribution

The paper introduces FastScan, a novel, low-complexity rate adaptation algorithm that effectively handles dynamic bandwidth and imperfect predictions for improved streaming QoE.

Findings

FastScan reduces re-buffering time compared to state-of-the-art algorithms.

FastScan achieves higher average playback rates across diverse bandwidth traces.

FastScan demonstrates robustness in real cellular bandwidth scenarios.

Abstract

This paper proposes and evaluates a novel algorithm for streaming video over HTTP. The problem is formulated as a non-convex optimization problem which is constrained by the predicted available bandwidth, chunk deadlines, available video rates, and buffer occupancy. The objective is to optimize a QoE metric that maintains a tradeoff between maximizing the playback rate of every chunk and ensuring fairness among different chunks for the minimum re-buffering time. We propose FastScan, a low complexity algorithm that solves the problem. Online adaptations for dynamic bandwidth environments are proposed with imperfect available bandwidth prediction. Results of experiments driven by Variable Bit Rate (VBR) encoded video, video platform system (dash.js), and cellular bandwidth traces of a public dataset reveal the robustness of the online version of FastScan algorithm and demonstrate its significant performance improvement as compared to the considered state-of-the-art video streaming algorithms. For example, on an experiment conducted over 100 real cellular available bandwidth traces of a public dataset that spans different available bandwidth regimes, our proposed algorithm (FastScan) achieves the minimum re-buffering (stall) time and the maximum average playback rate in every single trace as compared to Bola, Festive, BBA, RB, and FastMPC, and Pensieve algorithms.