P eer-assisted adaptive streaming: the key to managing evergrowing online video traffic A white paper 2. Abstr act This White Paper introduces a new peer-based approach to video streaming designed to overcome the limitations imposed by current Content Delivery Network (CDN) infrastructures and distribution techniques. Context: a booming online video market in search of tomorrow’s solutions Peer-assisted delivery: optimize video playout and minimize infrastructure risks Case Studies: over 50% peer-to-peer streaming on a large VOD platform Final remarks I n t e n d e d Re ad e r s This White Paper is intended for online broadcasters. improve quality of streams and handle traffic peaks.C onte nt s 1. It explains through statistics and case studies how peer-assisted video delivery can represent a key competitive advantage. enabling broadcasters to scale up. 4. . video platforms and professionals at all levels of the online video distribution chain. all while reducing costs and lightening the burden on saturated network infrastructures. 3. Jim O’Neill. Today video content represents over 60% of worldwide consumer traffic.com/ videomind/blog/mobile-video-traffic-grow-13x-2019-straining-already-congested-networks#sthash. “Mobile video traffic to grow 13X by 2019. i. video files themselves are growing.ooyala. Cisco® 2014 Visual Networking Index ii. .iii As consumers come to expect heightened quality.i According to a recent Ericsson report. if they hope to ensure a satisfactory end-user experience. Internet traffic is poised to more than double in the next five years. video distributors will require more and more bandwidth. is quickly becoming the benchmark. In a market where performance is essential. video traffic will grow faster than any other mobile segment – 13-fold by 2019 – and will soon represent over half of mobile data use.1. A UHD file is 16 times larger than the same file in HD.zRB5X5f0. http://www. 4K. With the growing use of mobile devices and tablets. this figure is set to jump to up to 90% by 2018.ii Figure 1: Projected growth in Internet video and total Internet traffic Figure 2: Projected growth in mobile video and total mobile traffic At the same time. C ontex t : a booming online video m arke t in se arch of t omorrow ’s solut ions A grow ing online v id e o m ar ke t The online video market is experiencing exponential growth with the combined effect of skyrocketing consumption and increasing video quality. or ultra-high definition (UHD).dpuf iii. straining already congested networks” 09 June 2014. as well as infrastructures capable of receiving larger files and increasing amounts of traffic. As Akamai’s Kurt Michel observes. What’s more. with frequent pauses for rebuffering. Look no further than the last few months: Just weeks after problems with the True Detective finale. with frequent network over-capacity and congestion. https://blogs. As telcos vie to compete with traditional CDNs. outages are multiplying as platforms struggle to cope with unprecedented demand. ESPN crashed when 1. and bandwidth-heavy video content providers will be at the mercy of potentially unfavorable pricing and distribution policies. Content delivery networks are racing to palliate the situation by multiplying peering points and surrogate servers around the globe. This solution. For more information on these examples.akamai. Even the sector’s biggest and most lucrative actors – those that invest huge sums in top-tier CDNs to ensure content is delivered to millions of users – remain highly vulnerable.com/2014/04/06/hbo-go-still-recovering-from-outage-during-game-of-thrones-premiere/ http://variety.4 million simultaneous viewers attempted to watch the US-Germany World Cup match.com/2013/01/live-video-streaming-that-can-handle-traffic-spikes-the-challenge.”iv Even more troubling. is not scalable ad infinitum and risks to ultimately fail to provide the reliability sought at an acceptable cost. however. CDN infrastructure is shared among multiple customers. more and more companies are looking for a slice of the pie.com/2014/digital/news/abcs-live-internet-oscar-stream-suffers-nationwide-outage-1201124215/ . HBO Go suffered a crippling outage potentially affecting millions of viewers during the Game of Thrones season 4 premiere.v Traditional unicast protocols based on one-to-one relations between client and server have proven insufficient. ABC’s debut live stream of the Oscars was down for most of the evening.A u nic a s t mod e l s how ing i t s li mi t s Current distribution models are already starting to show their limits. and those with the architecture will decide which videos will be delivered at what speed (see the Verizon / Netflix conflict). but network latency issues and heavy traffic loads can often result in disappointing video streaming performance. “Increasing broadband penetration and faster devices make high-quality viewing experiences possible. while content delivery networks can take much of the burden off of a provider’s origin infrastructure and help deliver content to users faster. If one client needs to broadcast a huge sporting or political event. see: http://techcrunch.html v.com/2014/digital/news/espn-video-streaming-service-crashes-during-usa-germany-world-cup-match-1201251221/ http://variety. iv. will other customers be forced to suffer? The bandwidth wars have only just begun. Peer-to-peer streaming allows simultaneous users to exchange video segments among themselves rather than each connecting to a server to do so.ovfsquad. Analysis and Generation.inrialpes. Cisco® 2014 Visual Networking Index viii. CDNs admit that additional distribution models are necessary. to such an extent that a mere 2% of content can garner up to 90% of views. Lastly. vi. “Les nouvelles frontières de la diffusion OTT: Multicast & P2P” www.” http://planete. broadcasters will have to ensure high-quality content at lightening-fast speeds – every time. and that time is of the essence. and those that manage to control this expense without compromising quality will have an edge up. They will have to be prepared to support an increasing number of visitors all while reducing their dependency on traditional delivery networks. see: “Watching Videos from Everywhere: a Study of the PPTV Mobile VoD System.fr vii. First. Decentralizing this exchange of data also significantly improves the quality of service for the end user.vii • Over 80% of video traffic is concentrated on 20% of content.pdf.ca/~jcliu/Papers/VideoRequests. Peer.” http://www.viii The videos that are and will be in highest demand are also those being watched by a large number of viewers at the same time. peer-to-peer adaptive streaming presents a viable alternative.fr/~kaafar/pplive-IMC12.sfu. The system thus effectively overcomes several of the scalability obstacles presented by the video market.a ssisted de liver y : opt imize video pl ayout and mini mize infr a st ruc ture risk P 2 P : a v i ab le solu t ion To remain competitive.pdf . See “Video Requests from Online Social Networks: Characterization. For more information on skewed video popularity distribution. Bandwidth is a video platform’s largest production cost. One of the largest actors cites peer-to-peer streaming as a solution that has already proven effective on a large scale. as the solution works better the more viewers are watching the same content.1I . drastically reducing bandwidth costs.cs. Why? Let’s take a look at two realities: • Peak-hour Internet traffic is growing faster than average traffic. Social networks have a tendency to skew this distribution even more.vi When combined with traditional unicast delivery. freeing up congestion and protecting them from infrastructure malfunctions. it turns inevitable user volume increases into an asset. as each viewer is able to collect the segment needed from the source that can provide it most quickly. it largely reduces broadcasters’ reliance on CDNs for content distribution. consult the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Editor’s Drafts: http://dev. MSE has already been adopted by most browsers. When a StreamRoot user accesses a webpage. It supports the newest MPEG-DASH streaming standard. JavaScript.org/hg/html-media/raw-file/tip/media-source/media-source. set top boxes and smart TVsix. The second is Media Source Extensions. extension or other installation on the part of end users. StreamRoot’s technology is transparent. At the same time. Harnessing these technologies.org/2011/webrtc/editor/webrtc. the viewer connects to the StreamRoot tracker and retrieves an intelligently selected list of peers.w3. WebRTC. If the peers cannot provide the segments quickly enough. Unlike other peer-to-peer solutions. The first. is a new standard that allows users to establish direct and secure real-time communications with other users without worrying about NATs and firewalls. establishes a direct connection with them and requests video segments. and is used by default by Netflix and Youtube. . Streamroot leverages two new cutting-edge technologies. Media Source Extensions and WebRTC. Media engine module: This module enables adaptive bitrate streaming playback in HTML5 and Flash. and is available as an open-source library distributed by Google for easy integration into any type of device. another web standard designed for dynamic management of video streams directly in HTML5. the video content begins loading directly from the server. Avoiding the need to rely on cumbersome Flash systems. It is included natively in browsers as a javascript API. requiring no plugin. as well as older formats like Smooth Streaming and HLS.The St re a m Root a n s we r StreamRoot has developed a hybrid peer-to-peer video streaming solution based on the latest Internet technologies: HTML5. our solution can be decomposed into three main modules: 1. it is also becoming standard for mobile devices. it automatically switches back to the origin/CDN server. html.html and https://dvcs. guaranteeing at the very least the same quality of service as a CDN-only solution. Like WebRTC. It uses dynamic adaptive streaming algorithms based ix. For more technical information on WebRTC and Media Source Extensions.w3. it can be used with DRMs and integrated into a custom player via a media interface. making the solution available on all major desktop systems. Microsoft co-authored the draft specification for WebRTC 1. as peer-to-peer systems work better the more peers there are available to share content. Traffic peaks are no longer a source of stress but an advantage. P2P cuts costs. x. the tracker serves as a relay for establishing peer-to-peer channels. and can greatly improve the scalability of the streaming architecture.on the end-user’s bandwidth to provide the best possible experience the viewer’s device and connection can offer at a given time. Tracker: Built on lightweight and scalable technologies like Node. along with content integrity verification. It also provides the security required by a professional video content distributor: geoIP and domain restriction. Format agnostic. StreamRoot provides the first and only workable peer-based alternative to unicast distribution that has been tested on a significant scale. dynamically selecting the best peers based on geographical and topological criteria.1. it gathers several useful analytics on the viewer’s performances and behavior. Today. P2P optimizes video playout as demand rises. Despite their limitations. The system is currently compatible with Internet browsers that have adopted WebRTC: Chrome. P2P helps minimize infrastructure risks. 3. Initial tests show that bandwidth costs can be reduced by up to 70% with an effective peering solution in place. Finally. Peer assisted delivery can easily work in tandem with a CDN. Content Delivery Networks are an important part of today’s media workflow. Mobile (Android and IOS) and Smart TV compatibility is currently under development and should be fully functional in 2015. while at the same time reducing economic dependence on CDNs and ensuring that viewers can continue watching their content even if the CDN and local server experience temporary outages. optimizing the overall streaming experience. 2. Firefox and Opera. Peer-to-peer module: This module enables direct peer-to-peer data transfer between viewers. .JS and Redis. It uses multiple proprietary StreamRoot algorithms to optimize exchanges in both Live and VOD playback modes. Internet Explorerx and Safari are likely to follow suit. 089 users at peak. h264/AAC.III . as the more peers there are. Streaming traffic from 4 pm to 7:10 pm on the site's most popular video 20 Volume streamed (in GB) 18 16 14 12 10 8 CDN 6 P2P 4 7:09 PM 7:05 PM 7:01 PM 6:57 PM 6:53 PM 6:49 PM 6:45 PM 6:41 PM 6:37 PM 6:33 PM 6:29 PM 6:25 PM 6:21 PM 6:17 PM 6:13 PM 6:09 PM 6:05 PM 6:01 PM 5:57 PM 5:53 PM 5:49 PM 5:45 PM 5:41 PM 5:37 PM 5:33 PM 5:29 PM 5:25 PM 5:21 PM 5:17 PM 5:13 PM 5:09 PM 5:05 PM 5:01 PM 4:57 PM 4:53 PM 4:49 PM 4:45 PM 4:41 PM 4:37 PM 4:33 PM 4:29 PM 4:25 PM 4:21 PM 4:17 PM 4:13 PM 4:09 PM 4:05 PM 0 4:01 PM 2 Time This data clearly demonstrates the scalability of the P2P model. the more data is transferred between them. at 1.000 kbps • a large geographical area spanning 6 Russian-speaking countries • 2. a total bandwidth of 2. StreamRoot achieved up to 58% peering.e. C a se stud y : over 50 % peer-to .peer st re aming on a l arge VOD pl at form StreamRoot recently partnered with a Russian video-on-demand platform to test its peer-topeer solution on the website’s most popular video during a Friday night peak. i. The following parameters were used: • 120 minutes of video.1 Gbps or 1TB per hour In this trial. . in MPEG-DASH. with percentages rising at peak use times (42 to 58% streaming at traffic peaks). 16 14 12 10 8 CDN 6 P2P 4 2 0 6:15 6:16 6:17 6:18 6:19 6:20 6:21 6:22 6:23 6:24 6:25 PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM Time P2P requires a relatively low critical mass. The overall average download speeds are 14% higher with peer-assisted delivery. IV. As recent outages have shown. scalable supplement to traditional CDN distribution. and efficiency improves greatly with geolocation and topology based prioritization algorithms. P2P streaming ensured half of the service during the outage – 50% of users were entirely unaware that the server had malfunctioned. enabling them to reduce costs. the critical mass for a 120-minute video file (i. even the most robust infrastructures are not ready to handle the influx of users that large broadcasters are beginning to experience today. P2P offers improved download speeds and latencies. Peers ensured 50% of the service that would have been completely lost by the server outage. the online video industry is poised for unprecedented demand. Media Source Extensions and WebRTC can offer broadcasters a key competitive advantage.e. For a 10-minute video. P2P is an effective safeguard against server outages. P2P > 30%) is less than 100 simultaneous viewers. F in al re m ark s With exponential growth in viewer numbers. Peer-to-peer adaptive streaming provides a viable. peer-assisted streaming based on the latest Internet technologies such as HTML5. Another model is needed in addition to traditional unicast distribution.This case study helped demonstrate: Momentary Server Outage 18 Volume streamed (in GB) In the middle of the test. only 20 peers would be needed. exploding file sizes and increasing use of mobile devices and tablets. For effective peering. . improve streams and lighten the burden on saturated network infrastructures. With its ability to transform increasing viewer numbers into an asset. the origin server went down entirely from 6:15 to 6:19. Founded in France in 2013 by three engineers from Ecole Centrale de Paris. our Peer-to-Peer API creates an edge network made up of viewers. StreamRoot 179 Lincoln Street.g. which relieves broadcasters’ server infrastructures and bandwidth without requiring any action from the end-user. CDN) and peer-to-peer protocols based on HTML5 and WebRTC.A bout StreamRoot StreamRoot provides a solution for video streaming combining standard unicast delivery (e.io . Now headquartered in the United States. At the leading edge of HTML5 adaptive streaming technology. as well as expanding their customer base in America and confirming the efficiency of peer-assisted delivery with large-scale use cases. StreamRoot created the first MPEGDASH peer-assisted video player in HTML5 working for both Live and Video on Demand streaming. StreamRoot is currently focusing on mobile and DRM-compatible peer-to-peer solutions. StreamRoot participated the Le Camping and Techstars Boston accelerator programs and has been recognized with numerous awards including the Trophée Startups Numérique and Hello Tomorrow Challenge. MA 02111 +1 (857) 891 4873 contact@streamroot. For more information or to try StreamRoot. contact us at contact@streamroot. Using WebRTC.io. and has since expanded its expertise to other adaptive streaming formats and platforms. Boston.
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