- 1 VCR Control Functions
- 2 Near Video on Demand
- 3 Near Video on Demand with VCR Functions
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7.5.3 Near Video on Demand with VCR Functions
The ideal combination would be near video on demand (for the efficiency) plus full VCR controls for every individual viewer (for the user convenience). With slight modifications to the model, such a design is possible. Below we will give a slightly simplified description of one way to achieve this goal (Abram-Profeta and Shin, 1998).
We start out with the standard near video-on-demand scheme of Fig. 7-2. However, we add the requirement that each client machine buffer the previous DT min and also the upcoming DT min locally. Buffering the previous DT min is easy: just save it after displaying it. Buffering the upcoming DT min is harder, but can be done if clients have the ability to read two streams at once.
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One way to get the buffer set up can be illustrated using an example. If a user starts viewing at 8:15, the client machine reads and displays the 8:15 stream (which is at frame 0). In parallel, it reads and stores the 8:10 stream, which is currently at the 5-min mark (i.e., frame 9000). At 8:20, frames 0 to 17,999 have been stored and the user is expecting to see frame 9000 next. From that point on, the 8:15 stream is dropped, the buffer is filled from the 8:10 stream (which is at 18,000), and the display is driven from the middle of the buffer (frame 9000). As each new frame is read, one frame is added to the end of the buffer and one frame is dropped from the beginning of the buffer. The current frame being displayed, called the play point, is always in the middle of the buffer. The situation 75 min into the movie is shown in Fig. 7-3(a). Here all frames between 70 min and 80 min are in the buffer. If the data rate is 4 Mbps, a 10-min buffer requires 300 million bytes of storage. With current prices, the buffer can certainly be kept on disk and possibly in RAM. If RAM is desired, but 300 million bytes is too much, a smaller buffer can be used.
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Figure 7-3 (a) Initial situation. (b) After a rewind to 12 min. (c) After waiting 3 min. (d) After starting to refill the buffer. (e) Buffer full.
Now suppose that the user decides to fast forward or fast reverse. As long as the play point stays within the range 70–80 min, the display can be fed from the buffer. However, if the play point moves outside that interval either way, we have a problem. The solution is to turn on a private (i.e., video-on-demand) stream to service the user. Rapid motion in either direction can be handled by the techniques discussed earlier.
Normally, at some point the user will settle down and decide to watch the movie at normal speed again. At this point we can think about migrating the user over to one of the near video-on-demand streams so the private stream can be dropped. Suppose, for example, that the user decides to go back to the 12 min mark, as shown in Fig. 7-3(b). This point is far outside the buffer, so the display cannot be fed from it. Furthermore, since the switch happened (instantaneously) at 75 min, there are streams showing the movie at 5, 10, 15, and 20 min, but none
The solution is to continue viewing on the private stream, but to start filling the buffer from the stream currently 15 minutes into the movie. After 3 minutes, the situation is as depicted in Fig. 7-3(c). The play point is now 15 min, the buffer contains minutes 15 to 18, and the near video-on-demand streams are at 8, 13, 18, and 23 min, among others. At this point the private stream can be dropped and the display can be fed from the buffer. The buffer continues to be filled from the stream now at 18 min. After another minute, the play point is 16 min, the buffer contains minutes 15 to 19, and the stream feeding the buffer is at 19 min, as shown in Fig. 7-3(d).
After an additional 6 minutes have gone by, the buffer is full and the play point is at 22 min. The play point is not in the middle of the buffer, although that can be arranged if necessary.