Project: Network-Aware Delivery Clouds for User Centric Media Events
DELTA proposes an innovative, scalable and predictive media distribution solution based on a novel network-aware delivery architecture that efficiently exploits users’ resources (i.e., Home Gateways), CDN assets and Conventional Cloud properties, by customising their usage via dynamic resource reservation schemes and proactive auto-scaling mechanisms, for the Media Events delivery in respect to user QoE. This overall solution is made possible through the realization of a novel Media Distribution System, including the Media Distribution Middleware (MDM), the Media Advanced Streamer (MAS), the Media QoE Meter (MQM) and the Media Services Manager (MSM), as CO architectural components. _x000D_The MDM purpose is to coordinate, in a predictive mode, the resources optimal exploitation, available at each Resource Provider’s doCO (e.g., Telcos, CDN providers, Cloud operators, Users ‘Home Gateways). This process is dynamic and continuous for all the ongoing streaming sessions, but also predictive for all the potential upcoming ones. Based on MQM inputs and resorces available at each Resource Provider’s doCO, the MDM gives the instructions to the MAS about what and how to perform the streaming and adaptation functionalities, e.g., at which bitrate. Contrary to existing adaptive streaming mechanisms, the adaptation decision is not only taken based on the available bandwidth for each stream but: (1) based on a more important metric: the QoS/QoE information provided by MQM and (2) considering all the ongoing streams, plus potential coming ones. The MDM is interacting with MSM, based at Service Provider (SP) level, to enhance user/SP QoE-based delivery requests._x000D_The MDM is part of the Media Distribution System, located at the operator’s premises. The DELTA solution is beneficial for the operators which foresee in it great business opportunities, along with easy deployments. Indeed, the operators own today’s Home Gateways and deploy Cloud and CDN infrastructures. The DELTA solution permits them to drastically optimize these investments. The MDM manages the deployed delivery solution, optimizes the allocation of resources and takes the decision for media streaming: (1) direct streaming from the Cloud, (2) through deployed CDN surrogate servers, (3) by establishing a Media Home Gateways Cloud (MHGC) ad-hoc configuration and exploiting a combined P2P distribution with multi-source, multi-destination congestion control algorithms, or (4) a combination of parts or all of them._x000D__x000D_Existing Cloud resource reservation techniques are based either on a “fixed-price” model, so as to accommodate the anticipated peak demand but with low resource utilization during non-peak times, or on a “pay-as-you-go” model, where the cost is estimated for the total amount of bytes transferred, but subject to variation due to contention from other applications in the Conventional Cloud Data Centre. DELTA goes a step beyond by elaborating on a novel resource reservation and provision scheme, through the MDM, based on the recently proposed bandwidth auto-scaling algorithms, leading to both high resource utilization and quality guarantees. The proposed solution covers both delivery configurations, i.e. Conventional Cloud - Users or CDN - Users, as well as the distribution between User's Home Gateways, interconnected as Media Home Gateways Cloud. _x000D__x000D_Towards enabling every user access in any context and in a hybrid fashion, i.e., simultaneous usage and seamless switching of users (e.g., in a social network scenario), devices (e.g., desktop PCs, laptops, TVs, tablets, e-book readers, or even home entertainment and household appliances), operating platforms (e.g., iOS, Android, Linux, Windows), and access technologies (e.g., fixed, mobile, broadcast, broadband), interoperability arises as a very critical issue. DELTA answers to this challenge by exploiting recent advances in Web technologies for harmonizing the ‘one-to-many’ and ‘many-to-many’ communication paradigms into a common and open-to-all-users interoperable solution, enabling ubiquitous access for both real-time entertainment and real-time communication services. In particular, DELTA will pave the way towards harmonizing emerging multimedia system approaches such as MPEGs' Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH) and W3Cs'/IETFs' Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) )/Real-Time Communication in Web-browsers (RTCWEB) into a common approach (i.e., the MAS), having the ability to seamlessly ensure uncompromised user experience delivery. Thanks to the MDM and the MQM, the mechanism will dynamically detect the requirements needed for efficient streaming (by considering parameters such as available bandwidth, media rendering conditions) in order to launch the MAS, which will achieve adaptation, in addition to streaming functionalities. The solution will offer a new experience of seamless delivery, adapting and enriching the quality of the streamed media across the whole distribution chain._x000D__x000D_
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Acronym
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DELTA
(Reference Number: 8111)
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Duration
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01/01/2014 - 31/12/2015
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Project Topic
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DELTA project aims at developing an innovative and ready-to-market solution that synergistically combines Networked Media and Telecommunications technologies with Cloud Computing assets into a unified digital ecosystem, enabling users to exploit OTT and Telco services with maximum possible QoE.
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Network
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Eurostars
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Call
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Eurostars Cut-Off 10
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Project partner
