HTTP adaptive streaming over multiple network interfaces

Abstract

Enhancing user experience in streaming applications is an important problem. Delivering the best quality possible for the given network conditions is not an easy task. In the case of a streaming client running in a multi-homed network, this problem becomes more complicated. In the simplest form, one network can be picked randomly or based on some criteria, and the streaming client solely uses that network. In another form, multiple networks can be simultaneously used by the streaming client and due to the aggregation, doing so may deliver better and more stable quality, and at a lower latency than using either of the networks individually. However, using multiple networks simultaneously is not trivial in certain scenarios. In this demo, we present a gateway-based solution where the gateway is connected to two different networks and dynamically decides which network(s) to use for streaming while hiding all the decision complexity from the streaming clients behind it. In other words, our solution is transparent to the streaming clients, which means any existing client can benefit from this solution without any changes.