Abstract
In this paper we consider a distributed system in which a central facility, called a Multimedia Network Distribution Center, serves a number of clients and handles simultaneously different multimedia applications. These applications include digital TV distribution, interactive TV (consisting of hyper-media techniques applied to TV), as well as collaborative applications such as virtual distributed classrooms. Clients are allowed to request services independently of each other, or groups of clients can make joint service requests.
In order to satisfy a variety of applications and to support the largest possible number of clients, a server must be able to deal with a heterogeneous environment, in which clients range from small PCs to powerful workstations with or without special hardware for compression/decompression and with different visualization throughput. Moreover, the server must be able to handle shifting network load conditions and to offer concurrent synchronous and asynchronous access.
The server is connected to a set of devices (either live or playback) that generate digital video and audio streams under its control and to a set of networks and links used to transport the streams to the clients. We define the functionality and the performance requirements for an MNDC. To verify the validity of the MNDC functionality, we have built and measured a prototype system and taken performance measurements using applications that moved video and audio data across a local-area network.
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© 1992 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Gusella, R., Maresca, M. (1992). Design considerations for a Multimedia Network Distribution Center. In: Herrtwich, R.G. (eds) Network and Operating System Support for Digital Audio and Video. NOSSDAV 1991. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 614. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-55639-7_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-55639-7_16
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