Reader Forum: Dynamic Bit Rate Adaptation – more than just bandwidth management for wireless multimedia streaming

In the mobile marketplace, the demand for multimedia content has increased impressively, creating new challenges as the race to be able to provide ubiquitous, superior streaming quality to mobile phones heats up. With the network deployment of wireless data infrastructure accelerating at a phenomenal pace, and promises of wide mobile broadband coverage being made, there is an unavoidable requirement for the seamless delivery of multimedia content. However, taking a step back, it is a much more complex and costly endeavor than first realized.
The last decade has been witness to the emergence of a clear trend towards “any content, any screen.” But, the heterogeneity of devices, formats, networks and the limited quality-of-service supported in wireless networks has prevented multimedia-enabled devices from accessing rich multimedia content from the Internet and TV environments. To deliver a high-quality user experience, operators encounter two significant challenges: network congestion and fragmentation. These challenges are not going away anytime soon, so in this market reality, a full set of superior technologies is essential to achieve a competitive edge. One of those technology differentiators is Dynamic Bit Rate Adaptation (DBRA).
DBRA refers to the ability of the network to adjust dynamically the content quality or size to varying network conditions. When the video connection is initialized, a DBRA-capable network monitors bandwidth metrics and uses this information to adapt the stream quality dynamically. The metrics measured rely on available bandwidth, jitter, bit rate and packet loss; the network utilizes these parameters and negotiates a transmission rate based on the evaluation of the real-time quality of the connection. Should the quality of the connection deteriorate, DBRA enables the network to negotiate a lower bit rate for transmission and then incrementally increases the transmission rate when conditions improve. The negotiation happens in real-time and DBRA optimizes the video streaming quality on the fly.
The dynamic bit-rate solution delivers a “bit-by-bit”’ or “frame-by-frame” maximum user experience that is available on the network at that time. Furthermore, since the output performance of the video stream is directly linked to the current conditions of the network, to maintain coherence and a smooth viewing experience, data must reach the mobile unit at a constant rate. DBRA ensures a smooth viewing experience not only because it happens in real-time, but through its heuristic algorithms. These algorithms deliver pattern matching predictive capabilities, which lend themselves to changing the bit rate before there is a perceptible quality difference. And for end-user consumers, perceived quality is more important than intrinsic quality. In other words, operators require a solution that downgrades the signal without degradation of perceived quality so the subscriber has a positive user experience while the operator benefits from reduced cost from less bandwidth usage and increased revenue through increased customer concurrent connections.
As access to multimedia applications on wireless devices increases, attention will be focused on the types of service these networks provide. Networks that provide a consistently high quality of service, and can also adapt to transient and congested traffic conditions and provide smooth content delivery will be favored. DBRA is a highly granular, bit-rate adaptation technology that responds dynamically to network conditions and smoothly adjusts streaming multimedia content, frame by frame in real-time to deliver the best user experience possible.
Patrick Lopez is the Chief Marketing Officer of Vantrix. He has over 10 years experience in product and technology introduction from concept to launch in mobile data and messaging. Patrick has collaborated on various reports from industry analysts including Mobilestreams, Frost & Sullivan, Merryl Lynch, Deutsche Bank and has written several articles in collaboration with the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal and Mobile International. Patrick holds an MBA in Corporate Management from IAE University in Nice, and a Bachelor Degree in Marketing Strategy.