Parallel video streaming optimizing network throughput

In the Internet, video streaming services, in which users can enjoy videos at home, are becoming popular. Video streaming with high definition TV (HDTV) or ultra high definition video (UHDV) quality will be also provided and widely demanded in the future. However, the transmission bit-rate of high-quality video streaming is quite large, so generated traffic flows will cause link congestion. In the Internet, routes that packets take are determined using static link weights, so the network productivity, i.e., the maximum achievable throughout by the network, is determined by the capacity of a bottleneck link with the maximum utilization, although utilizations of many links remain low level. Therefore, when providing streaming services of rich content, i.e., videos with HDTV or UHDV quality, it is important to flatten the link utilization, i.e., reduce the maximum link utilization. We propose that ISPs use multiple servers to deliver rich content to balance the link utilization and propose server allocation and server selection methods for parallel delivery. We evaluate the effect of parallel delivery using 23 actual commercial ISP networks.