Fair billing method for VOD systems based on video quality monitoring using watermarking scheme

Abstract

The received quality of the video contents streamed over Video on Demand (VOD) networks is easily degraded by interference and other external factors during the encoding and transmission stages. However, the service provider generally bills the subscriber in accordance with the original fee, irrespective of the actual video quality received. Consequently, the subscribers’ rights are infringed and their dissatisfactions increased. To address this problem, the present study outlines a VOD billing method in which the video quality at the receiver end is evaluated using a watermarking scheme, and the fee charged by the service provider is then adjusted accordingly. The basic feasibility of the proposed approach is demonstrated by means of simulations using standard test video sequences. The results show that the watermarking scheme provides an effective means of evaluating the video quality at the receiver end, and thus provides a reliable basis for quality-dependent subscriber billing in VOD systems. Moreover, the watermarking scheme also reduces the size of the watermarked file. As a result, both the storage space requirement at the video server and the server network bandwidth requirement are reduced. Consequently, the proposed system provides a win-win solution for the subscribers and service providers in VOD systems.