Video Distribution Research Articles

A Portable Linux-based Firmware for NVMe Computational Storage Devices

Abstract: Over the years, interest in computational storage devices has been growing steadily. This is largely due to the rise of data-intensive applications, such as machine learning, online video distribution, astrophysics, and genomics. Moving compute operations closer to the data provides benefits in terms of scaling possibilities and energy efficiency. The development of computational storage devices has been limited by the need for specialized and complex hardware. In this work we propose a portable Linux-based firmware framework for the development of NVMe computational storage devices. Our firmware runs on a variety of hardware platforms ranging from expensive FPGA solutions to inexpensive off-the-shelf single board computers. The firmware leverages the vast Linux software ecosystem to facilitate the development and prototyping of novel computational storage devices. We benchmark our firmware on multiple hardware platforms and demonstrate its versatility through several computational examples including a content-aware disk image search engine based on natural language processing and AI-driven image recognition.

Leveraging Edge Computing for Video Data Streaming in UAV-Based Emergency Response Systems.

The rapid advancement of technology has greatly expanded the capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in wireless communication and edge computing domains. The primary objective of UAVs is the seamless transfer of video data streams to emergency responders. However, live video data streaming is inherently latency dependent, wherein the value of the video frames diminishes with any delay in the stream. This becomes particularly critical during emergencies, where live video streaming provides vital information about the current conditions. Edge computing seeks to address this latency issue in live video streaming by bringing computing resources closer to users. Nonetheless, the mobile nature of UAVs necessitates additional trajectory supervision alongside the management of computation and networking resources. Consequently, efficient system optimization is required to maximize the overall effectiveness of the collaborative system with limited UAV resources. This study explores a scenario where multiple UAVs collaborate with end users and edge servers to establish an emergency response system. The proposed idea takes a comprehensive approach by considering the entire emergency response system from the incident site to video distribution at the user level. It includes an adaptive resource management strategy, leveraging deep reinforcement learning by simultaneously addressing video streaming latency, UAV and user mobility factors, and varied bandwidth resources.

A Visually Meaningful Color-Video Encryption Scheme That Combines Frame Channel Fusion and a Chaotic System

Compared to text and images, video can show information more vividly and intuitively via a moving picture; therefore, video is widely used in all walks of life. However, videos uploaded or stored in various video applications have not been treated with any protection, and these videos contain a lot of sensitive information that is more likely to be compromised. To solve this problem, video encryption schemes have been proposed. However, the main concern with existing video encryption schemes is that the private information in the encrypted video should be effectively protected, and, thus, the pixel distribution of the original video can be greatly damaged in the process of encryption, resulting in no or poor visual usability of the encrypted video. To this end, a novel color-video encryption scheme is proposed, which can effectively protect video privacy information while retaining certain visual information, thus enhancing the usability of encrypted videos. Firstly, the R, G, and B channels of the original color video are viewed as a whole for splitting. The dimensions of the blocks are three-dimensional, and permutation encryption is performed in three-dimensional blocks, which eliminates the redundancy of information between the video frame channels. Secondly, after permutation encryption, the channels of the video frame are separated, and then each channel is divided into blocks. The shape of the blocks is a square, and substitution encryption and permutation encryption operations are performed in turn. The whole encryption process is combined with the 2D-LSM chaotic system to improve the security of the scheme, as well as to reduce the time. Extensive experiments have been carried out, and the results show that the proposed scheme allows the encrypted video to retain rough visual information and, at the same time, effectively protects privacy, achieving the goal of encrypted video security and usability.

Bootlegging the airwaves: Alternative histories of radio and television distribution By EleanorPatterson, Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press. 2024. pp. 192. $28.00 (paperback)

Bootlegging the airwaves: Alternative histories of radio and television distribution By EleanorPatterson, Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press. 2024. pp. 192. $28.00 (paperback)

Effectiveness of the Osaka “Ten-Year Rejuvenation” Project

Introduction: The “Ten-year rejuvenation project” is an initiative of the Osaka Prefectural Government to reduce the physical and mental age of residents in the prefecture by ten years and enable them to live in good health and vitality in preparation for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Our team tested a “Ten-year rejuvenation dance” for elderly people with the goal of enhancing participants’ muscle strength and physical fitness and improving their cognitive function through memorizing the dance choreography. Method: Groups of around 30 participants each were recruited at 12 locations in Osaka prefecture and the Ten-year rejuvenation dance was practiced once per week over two months. Physical and mental tests carried out before and after participation were compared. Videos were also distributed so participants could dance at home in their free time. The dance program combines elements from physical therapy to improve joint flexibility, balance, muscle strength, and agility. Results: Physical fitness and cognitive scores were both significantly increased and physical tests showed that physical age was reduced by five to ten years. These results confirmed the meaningfulness of continuing this activity. Conclusion: Continued dancing demonstrated positive effects on mind and body, so we plan to increase video distribution to elderly people who cannot leave the house, expand the implementation area, and continue verification in the future.

Weather-Based Nonlinear Regressions for Digital TV Received Signal Strength Prediction

In this research, the impact of various weather conditions on digital television signals is investigated. Machine learning and nonlinear regression models were used to estimate the strength of the received signal. The received signal strength might vary significantly depending on the weather condition, especially in higher frequency ranges or millimetre wavelengths. Predictive analysis was performed for the radio-relay link Aval Tower-Vršac Hill, which is used for the distribution of television and radio programmes by the public company Broadcasting Technology and Connections in Serbia. The prediction was made using temperature, temperature index, relative humidity, and received signal strength data for the months of June, July, and August in 2022. The best results were obtained using the RandomForest model. Extreme variations in the strength of the received signal can be predicted by using the model mentioned above. More effective management of the broadcasting infrastructure can be done with the ability to predict sudden falls and fluctuations in received signal strength.

Delivering content: Modular broadcasting technology and the role of content delivery networks

Television distribution has changed profoundly over the past 10–15 years. Now increasingly geared towards streaming, broadcasting's value chain hinges on content delivery networks (CDNs) to reach audiences. CDNs are important for content quality, as they constitute the part of the chain that stores and transmits data from broadcasters to the end-user. In this article, we investigate what this value chain shift means for television distribution in Norway, a country where global actors like Akamai and Amazon's CloudFront dominate the CDN market. Based on seven whiteboard-based, co-creation sessions with 15 industry experts representing broadcasters, telecoms, regulators and interest organisations, a value chain analysis reveals that the distribution part of the chain is outsourced and modular. As the technology of television distribution becomes increasingly outsourced, we ask what this means for television's autonomy as a universal service provider.

Enterprise culture, neoliberalization, and cable television at the last-mile: A case-study of local cable operators in Mumbai

This paper centers last-mile distribution networks of cable television as a prism to analyze the political-economic, socio-spatial, and subjective transformations brought about by neoliberal reforms in India. I provide an on-ground perspective of enterprise culture and entrepreneurial citizenship based on an ethnography of Mumbai-based last-mile distributors of cable television also called cablewallahs. In the wake of their disempowerment in the television distribution value-chain, cablewallahs represent themselves as entrepreneurs at the core of India’s digital economy. I combine insights from enterprise culture scholarship, television studies and anthropologies of masculinity, to shed light on this enactment in the paper. I demonstrate that cablewallahs configure their citizenship as ‘entrepreneurial’ by aspiring to middle-class valorised notions of respectability and civic duty and sustaining their last-mile networks through intimate knowledge of clientele, networks of male conviviality and vernacular solidarities. I argue that in Mumbai, entrepreneurial citizenship emerges as a useful gendered subjective disposition for navigating socio-economic marginalization and subjective-material changes in neighbourhood identity brought about by neoliberalization.

Shrinking VOD Traffic via Rényi-Entropic Optimal Transport

In response to the exponential surge in Internet Video on Demand (VOD) traffic, numerous research endeavors have concentrated on optimizing and enhancing infrastructure efficiency. In contrast, this paper explores whether users' demand patterns can be shaped to reduce the pressure on infrastructure. Our main idea is to design a mechanism that alters the distribution of user requests to another distribution which is much more cache-efficient, but still remains 'close enough' (in the sense of cost) to fulfil each individual user's preference. To quantify the cache footprint of VOD traffic, we propose a novel application of Rényi entropy as its proxy, capturing the 'richness' (the number of distinct videos or cache size) and the 'evenness' (the relative popularity of video accesses) of the on-demand video distribution. We then demonstrate how to decrease this metric by formulating a problem drawing on the mathematical theory of optimal transport (OT). Additionally, we establish a key equivalence theorem: minimizing Rényi entropy corresponds to maximizing soft cache hit ratio (SCHR) --- a variant of cache hit ratio allowing similarity-based video substitutions. Evaluation on a real-world, city-scale video viewing dataset reveals a remarkable 83% reduction in cache size (associated with VOD caching traffic). Crucially, in alignment with the above-mentioned equivalence theorem, our approach yields a significant uplift to SCHR, achieving close to 100%.

Software Defined Multicast Using Segment Routing in LEO Satellite Networks

The emerging low earth orbit (LEO) broadband satellite networks are creating new opportunities to enable superior video distribution. With numerous satellites deployed, broadband constellations are capable of distributing videos across the globe by efficient multicasting techniques. However, existing work only studied IP multicast for broadband constellations, which suffer from limited scalability and tree performance. With recent breakthroughs in software defined networking, novel software defined multicasting (SDM) techniques manage to achieve efficient data transfer through intelligent and granular management, outperforming traditional IP Multicast. This paper leverages software defined multicasting in the promising broadband constellations to empower satellite-based Internet video distribution. Based on rectilinear Steiner trees, this paper proposes a novel software defined multicasting framework for broadband satellite networks. In addition, this paper designs simple, agile, and scalable multicast segment routing protocols implementing source routing and equal cost multipath routing. The proposed protocols also adapt to frequent member updates and network failures with efficient tree recovery and local rerouting mechanisms. Comprehensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our approach when compared with traditional algorithms.

Cooperative Transmission for Multimedia Video Distribution: Models, Algorithms and Implementation

Cooperative Transmission for Multimedia Video Distribution: Models, Algorithms and Implementation

Future Hybrid Technology for Pay TV Platform

The main objective of this study is to analyze the potentiality of new technology of TV broadcasting and video distribution systems and how to adapt to the new trend of video viewing experience and design a future generation TV for the Bangladesh Pay TV industry. This research is based on Bangladesh and the interest of Bangladesh's Pay-TV industry delves into a novel approach aimed at mitigating these challenges by harnessing terrestrial or mobile networks for video broadcasting, thereby upgrading the old-fashioned broadcasting system or diminishing reliance on conventional internet-based streaming for mobile. This study adapts to the latest practice and implementation of ATSC 3.0 Terrestrial broadcasting and video streaming technology enhancement and business success along with emerging 5G network feasibility. ATSC 3.0 terrestrial broadcasting for mobile users has a significant impact on view experience, and seamless video transmission without the usage of internet data, especially in rural areas of the country where the 4G network is very limited. Local Gateway Node will receive ATSC 3.0 live TV and locally added offline video or streaming apps injected through API to deliver household through private CDN. This study offers a comprehensive technical feasibility, benefits, and implications of this innovative approach, upgradation of terrestrial broadcasting system highlighting its potential to revolutionize video delivery to mobile users. This study analyzes the technology evolution and adaptability with the recent trend of video content viewing experience, the importance of this study is significant for Bangladesh's pay-TV market to secure the future business.

The (R)evolution of Music Video in American Music Industry

The essay offers a concise historical examination of the evolution of music videos and places this medium within the broader context of the popular music industry, which is influenced by the principles of late capitalism. The study highlights the significance of music videos in the popular music industry and media studies, underscoring their role as both promotional and artistic products. It traces the medium's development, from its early days as "illustrated songs" in the late 19th century to the MTV era's explosion, marked by groundbreaking music video directors and the digital turn in the 21st century, which has reshaped the landscape of music video production, distribution, and reception. The article also addresses emerging trends, such as visual albums and changes in video length and format, reflecting shifts in music consumption and technology. In conclusion, it asserts that music videos continue to evolve, challenging conventions and fostering a multisensory, intermedial relationship with audiences.

Motion vector‐domain video steganalysis exploiting skipped macroblocks

AbstractVideo steganography has the potential to be used to convey illegal information, and video steganalysis is a vital tool to detect the presence of this illicit act. Currently, all the motion vector (MV)‐based video steganalysis algorithms extract feature sets directly from the MVs, but ignoring the embedding operation may perturb the statistical distribution of other video encoding elements, such as the skipped macroblocks (no direct MVs). This paper proposes a novel 11‐dimensional feature set to detect MV‐based video steganography based on the above observation. The proposed feature is extracted based on the skipped macroblocks by recompression calibration. Specifically, the feature consists of two components. The first is the probability distribution of motion vector prediction (MVP) difference, and the second is the probability distribution of partition state transfer. Extensive experiments on different conditions demonstrate that the proposed feature set achieves good detection accuracy, especially in lower embedding capacities. In addition, the loss of detection performance caused by recompression calibration using mismatched quantization parameters (QP) is within the acceptable range, so the proposed method can be used in practical scenarios.

Video-based Coaching: Current Status and Role in Surgical Practice, Part II- Practical Implementation and Risk Mitigation from the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Health Care Quality and Outcomes Committee

IntroductionVideo-based surgical coaching is gaining traction within the surgical community. It has an increasing adoption rate and growing recognition of its utility, especially an advanced continuous professional growth tool, for continued educational purposes. This method offers instructional flexibility in real-time remote settings and asynchronous feedback scenarios. In our first paper, we delineated fundamental principles for video-based coaching, emphasizing the customization of feedback to suit individual surgeon’s needs. MethodIn this second part of the series, we review into practical applications of video-based coaching, focusing on quality improvements in a team-based setting, such as the trauma bay. Additionally, we address the potential risks associated with surgical video recording, storage, and distribution, particularly regarding medicolegal aspects. We propose a comprehensive framework to facilitate the implementation of video coaching within individual healthcare institutions. ResultsOur paper examines the legal and ethical framework and explores the potential benefits and challenges, offering insights into the real-world implications of this educational approach. ConclusionThis paper contributes to the discourse on integrating video-based coaching into continuous professional development. It aims to facilitate informed decision-making in healthcare institutions, considering the adoption of this innovative educational quality tool.

WebRTC over 5 G: A Study of Remote Collaboration QoS in Mobile Environment

The increasing demand for remote collaboration and remote working has become crucial to daily life owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and the development of internet-based video distribution services. Furthermore, low-latency remote collaboration, such as teleoperation and support applications designed for in-vehicle environments, has gained considerable attention. The 5 G technology is considered as a key infrastructure for remote collaboration. This study aimed to evaluate the actual 5 G capability to achieve high quality of service (QoS) for remote collaboration. We designed and implemented a measurement tool to monitor the QoS of remote collaboration under real-world 5 G conditions. We performed measurements encompassing the various 5 G frequency bands. During these experiments, we employed various tools to obtain detailed mobile signal conditions to analyze the relationship between various environmental factors (e.g. signal quality, band, handoff, geographic conditions, and mobility) and the QoS performance of remote collaboration in a real-world 5 G environment. This study elucidated the correlation between the WebRTC performance and various environmental factors as well as the performance improvement potential by leveraging the communication technologies of multiple mobile carriers. The collected data has been made publicly available to foster research on QoS and 5 G.

The Current State and Legal Issues of Online Crimes Related to Children and Adolescents.

There are two categories of online crimes related to children and adolescents: those committed by adolescents and those committed against children and adolescents. While recent trends in criminal law show consensus on strengthening punishment in cases of crimes against children and adolescents, there are mixed stances in cases of juvenile delinquency. One perspective emphasizes strict punishment, whereas the other emphasizes dispositions aligned with human rights. While various forms of online crime share the commonality in that the main part of the criminal act occurs online, they can be categorized into three types: those seeking financial gain, those driven by sexual motives, and those engaged in bullying. Among these, crimes driven by sexual motives are the most serious. Second-hand trading fraud and conditional (sexual) meeting fraud fall under the category of seeking financial gain and occur frequently. Crimes driven by sexual motives include obscenity via telecommunication, filming with discrete cameras, child and adolescent sexual exploitation material, fake video distribution, and blackmail/coercion using intimate images/videos ("sextortion"). These crimes lead to various legal issues such as whether to view vulgar acronyms or body cams that teenagers frequently use as simple subcultures or crimes, what criteria should be applied to judge whether a recorded material induces sexual desire or shame, and at what stage sexual grooming becomes punishable. For example, sniping posts, KakaoTalk prisons, and chat room explosions are tricky issues, as they may or may not be punished depending on the case. Particular caution should be exercised against the indiscriminate application of a strict punishment-oriented approach to the juvenile justice system, which is being discussed in relation to online sexual offenses. In the punishment case of online crime, juvenile offenders with a high potential for future improvement and reform must be treated with special consideration.

Video activism in feminist movements in Turkey

ABSTRACT Video activism is among the predominant forms of contemporary digital activism. In networked cultures dominated by social media platforms, video activism has seen various transformations. This paper investigates the role of video activism within the feminist movements in Turkey in the context of digital culture. In-depth interviews have been conducted to explore the tactics of feminist video activists. In particular, the tactics of feminist video activists have been analysed at four levels: video production, video distribution, video ethics and video archiving. The results show how networked video activism contributes to the feminist movements at three levels: the creation of feminist media as an alternative to patriarchal narratives, the organisation of affect and solidarity among women and finally, self-reflexivity and subjectification for activists.

Beyond Netflix: Ownership and content strategies among non-US-based video streaming services

Major multi-territory streaming services such as Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ dominate this new sector of video distribution, but the economic features of internet-distributed video enable a diverse sector. This article examines 16 non-US-based multi-territory services and 10 national/regional markets to investigate the other types of transnational streaming businesses emerging. The analysis assesses the ownership of the 16 services, as all but one emerge from existing corporations with activities in the audiovisual or distribution sector, to identify the implications of different ownership priorities. It then pairs the ownership analysis with data on the size and country of origin of the services’ content libraries. The findings identify subcategories of multi-territory streamers and, by considering an array of national markets, reveal the counter-strategies available to non-US-based services.

A social-aware video sharing solution using demand prediction of epidemic-based propagation in wireless networks

The video services that account for the majority of global network traffic consume significant amounts of electricity and network resources to meet the large-scale demand of users. Variations in user interest and social influence lead to high maintenance costs for achieving a dynamic balance between supply and demand, which negatively impacts the sustainable development of video services. In this paper, we propose a social-aware video-sharing solution using demand prediction of epidemic-based propagation in wireless networks (SDPEP). SDPEP constructs a video propagation model based on user “pull” and “push” sharing behaviors and designs an estimation method for calculating the probability of video fetching by investigating user interests and social relationships. SDPEP uses the probability of video fetching to calculate the basic reproduction number during epidemic-based video propagation, predicting user demand during the propagation process. To ensure efficient caching with low-cost adjustments to video distribution, SDPEP employs a caching-based adjustment strategy for distributing videos while maintaining dynamic balance between supply and demand. Extensive testing shows that SDPEP outperforms other state-of-the-art solutions.