A scalable technique for VCR-like interactions in video-on-demand applications

Abstract

In video-on-demand (VOD) applications, it is desirable to provide the user with the video-cassette-recorder-like (VCR) capabilities such as fast-forwarding a video or jumping to a specific frame. We address this issue in the broadcast framework, where each video is broadcast repeatedly on the network. Existing techniques rely on data prefetching as the mechanism to provide this functionality. This approach provides limited usability since the prefetching rate cannot keep up with typical fast-forward speeds. We address this practical problem in this paper by repeatedly broadcasting the interactive versions of the videos. Our client software leverages these "interactive broadcasts to provide better VCR service.