Congestion control for interactive video-on-demand over ATM

An interactive video-on-demand (IVoD) system consists of a video server and a client connected together through a high speed network, Use of interacti ve video-on-demand in an educational environment is very interactive becaus e students frequently pause, fast-forward, skip and view frame-by-frame. De signing a network able to support interactivity and make efficient use of b andwidth is challenging. In this paper we evaluate the suitability of a num ber of congestion control schemes (based on the service categories of ATM) for carrying interactive video on demand. We have developed analytical mode ls to evaluate and compare the various schemes. Data on interactive behavio ur of students obtained from IVoD trails carried out in our laboratory have been used in the models. We show that the renegotiated constant bit rate s ervice category has considerable potential for carrying IVoD over a high sp eed network, such as the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). We also show the use of an application layer, (such as Winsock 2), by the server to limit c ongestion within the network. (C) 1999 Academic Press.