Papers by Alessandro Floris
IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, 2020
In this paper, we present an open source Software-Defined Networking (SDN) based emulation platfo... more In this paper, we present an open source Software-Defined Networking (SDN) based emulation platform called Timber. We aim to provide the research community with an experimental tool for the design and evaluation of the new Quality of Experience (QoE) management and monitoring procedures for video streaming. To this aim, the main functionalities of Timber include: i) an SDN application for taking QoE-aware management decisions; ii) an SDN controller to monitor the network's QoS (Quality of Service) and implement network management actions, such as network slicing and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) based prioritization operations; iii) a complete video streaming application including a multimedia server and a DASH-based client video player; iv) a user-end probe at the client video player to monitor QoE-related video application parameters, which are stored in a database that can be accessed by the SDN application; v) data analysis tools, which enable easy data visualization of measured QoS and QoE metrics as well as execution of statistical analysis of experimental results. In this article, we introduce and describe the main characteristics and functionalities of Timber as well as the implementation details. Finally, we provide experimental results of a video streaming scenario to demonstrate the capability of Timber to implement and test QoE-aware management approaches.
—In this work, we propose a QoE-aware collaboration approach between Over-The-Top providers (OTT)... more —In this work, we propose a QoE-aware collaboration approach between Over-The-Top providers (OTT) and Internet Service Providers (ISP) based on the maximization of the profit by considering the user churn of Most Profitable Customers (MPCs), which are classified in terms of the Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). The contribution of this work is multifold. Firstly, we investigate the different perspectives of ISPs and OTTs regarding QoE management and why they should collaborate. Secondly, we investigate the current ongoing collaboration scenarios in the multimedia industry. Thirdly, we propose the QoE-aware collaboration framework based on the CLV, which includes the interfaces for information sharing between OTTs and ISPs and the use of Content Delivery Networks (CDN) and surrogate servers. Finally, we provide simulation results aiming at demonstrating the higher profit is achieved when collaboration is introduced, by engaging more MPCs with respect to current solutions. Index Terms—Quality of Experience (QoE), Over-The-Top (OTT) service, Internet Service Provider (ISP), Customer Lifetime Value (CLV).
The provisioning of the quality to end users is a major objective for the successful deployment o... more The provisioning of the quality to end users is a major objective for the successful deployment of multimedia services over the Internet. It is more and more evident from past research and service deployments that such an objective often requires a collaboration among the different parties that are involved in the delivery of the service. This paper specifically focuses on the cooperation between the Over-The-Top (OTTs) and the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and propose a novel service delivery approach that is purely driven by the Quality of Experience (QoE) provided to the final common users. Initially, we identify the need of the collaboration among the OTTs and the ISPs where we not only highlight some of the enterprise level motivations (revenue generation) but also the technical aspects which require collaboration. Later, we provide a reference architecture with the required modules and vertical interfaces for the interaction among the OTTs and the ISPs. Then, we provide a collaboration model where we focus on the modeling of the revenue, whose maximization drives the collaboration. The revenue is considered to be dependent on the user churn, which in turn is affected by the QoE and is modeled using the Sigmoid function. We illustrate simulation results based on our proposed collaboration approach which highlight how the proposed strategy increases the revenue generation and QoE for the OTTs and the ISPs hence providing a ground for ISP to join the loop of revenue generation between OTTs and users.
The objective of this work is the investigation of a possible collaboration between Over-The-Top ... more The objective of this work is the investigation of a possible collaboration between Over-The-Top (OTTs) service providers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which is centered around the Quality of Experience (QoE). Initially, we define a reference architecture with the required modules and interfaces for the interaction between the two providers. Then, we focus on the modeling of the revenue, whose maximization drives the collaboration. It is considered as depending on the user churn, which in turn is affected by the QoE and is modeled using the Sigmoid function. We illustrate simulation results based on our proposed collaboration approach which highlights how the proposed strategy increases the revenue generation and QoE for both players hence providing a ground for ISP to join the loop of revenue generation between OTT and users.
—This work is based on the investigation of the passive Quality of Experience (QoE) monitoring of... more —This work is based on the investigation of the passive Quality of Experience (QoE) monitoring of Over-The-Top (OTT) applications at the user terminal with the perspective of the Internet Service Provider (ISP). The contribution is multi-fold. Firstly, we investigate the advantages and drawbacks of QoE monitoring at the user terminal by highlighting the roles of the different entities involved in multimedia service delivery, i.e., users, OTTs and ISPs. Secondly, a survey is conducted related to user's privacy and preferences with reference to the installation of monitoring probes at the terminal. The analysis of survey results highlights the applicability of the approach in terms of users' willingness to have probes at their terminals in exchange for higher quality, discounts or extra data usage. Thirdly, we propose a multi-layered passive monitoring approach at the user terminal which considers the activation of the probes only in case quality degradation is revealed (in an event-based fashion), in contrast to conventional passive monitoring solutions whose probes send monitored data to the collection centers on regular intervals basis (constant frequency). As a case study, YouTube is considered as video streaming service in our experiments to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Index Terms—Quality of Experience (QoE), QoE-centric network and application management, QoE Monitoring.
2014 IEEE International Black Sea Conference on Communications and Networking (BlackSeaCom), 2014
In this paper, we analyze the combination of Vehicular Ad-hoc NETworks (VANETs) with the Social I... more In this paper, we analyze the combination of Vehicular Ad-hoc NETworks (VANETs) with the Social Internet of Things (SIoT), i.e., the Social Internet of Vehicles (SIoV). In the SIoV every vehicle is capable of establishing social relationships with other vehicles in an autonomous way with the intent of creating an overlay social network that can be exploited for information search and dissemination in VANET applications.
I have to switch the terminal: Evaluating the impact on video quality perception
2015 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC), 2015
Estimating Reduced-Reference Video Quality for Quality-Based Streaming Video
2012 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC), 2012
We propose a source-rate control scheme for streaming video over a wireless channel. The scheme i... more We propose a source-rate control scheme for streaming video over a wireless channel. The scheme is designed to maximize the quality of the decoded video as perceived at the user-side by resorting on a reduced-reference video-quality estimation approach. The advantage is that the measured video quality, which drives the rate-control algorithm, is obtained after channel errors and error concealment. The rate control algorithm works adjusting the rate on a per-window basis to compensate low-throughput periods with high-throughput periods so as to avoid the "saw" effect that is typically observed in frame-based rate control.
2013 Fifth International Workshop on Quality of Multimedia Experience (QoMEX), 2013
We propose a rate control scheme for multicast streaming scalable 3D video sequences over wireles... more We propose a rate control scheme for multicast streaming scalable 3D video sequences over wireless ad-hoc networks. We consider 3D colour plus depth video sequences encoded with the Scalable Video Coding (SVC) model. The scheme is designed to maximize the overall quality of the decoded video as perceived at the user-side by resorting on a reduced-reference (RR) video-quality estimation approach. The rate control module runs an algorithm that sets the optimal video layer configurations to transmit to each destination node on the basis of the links' throughput, the video quality perceived at the user side and the topology of the network.
2012 IEEE Globecom Workshops, 2012
in this paper we present a study aimed at assessing the Quality of Experience in video streaming ... more in this paper we present a study aimed at assessing the Quality of Experience in video streaming when the user is employing a tablet devices. The study has been conducted on a database containing subjective assessment scores relative to 216 streaming sessions of video sequences encoded with H.264/AVC and corrupted by typical wireless channel transmission errors. Four 20sec-long video sequences at Common Intermediate Format (CIF) spatial resolution have been corrupted with 54 combinations of key parameters for the reference application: bitrate, packet loss rate, playout delay and transmission interruption . Subjective evaluations have been collected in compliance with ITU-T Recommendation P.910 through singlestimulus Absolute Category Rating (ACR) from 40 subjects. The videos were reproduced on two different tablet devices: on an Apple iPad 2 and on a Samsung Galaxy Tab GT-P1000. Subjective observations include the perceived quality considering all aspects of the fruition chain, from the coding to the environment and device specific issues. The evaluation results also provided several remarks that can be helpful in designing systems and applications for multimedia contents played back on tablets. The results show a good correlation between subjective observations and some impairments so that a simple QoE index is proposed. A correlation study between subjective assessment and objective metrics is also provided.
2014 IEEE International Conference on Communications Workshops (ICC), 2014
Un-interoperability issue is herein defined as the unfeasibility (or at least difficulty) of inte... more Un-interoperability issue is herein defined as the unfeasibility (or at least difficulty) of integrating the results of different modelling activities to broaden the range of scenarios where the integrated model can be applied. Given the huge number of parameters to be considered when defining a Quality of Experience (QoE) model, many different QoE models have been proposed in the literature. Each involves different scenarios and parameters, and specifies how such features are combined. In order to solve un-interoperability issues, we propose a layered modelling approach, which follows the well-known model for interoperable systems in the networking field. Each layer of the model is devoted to a specific quality domain and the interfaces with the other domains are well-defined in order to further simplify the combination of models related to different domains. Such model could be the reference for a general-purpose QoE management system. Experimental results for validating the proposed model are provided.
Signal Processing: Image Communication, 2012
We propose a source rate control scheme for streaming video sequences over wireless channels by r... more We propose a source rate control scheme for streaming video sequences over wireless channels by resorting on a reduced-reference (RR) quality estimation approach. It works as follows:
Journal of Visual Communication and Image Representation, 2014
The proposed work aims at analyzing the quality perceived by the user when streaming video on tab... more The proposed work aims at analyzing the quality perceived by the user when streaming video on tablet devices. The contributions of this paper are: i) to analyze the results of subjective quality assessments to determine which Quality of Service (QoS) parameters mainly affect the users' Quality of Experience (QoE) in video streaming over tablet devices; ii) to define a parametric quality model useful in system control and optimization for the considered scenarios; iii) to compare the performance of the proposed model with subjective quality results obtained in alternative state-of-the-art studies and investigate whether other models could be applied to our case and vice versa.
2014 IEEE International Black Sea Conference on Communications and Networking (BlackSeaCom), 2014
In this paper, we analyze the combination of Vehicular Ad-hoc NETworks (VANETs) with the Social I... more In this paper, we analyze the combination of Vehicular Ad-hoc NETworks (VANETs) with the Social Internet of Things (SIoT), i.e., the Social Internet of Vehicles (SIoV). In the SIoV every vehicle is capable of establishing social relationships with other vehicles in an autonomous way with the intent of creating an overlay social network that can be exploited for information search and dissemination in VANET applications.
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Papers by Alessandro Floris