An SDN Architecture for Privacy-Friendly Network-Assisted DASH

Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH) is the premier technology for Internet video streaming. DASH efficiently uses existing HTTP-based delivery infrastructures implementing adaptive streaming. However, DASH traffic is bursty in nature. This causes performance problems when DASH players share a network connection or in networks with heavy background traffic. The result is unstable and lower quality video. In this article, we present the design and implementation of a so-called DASH Assisting Network Element (DANE). Our system provides target bitrate signaling and dynamic traffic control. These two mechanisms realize proper bandwidth sharing among clients. Our system is privacy friendly and fully supports encrypted video streams. Trying to improve the streaming experience for users who share a network connection, our system increases the video bitrate and reduces the number of quality switches. We show this through evaluations in our Wi-Fi testbed.