A simulation mechanism for video delivery researches

At present, video delivery over the wired or wireless packet-switched networks has been motivating a series of researches into video encoding, quality of service (QoS), multimedia communication, and service models of networks. However, most of researchers lack a suitable video delivery simulation platform closer to the real video delivery system. Different from other existing simulation mechanisms, a simulation mechanism is proposed in this paper, based on an existing simulation tool, NS-2. With the proposed mechanism, the video encoder/decoder component, the application layer QoS control component, and the simulated network have been fully integrated. This guarantees that the simulation procedures outside the simulated network like video encoding/decoding, do not affect simulation results. Finally, experimental results consolidate the fact that this mechanism is useful for video researchers when they evaluate new encoding algorithms and transmission protocols of video delivery.