A heuristic approach for the delivery schedule optimization in Dynamic Broadcast

Dynamic Broadcast introduces network flexibilities and time flexibilities into the delivery of TV programs. New features such as switching between the broadcast and the broadband network, on-line adaptation of broadcast transmission parameters and the offering of pre-downloads enable us to deliver the TV content more efficiently to the audience. In order to minimize the cost and/or the spectrum consumption of the content delivery, we make full use of these features and take all influencing factors, including the audience size and the audience behaviour, into consideration. We build a mathematical model for the content delivery scheduling and propose a heuristic approach based on particle swarm optimization to optimize it. Through simulations, the convergence rate and the optimality of the heuristic approach are investigated and the sensitivities of the approaches to inaccurate input parameters are tested.