An optimal media distribution algorithm in P2P-based IPTV

Peer-to-peer networks have been considered as a promising network model for bandwidth-intensive multimedia streaming applications. In this paper, we study the problem of how to distribute segments of a media object from a media distribution server in IPTV applications. We leverage peer-to-peer networks to reduce the pressure on the distribution server, and peers exchange media segments in every playback interval. We propose a media distribution algorithm to find the optimal sizes of these media segments so that the time for every peer to receive all the media segments is minimized. The optimal solution is a function of the upload and download bandwidths of the participating peers. We compared our media distribution algorithm with two heuristics through simulations. The experimental results have demonstrated the scalability and efficiency of our proposed algorithm.