A synchronization algorithm for distributed multimedia environments

Abstract

Network synchronization plays a significant role in transmitting multimedia objects over computer networks. Even packets from a single channel must be synchronized due to the problems in a packet switching environment, such as network jitter, frequency, and time offsets. We present an algorithm that determines the set of packets generated periodically by various participants arriving at a node. The basic advantage of the proposed algorithm is that the receiver estimates the reference times (expected arrival times of the packets) and achieves synchronization, without knowledge of the packet delays. The accuracy is improved and the complexity is reduced by predicting the time/frequency offsets between the clocks at the source and the mixer. The error is calculated by the Chernoff bound, demonstrated by simulation, and shown to be acceptable in practical applications.

Synchronization of distributed multimedia systems with user interactions

“…Note that there is much research on the calculation, measurement, and estimation of the end-to-end delay, such as Escobar et al (1994), Ishibashi and Tasaka (1995), Ramanathan and Rangan (1993), Ravindran and Bansal (1993), Zarros et al (1996), and we will not discuss this further in this paper.…”

Distributed multimedia systems

“…Note that is the intramedia synchronization delay of the continuous media object. Thus, the playback deadline for an object can be met so long as its response time satisfies the relationship where , the end-to-end delay defined as the time from when the request for a particular object is issued to when the object can be played at the request site, is given by Research on the calculation, measurement, and estimation of the end-to-end delay can be found in [122], [129], [134], [157], and [158].…”

Control of perceived quality of service in multimedia retrieval services: prediction-based mechanism vs. compensation buffers

“…In the literature, several mechanisms dealing with the problem of limiting delay jitter and/or skew in multimedia retrieval services have been presented [5][6][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. Many of these mechanisms can be classified into two categories: the first one comprises mechanisms based on the use of buffers at the destination site, the second on modification of retrieval times at the source site so as to compensate for delay jitter.…”