MPEG-4 broadcast: a client/server framework for multi-service streaming using push channels

This paper presents the architecture and implementation of a multi-service streaming system for broadcast of MPEG4 elementary streams. The proposed system promotes the use of the push channel model for information distribution [1]. The system architecture accommodates two main layers for broadcast service management and media delivery. The broadcast service management layer uses the publisher-subscriber model for service announcement and clients’ subscription [1]. The proposed media delivery layer of the MPEG4 media streams is based on the recommendations made by part 6 of the MPEG4 standard, Delivery Multimedia Integration Framework (DMIF). However, the elementary specification of the standard’s control plane for broadcast instance motivated the design of separate layer for broadcast service management. The paper also presents the contributive features that motivated our client/server implementation for broadcast of MPEG4 streams including the “client random access”, and the “interstreams synchronization”. These features allow clients to access the MPEG-4 media streams at any time during the presentation of the broadcast service.