ABRManager - Buffer based estimator
Qualities
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v
+- - - - - + - - - - - - +
buffer gap [2] | compute BOLA steps [1] | maintanability score [3]
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| v |
| +- - - - - - - - - - - - -+ |
+----------> | Compute optimal quality | <---------+
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BOLA Algorithm finds optimal quality value to minimize playback buffering and maximize buffered quality.
[1] BOLA broadly defines minimum buffer steps for which we can allow to download a quality:
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Bitrates (kb/s) |
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3200 | +-------------------------+
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1500 | +------+
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750 | +------+
| |
300 | +------+
| |
+------+------------------------------------------------->
5 10 15 20
Buffer gap (s)
[2] The BOLA estimation is computed each time a segment is appended (thus buffer gap is updated).
The RxPlayer has a mecanism that allows to replace low-quality buffered segments by higher quality ones if the current conditions improve. That leads to buffer gap not increasing when a chunk is added. That could mislead BOLA, and cause oscillations between chosen qualities.
[3] In order to avoid this trend, we compute a maintanability score for currently downloaded quality. It is an EWMA of the ratio between segment duration and segment download time. If the score points that a quality is “maintanable”, the algorithm shall not decide to decrease quality and is “allowed” to pick an upper quality. Conversely, when a quality may not be downloadable fast enough, the BOLA is “allowed” to decrease the estimated quality, and shall not decide tu increase it.
If no maintanability score is computed, then BOLA works in a normal way.