Advanced Content Distribution

There are many challenges associated with the distribution of large files over the internet. Fluctuating bandwidth performance, network routing problems and link failures often result in corrupted files and a poor user experience.

A 4GB movie file will requires over 3 million packets to be transmitted... If one goes missing or arrives corrupted, the resulting playback will be unpredictable. While protocols such as Ethernet and TCP contain checksums to detect errors in the data, these cannot detect all possible error conditions and HTTP provides no additional protection.

To address these challenges, Velocix has developed a unique file chunking, multi-source delivery and dynamic caching technologies that enable efficient and simultaneous content distribution from multiple locations in parallel. This approach offers significant advantages over traditional mechanisms, especially for large media files.

File Chunking

Velocix uses advanced file chunking techniques to allow for optimised distribution of large files with significantly enhanced resiliency.

File Chunking Advantages

• Robust and resilient file distribution, even under adverse network conditions
• Content can be distributed across - and sourced from -multiple servers in parallel
• Failures only require re-transmission of erroneous pieces rather than entire file
• File integrity ensured via tamper proof SHA-1 checksums

Multi-Source Distribution

Velocix has developed a unique multi-source mechanism that enables simultaneous distribution of content from multiple Delivery and Storage Nodes in parallel. This offers significant advantages over traditional delivery network methods.

Traditional content delivery network architectures were designed to support short-lived connections, i.e., the near instantaneous delivery of images and web pages. However, for large digital media assets, a long-duration connection is required. With video, for example, a consistent bandwidth feed is required for anything from a few minutes to a couple of hours. Achieving this via a single network path is challenging, as changing network traffic conditions or a failure can result in a poor consumer experience.

With the Velocix multi-source delivery capability, bandwidth from multiple delivery servers is blended dynamically to ensure the required delivery bit-rate. Using multiple delivery servers increases the total bandwidth available and significantly improves connection resilience.

If performance from one of the sources declines, the network dynamically adapts by requesting more from other selected sources or by acquiring additional sources.

Multi-source Advantages

• Accelerates content acquisition and reduces delivery latency
• Eliminates a single point of failure and minimizes impact of bandwidth fluctuations on the network
• Failures only require re-transmission of erroneous pieces rather than entire file
• File integrity ensured via tamper proof SHA-1 checksums

Dynamic Caching

Typically, a small proportion of "on-demand" content is very popular and usually is comprised of recently released or heavily promoted titles. The Velocix network distribution algorithms dynamically adapt to content demand patterns, ensuring that the most popular titles are readily available from Delivery Nodes located in close proximity to requesting consumers.

Dynamic Caching Advantages

• Efficient support for large on-demand catalogs as most popular content. is maintained in multiple edge delivery servers with small local caches.
• Intelligent routing and cache selection is based on location and availability of requested content, delivery QoS requirements, Delivery Node availability and loading, link latency and speed, content access control (e.g geoblocking), network conditions and restrictions and delivery bandwidth costs,