Antifreeze: High-Quality Adaptive Live Streaming with Real-time Transcoder

Asif Ali Mehmuda, Reza Hedayati Majdabadi, Mea Wang, Diwakar Krishnamurthy

Abstract: The demand for real-time video streaming is increasing due to emerging live and interactive applications like virtual conferencing/collaboration and augmented/mixed reality. Real-time video transcoding and streaming face challenges, as inefficient transcoding can cause delays and hinder viewer QoE. In this paper, we propose Antifreeze, a complete end-to-end solution for real-time transcoding and streaming. Antifreeze includes a transcoding-aware adaptation algorithm that considers visual quality, bandwidth, buffer dynamics, and transcoding time to maximize client QoE. By dynamically adapting through on-the-fly transcoding, Antifreeze provides a personalized streaming experience. Results demonstrate that Antifreeze reduces playback stalls and improves visual quality in live video streaming sessions across different bandwidth profiles.