A Flexible Reflector for Media Streams.
Jens Brandt, Verena Kahmann, Lars Christian Wolf · 2005
Reflectors mapping multicast to unicast sessions have been proposed to enable multicast media distribution for clients in non-multicast capable networks. However, existing implementations do not allow clients to modify the session by using VCR-like commands in a flexible way. In this paper we describe the design and implementation of a reflector mapping a multicast or unicast session to several downstream unicast sessions. We show that by applying a separation of control and data path such a flexible reflector can handle true media-on-demand functionality for several scenarios, even for group communication, more efficiently than several unicast sessions.