Storage, retrieval, and delivery of video data in video-on-demand systems .1

Summary form only given. Video-on-demand (VoD) systems are by far the most commercially active systems that exploit new developments in multimedia technology. A crucial aspect of a video-on-demand system is the handling of video data at the service provider's end, in the network, and at the client's end. The storage, retrieval, and delivery of data forms the backbone of all VoD systems. The storage of data involves compression techniques that need embellishments because of the special features of video data. The real-time nature of continuous media makes the storage and retrieval an important aspect of preprocessing prior to the delivery to the client's premises. The objective of this tutorial is to provide a comprehensive coverage of major results in the area of storage, retrieval, and delivery of video data for video-on-demand systems from an introductory point of view, although several fairly advanced and current topics are covered. The tutorial should be of interest to researchers and graduate students in computer science and engineering, and especially those who are interested in the theory and applications of video-on-demand systems.