Exploring service reliability for content distribution to partial or intermittent DVB-S satellite receivers

Though the usage of terrestrial or satellite-based multicast communications saves valuable network resources and allows for a more efficient distribution of content, people trying to put multicast technologies to work still face many issues. In this paper, the issue of reliability for the distribution of large multimedia content using a satellite-based network is discussed, accepting the fact that satellite receivers still need to be considered as partial or intermittent resources. An overview is presented of current available technologies and network protocols to achieve this reliability, and it is argued that these existing solutions do not take into account economical aspects. A hybrid mechanism is proposed, combining both network and physical delivery, and a method to optimize the economic cost is explained. Finally, the conclusions and future developments are presented.