A Proposal for a True VOD Service Combining Patching with a Data Segmented NVOD

The patching technique has been used for removing initial waiting time of NVOD. The technique was applicable only to time segmented NVOD services. However, data segmented NVOD methods have been known to have less initial waiting time or use less server's bandwidths than the time segmented NVODs. Therefore, we expect that if patching is applied to a data segmented NVOD, a more efficient NVOD service will be possible. But there has not been such approach. In this paper, we propose a new VOD scheduling algorithm that combines the patching technique with a data segmented NVOD, thus it uses less server's bandwidths and removes initial waiting time, hence makes a true VOD service possible. The proposed technique also absorbs the storage overhead necessary for client buffering incurred by patching into the data segmentation policy of the NVOD scheduling, hence does not need any extra overhead of the client's resource. Therefore, it is also applicable to the case that the client has resource limits.