Decentralized Video Streaming in Multi-Hop Wireless Networks: Incentive Mechanism and Energy Efficiency

This paper studies video streaming from a source to multiple receivers in wireless networks. The video is streamed with the help of intermediate users who forward the video to others. Two main challenges affect user satisfaction in this network. The users usually have 1) different willingness to contribute (forwarding the video), and; 2) different preferences regarding the video quality. To overcome the challenges, we propose a framework based on an incentive/taxation mechanism in which the forwarding users, depending on their spent energy, are paid by their corresponding receivers. The video is layered such that the more video layers are received, the higher the quality-of-experience (QoE) and the higher the price. Using a decentralized game-theoretic algorithm, we define a user-specific utility function whose maximization determines the number of video layers a user wishes to receive. The utility function captures the user's preferences including the importance of the video quality to her and her willingness to contribute. Our model supports the multicast transmission by which the receivers can use a common forwarder and share the cost. The simulation results show that the proposed model not only provides a higher QoE for the users compared to the preference-agnostic models but also improves the network social-welfare.