CISCO's VNI Video Streaming Categories: Seeking Clarification

[TerenceSmith88100]

The CISCO VNI report 2017-2022, has five categories for video streaming. I am interested in better understanding the five categories of IP video in the VNI:

  1. Gaming,

  2. File Sharing,

  3. WEB/Data,

  4.IP VOD/ Managed IP video, and

  5.Internet Video.  

While the VNI provides a description of the categories, I think a number require better definition because there appears to be at least some overlap between the categories.  Here is my understanding of the categories. "Gaming", I think is straightforward, is streamed video related to Internet gaming. "File sharing" I think refers to peer-to-peer services like BitTorrent, and is not a streaming service. WEB/Data I think refers to video presented as part of a website, and again, is not strictly a streaming video service because it is presented on web page.  "IP VOD/ Managed IP video", I don't really understand what services would fall into this category, nor what "IP VOD" and "managed IP video" have in common that permit them to be combined. IP VOD, for example, could be Netflix. "Managed IP Video" is described as being part of a "single network" operated by a traditional TV broadcaster but I can't think of any services that fall into this category. I think of Hulu, for example, as a video streaming device operated by traditional TV broadcasters but it is not a "managed IP video" service. Does it include, for example, TV services (Fox, CBS, ABC, NBS) provided in hotels and motels using IP distribution over a LAN?

So, are you able to help me better understand the categories CISCO uses? Some examples might be good.

Regards

Terence

[TerenceSmith88100]

The CISCO VNI report 2017-2022, has five categories for video streaming. I am interested in better understanding the five categories of IP video in the VNI:

  1. Gaming,

  2. File Sharing,

  3. WEB/Data,

  4.IP VOD/ Managed IP video, and

  5.Internet Video.  

While the VNI provides a description of the categories, I think a number require better definition because there appears to be at least some overlap between the categories.  Here is my understanding of the categories. "Gaming", I think is straightforward, is streamed video related to Internet gaming. "File sharing" I think refers to peer-to-peer services like BitTorrent, and is not a streaming service. WEB/Data I think refers to video presented as part of a website, and again, is not strictly a streaming video service because it is presented on web page.  "IP VOD/ Managed IP video", I don't really understand what services would fall into this category, nor what "IP VOD" and "managed IP video" have in common that permit them to be combined. IP VOD, for example, could be Netflix. "Managed IP Video" is described as being part of a "single network" operated by a traditional TV broadcaster but I can't think of any services that fall into this category. I think of Hulu, for example, as a video streaming device operated by traditional TV broadcasters but it is not a "managed IP video" service. Does it include, for example, TV services (Fox, CBS, ABC, NBS) provided in hotels and motels using IP distribution over a LAN?

So, are you able to help me better understand the categories CISCO uses? Some examples might be good.

Regards

Terence

[shjain · Accepted solution]

Hi Terence, Thanks for your interest in Cisco VNI.  All of the traffic categories you mentioned below do not necessarily line up as video sub-categories.  Video sub-categories are IP VoD/managed IP Video and Internet video.  The other three are traffic categories in general.  Here are the definitions from the whitepaper and the faq:

• Web, email, and data:Includes web, email, instant messaging, and other data traffic (excludes file sharing)
• File sharing:Includes peer-to-peer traffic from all recognized peer-to-peer (P2P) systems such as BitTorrent and eDonkey, as well as traffic from web-based file-sharing systems
• Gaming:Includes casual online gaming, networked console gaming, and multiplayer virtual-world gaming
• Internet video:Includes short-form Internet video (for example, YouTube), long-form Internet video (for example, Hulu), live Internet video, Internet video to TV (for example, Netflix through Roku), online video purchases and rentals, webcam viewing, and web-based video monitoring (excludes P2P video file downloads)
• Video on Demand is managed IP transport (traffic that remains within the footprint of a single service provider) generated by traditional commercial TV services, including Standard Definition (SD), High-Definition (HD), and Ultra-High Definition (UHD) cable and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) VoD. Example, AT&T, Comcast and other providers globally that provide IP VoD.
• Managed IP Video is the corporate IP WAN video traffic.  

I hope the above answers your question.

Thanks,
Shruti

Cisco VNI Team