Traditionally, Wi-Fi splits all available bandwidth equally across users, but this is problematic because certain content requires more bandwidth than others.
Minerva – the system developed by the research team – analyses both videos and determines the optimal split of bandwidth to ensure the best viewing experience for all users.
Tests conducted by the Minerva team found that they could almost halve the amount of buffering that takes place, and in a third of tested cases, this resulted in video improvements that were the equivalent of switching from 720p to 1080p resolutions.
The system can be used as a "drop-in replacement for the standard TCP/IP protocol," said the team, making it easy for video providers to implement.
