LOLA LOw LAtency Audio Visual Streaming System A

LOLA (LOw LAtency Audio Visual Streaming System) A LOW LATENCY, HIGH QUALITY AUDIO/VIDEO TRANSMISSION SYSTEM FOR NETWORK MUSICAL PERFORMANCES AND INTERACTION Conservatorio G. Tartini Consortium GARR connect • communicate • collaborate

The Dream…. . . at the GARR Conference 2005, in Pisa. . . To perform together, from distant locations. . . as if distance has vanished in a click of a computer mouse. connect • communicate • collaborate

The LOLA Team Production Conservatorio di musica G. Tartini - Trieste Implementation Paolo Pachini: general coordination Carlo Drioli: programming Nicola Buso: testing and musical advice Claudio Allocchio (Consortium GARR): testing and networking advice Massimo Parovel: conception and supervision connect • communicate • collaborate

A/V before LOLA H. 323/SIP High Video Compression Low Quality Audio Codecs Video over Audio Priority Significant roundtrip latency • Optimised for Low Bandwidth • Proprietary Polycom “Music Mode” • • connect • communicate • collaborate

A/V before LOLA DVTS No Video Compression DV Audio Codecs Audio/Video in DV frames High roundtrip latency due to IEEE 1394 • High Bandwidth (30 Mbps) • Good Quality • OK for music lessons • • connect • communicate • collaborate

A/V before LOLA Conference. XP • Indipendent Audio and Video Handling (compression, codecs) • Low to High Quality Audio/Video Codecs, HD 1080 p • Multiple Audio/Video streams • High roundtrip latency • Variable Bandiwidth (2 Mbps to. . . inifinity) connect • communicate • collaborate

To play together… • • • Audio Latency below ~75 ms (depends on music gender) Eyes Contact to synchronize Spatial Sound immersion for expression Room Reverbering Continuous Presence of all musicians Non distracting environment connect • communicate • collaborate

What do we need? • A very fast CAPTURING and RENDERING device (audio & video) • A very fast ENCODING and DECODING (audio & video) • A network service which is • Very FAST 1 Gbps and above • Very STABLE < 3 ms packets Jitter • ERROR FREE < 0. 3 % packets loss no commodity Internet can deliver these features it’s a big challenge ALSO for National Research and Education Networks connect • communicate • collaborate

LOLA design concept • LOLA has been conceived and developed for dedicated end-toend connections (circuits, optical lambdas) because there is no protection against network problems in it and in full mode it requires up to 500 M for Standard Resolution (color). • LOLA has been also adapted to run in minimal configuration over very reliable NRENs… in the middle of the highway traffic at 92 M (Standard Resolution, 30 fps, B/W) connect • communicate • collaborate

Events: November 2010 • NPAPWS 2010: • Paris Ircam: • two pianos (Teresa Trevisan, Flavio Zaccaria)… • Bach Brandeburg Concerts, Reger Suites for 2 pianos • Trieste-Paris: 1200 km connect • communicate • collaborate

Events: June 2011 • NPAPWS 2011: Barcelona, Grand Teatre del Liceu: two violins (Laura Agostinelli, Sebastiano Frattini)… • Trieste-Barcelona (via Madrid): more than 2700 km connect • communicate • collaborate

Events: June 2011 • NPAPWS 2011: Barcelona, Grand Teatre del Liceu: two violins (Laura Agostinelli, Sebastiano Frattini)… • Bartok: suites for 2 violins • Trieste-Barcelona (via Madrid): more than 2700 km connect • communicate • collaborate

Events: October 2011 Internet 2 Fall Meeting: NIU School of Music, De. Kalb IL – Raleigh NC connect • communicate • collaborate

The Dream… Let’s see and here it! G. F. Handel/J. Halvorsen: Passacaglia for violin and cello Marjorie Bagley, violin School of Music, Theatre and Dance University of North Carolina – Greensboro, NC Cheng-Hou Lee, cello School of Music Northern Illinois University – De. Kalb, IL connect • communicate • collaborate

Motivations/Goals • Target applications: • interactive musical tasks • Network musical performances • Network music education and training. . . but also. . . • interactive on stage performances • Network Dance performances • Network Drama performances • Network performing arts education and training • . . . connect • communicate • collaborate

Motivations/Goals • . . . and beyond: • remote real time surgery • virtual space immersion • . . . you name it. . . Let the user invent new possibilities. . . connect • communicate • collaborate

Challenges • Management of synchronous audio video streams over packet networks • Minimal delay requirements for interactive task and music performances • Optimal balance between AV presentation delay and quality • The speed of computer/networking equipments • . . . and beyond: the speed of light. . . connect • communicate • collaborate

Targets • A system suitable for musical performances relying on both audio and visual communication (but also other applications) • A Transparent and Natural end-user interaction • Providing lowest possible delay using available technology • Low cost and portable equipment • Oriented to dedicated high performance networks (Light. Net Project, GARR, GÈANT, Internet 2, . . . ) connect • communicate • collaborate

The LOLA System a very basic schema (well, what’s the difference with DVTS, CXP? ) Research & Education Networks connect • communicate • collaborate

LOLA internals Connection negotiation and management • Send/receive and manage connection requests • Negotiation of audio/video formats and compatibility check Video: 640*480, 30 -60 fps, BW/Color Audio: 44100, 16/24 bit, mono/stereo, multichannel. . . • Transmission of raw audio and video streams, monitoring connect • communicate • collaborate

LOLA internals Audio/Video data grabbing and transmission • Grabbing and Tx with very low latency devices Video: Grabber Bit. Flow, BW progressive scan camera Audio: RME HDSP 9632 Network: 1 GBps Ethernet Card / 1 GBps Network Connection (Circuit? ) • CODEC latency: < 5 ms (audio and video) • Network latency: <1 ms (LAN); ~1 ms per 100 Km (WAN); stay below 60 ms RTT (~4000 Km) ? a few jitter buffers are required (delay vs quality balance) connect • communicate • collaborate

LOLA internals Audio/Video data grabbing and transmission: the different solutions explored 1) Direct. Show based A/V acquisition and presentation, networking, A/V processing • “easy” solution but inefficient, due to lack of control over buffering solutions and other low-level parameters connect • communicate • collaborate

LOLA internals Audio/Video data grabbing and transmission: the different solutions explored 2) C++ programming of A/V processing, through hardware specific video libraries, ASIO audio libraries, and Winsocket networking libraries. • better solution with good efficiency, still some delays in network send/recv (needs accurate multithreading programming, Winsocket is a black box) connect • communicate • collaborate

LOLA internals Audio/Video data grabbing and transmission: the different solutions explored 3) as in 2), but with use of high performance networking libraries (Win. PCap) • lowest round-trip delay, and full control of threads processing connect • communicate • collaborate

B/W vs Color issues Audio/Video data grabbing and transmission: color video • Color video with low latency industrial grabbers can be obtained by using standard consumer-class cameras with analog RGB output or industrial digital cameras supporting the “Camera Link” standard. • The preferred choice for Lola was to adopt a digital solution by mounting a Camera Link grabber (Neon Bit. Flow) and color camera (Sentech C 33 A). Advantages over the analog color video grabbing solution include superior signal quality, control of the camera parameters through the software application, and cost effectiveness. • Switching to uncompressed color video implies higher bandwidth requirements (bits per pixel increase from 8 to 24/32) and higher computational load if software bayer decoding is required, as it is often the case for industrial color cameras. Experimentation with color video stream is ongoing work. At 30 fps, B/W is 96 Mbps… Color is 300 Mbps minimum… and UP! connect • communicate • collaborate

LOLA GUI • Controls for connection negotiation and management • Audio/Video buffering controls • Visualization options, audio mixer, etc • Recording connect • communicate • collaborate

The Dream… connect • communicate • collaborate

First tests: 110 km June 4 th 2009 - Trieste fiber optics metropolitan network “Lightnet” connect • communicate • collaborate

Yes, we can play! First test with music: September 21 st 2009 • Two Pianos, in two studio rooms at Tartini, linked over the loop with LOLA • Round Trip Latency ~90 ms • monitor on the music score, “as if the other pianist was in his canonical ‘duo position’, e. g. in front” • Tests performed: • One piano plays alone, with the return audio channel open; sound was coming back, but no echo cancelling needed; • Two pianos play together some scales and easy execises; • Two pianos play together some canone by J. S. Bach; • The latency is artificially increased to test interaction limits; • We can try with a full setup and a real Piano Duo to get feedback connect • communicate • collaborate

Bach Brandeburg Concerts Trevisan-Zaccaria Piano Duo: November 5 th 2009 • Two Pianos, in two Concert Hall at Tartini, linked over the loop with LOLA • Round Trip Latency ~80 ms, mostly due to CODECs • Sound Rendering, Room Environment, musician interaction with LOLA environment. • Tests performed: • Play Bach Branderburgh Concerts • Roundtrip Latency tests • Remote sound in (insulating) earphone vs audio monitors • Adaptation techniques to delay • They can play together, but too much attention is payed to handle the delay. No confortable environment for artistic performance. • We need to go further down with CODECs delays connect • communicate • collaborate

The Triangle Test Experiments without Win. Sock: December 21 st 2009 • Just a Triangle, to make accurate latency measurments • New Round Trip Latency ~20 ms ! • Tests performed: • Various buffers configuration to identify optimal results • Sound Quality check (sending recorded audio tracks) • We can give Bach another chance to meet technology! connect • communicate • collaborate

Bach Brandeburg Concerts (bis) Trevisan-Zaccaria Piano Duo: February 4 th 2010 • Two Pianos, in two Concert Halls at Tartini, linked over the metropolitan loop with LOLA • Round Trip Latency 20 ms (artifically up to 70 ms) • Tests performed: • Play Bach Branderburgh Concerts • They started to play. . . and played them all! • Natural interaction • Many tests to refine the Sound Rendering of the remote piano. connect • communicate • collaborate

Let’s go Real! Trevisan-Zaccaria Piano Duo: October 16 th 2010 Trieste-Milan-Trieste loop; ~40 ms • Sound equalisation and spatialisation tests for the “remote” piano; • it seems to run safely in the middle of the highway: connect • communicate • collaborate

Beware of Traffic Jams NPAPWS 2010: Too many CERN LHC data! connect • communicate • collaborate

…and Switches… NPAPWS 2011: Too many PPS! connect • communicate • collaborate

…and Caterpillars! DANTE TICKET: 15368 Type: Dashboard Alarm Status: Open Description: [mad - gen] GEN-MAD-IP (interface so-7/2/0) is down Location A: Madrid, ES Location B: Geneva, CH Incident Start: 14/06/2011 10: 34 (UTC) Incident Resolved: (UTC) Ticket Open: 14/06/2011 10: 37: 29 (UTC) Ticket Close: (UTC) Translation: the fiber was CUT! The re-routing went via Geneva-Paris-Madrid Another 1000 km 3700 !!! … it was fixed just in time (4 hours before) connect • communicate • collaborate

LOLA v 1. x Summer 2011: v 1. 0, v 1. 1. 1/1. 1. 2 • s/w code cleanup from old debugging functions • a new control channel set of functions: • internal remote latency evaluation; • “remote ready” function; • a new simpler user interface • easy install/remove procedures • enable user/password, license procedure • new “beta-level” functions: • 60 fps • self-bounce-back function connect • communicate • collaborate

Work in Progress • color impact (on h/w and network bandwidth); • Qo. S implementation through Diff. Serv; • further optimize graphic card rendering; • improving video latency further! • spatial audio rendering (multichannels); • Linux porting connect • communicate • collaborate

The Speed Race We won the CODECs challenge. . . the (academic) Network Challenge now! • 95 to 450 Mbps (Giga. Ethernet circuits) • Dedicated Ligthpaths • jitter < 3 ms • ~1 ms per 100 Km • when the Atlantic will be large 30 ms. . . we will call Captain Kirk and Scotty: Ultra. Light Speed, Scotty! connect • communicate • collaborate

Yes Sir! Done! connect • communicate • collaborate

LOLA: How do I get it? Freely available for non-commercial academic use! • you build your own hardware following the specs: • 1 PC with PCI bus, min CPU duo. Core 2. 0 Ghz • 1 RME HDSP audio card; • 1 Bit. Flow Grabber video card; • 1 fast industrial video process control camera • (you build your own camera cables) • you sign the free non-commercial academic use license (soon on-line, now via e-mail) and get the s/w • … and you’re a member of the LOLA community to start experimenting with it! connect • communicate • collaborate

LOLA: the community Building/testing together to improve it and gain experience! • your feedback is fundamental to further development; • more different h/w configurations • a lot to study about audio and video rendering • a collaboration in progress (with CESNET) for “LOLA in a Box” appliance; • multi-point experiments • what will happen with multicast LOLA? • give ideas… and let’s try to make that happen! connect • communicate • collaborate

A big thank you to… What we did today could not have been done without the LOLA community help: • Paul Bauer, Director, NIU School of Music • Dan Nichols, audio/video engineer, NIU School of Music • Dan Pritts, Sr. System engineer, Internet 2 • Jeff Hagley, System engineer, Internet 2 • Justin Trieger, Internet 2 System Manager, New World Symphony • Marjorie Bagley & Cheng-Hou Lee, our duo • Ann Doyle, Global & Cultural collaborations, Internet 2 connect • communicate • collaborate

Questions? http: //www. conservatorio. trieste. it Paolo. Pachini@conts. it Nicola. Buso@conts. it http: //www. garr. it Claudio. Allocchio@garr. it connect • communicate • collaborate