Evaluating Edge-Termination Buffer Effects for Real-Time AV1 over MPEG2-TS over HTTP/3 QUIC

In real-time delivery of AV1 over MPEG2-TS using HTTP/3 over QUIC, two fundamental approaches can be identified for improving video quality. The first is bitrate adaptation, represented by Adaptive Bitrate (ABR), which estimates available bandwidth and selects the optimal resolution and frame rate within that range. The second approach focuses on low-latency control, reducing RTT and ACK delay to increase effective throughput. This study emphasizes the latter perspective and, through terminal-side QUIC observation, suggests that user-space buffer saturation occurring in high-RTT mobile environments under nginx-quic HTTP/3 termination implementation is an implementation-originated problem that may degrade real-time video QoS. Furthermore, this study aims to evaluate, through empirical measurements, the feasibility of edge designs that enable packet-level processing (duplication, FEC, pacing) at QUIC termination points near the terminal. Through empirical experiments conducted across domestic and international cloud environments, we evaluate how buffer design at distribution servers affects video quality. This paper shares experimental methods, observations, and guidelines for designing real-time streaming systems using HTTP/3 over QUIC.