VoD (Video on Demand) - Pedagogically Enhanced Distance Learning System

A groundbreaking educational video streaming platform built in 2001-2004, predating YouTube (2005) and Netflix streaming (2007)

The Feature YouTube STILL Doesn't Have (20+ Years Later!)

Collaborative Content Contribution at Specific Video Timestamps

The VoD system pioneered a feature that no modern streaming platform has successfully implemented to this day:

Both teachers AND students can add rich supplementary content (HTML pages, documents, PDFs, links, multimedia) at specific video timestamps, and this content is shared with all other students watching the same lecture.

How It Works:

Teacher Creates Foundation: Uses WYSIWYG editor to add primary learning materials synchronized to video timeline
Students Contribute: While watching, students can:
- Pause at any point
- Drag-and-drop files (documents, links, resources)
- Content is automatically timestamped and saved
- All other students see these contributions as markers on the timeline
Collective Knowledge Building: The lecture becomes a living, evolving document enriched by the entire learning community

Technical Implementation (VoDPlayer/Drag.cpp):

Drag-and-drop interface for adding content
Automatic frame-accurate timestamp synchronization
Persistent storage in user data files (.dat)
Visual timeline markers (Blue: instructor, Green: student contributions)
Content appears in synchronized HTML pane when timestamp is reached

Why This Matters:

YouTube today (2024) only has:

Text-only comments with timestamps
No file attachments
No synchronized rich content display
No collaborative content building

VoD in 2004 had:

Full document sharing at timestamps
Rich HTML content display
Collaborative knowledge construction
Persistent, structured content organization

This is true collaborative learning - not just consumption, but collective contribution to educational resources.

Historical Significance

This Master's thesis project represents one of the earliest educational video streaming systems with pedagogical enhancements, developed between 2001-2004 at Eastern Mediterranean University - significantly before:

YouTube (launched February 2005)
Netflix streaming (started 2007)
Modern LMS video integration systems
HTML5 video standards
Any platform with collaborative timestamp-based content contribution

Academic Publication

D.Z. Deniz and C. Karaca, "Pedagogically enhanced video-on-demand based learning system," 4th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, Joensuu, Finland, 2004, pp. 415-420. DOI: 10.1109/ICALT.2004.1358207

Full Thesis: Tez.pdf (Turkish)

Project Overview

PeVoD (Pedagogically Enhanced Video on Demand) is a comprehensive distance learning platform featuring:

Core Features

Collaborative Content Contribution - Both teachers and students add rich content at video timestamps (still unmatched by YouTube/modern platforms!)
Real-time video streaming with custom protocols (TCP/UDP/RDUP)
Teacher control interface with WYSIWYG HTML content editor
Student player application with drag-and-drop content addition
Integrated chat system for real-time collaboration
Discussion forums and threaded conversations (phpBB-based)
Web-based management interface (PHP/MySQL)
MySQL backend for user and content management
Synchronized HTML content - learning materials appear at specific video timestamps
NTFS Hidden Streams - secure video storage using alternate data streams
Shared learning repository - Student contributions visible to all learners

Architecture

System Components

VoD System Architecture
├── Client Side
│   ├── VoD Player (Student Interface)
│   │   └── Basic video playback with synchronized content
│   ├── VoD Player Plus (VoDPP)
│   │   └── Enhanced player with integrated chat
│   └── VoD Project Editor (Teacher Interface)
│       ├── WYSIWYG DHTML Editor
│       ├── Timeline Synchronization
│       └── FTP Publishing
│
└── Server Side
    ├── Mediation Server (Web Interface)
    │   ├── PHP Authentication System
    │   ├── MySQL User Management
    │   ├── phpMyAdmin (Database Admin)
    │   ├── phpBB Forums
    │   └── Content Routing
    │
    └── Content Servers (Distributed)
        ├── TCP Streaming Server
        ├── UDP Streaming Server (RDUP)
        ├── FTP Server
        └── Video Library Storage

Technology Stack

Frontend: Windows MFC, DirectX for video rendering
Backend: Custom C++ TCP/UDP/RDUP servers
Database: MySQL 4.x/5.x
Web Interface: PHP, JavaScript, CSS
Protocols: Custom RDUP (Reliable UDP), TCP, UDP, FTP
Video Storage: NTFS Hidden Streams (for privacy)
Network: Distributed server architecture

Folder Structure

`/VoD` - VoD Project Editor (Teacher Interface)

The main teacher application for creating and managing video lectures with synchronized content.

Key Components:

WYSIWYG DHTML Editor (Design.cpp, Design.h)
- Based on MFC's CHtmlEditView
- Full HTML editing with formatting toolbar
- Commands: Bold, Italic, Underline, Font, Hyperlink, Image, Lists, Alignment
- Real-time preview capability
HTML Viewer (Html.cpp, Html.h)
- Based on CHtmlView for previewing content
- Synchronized with video timeline
Source Editor (Source.cpp, Source.h)
- Raw HTML editing via CEditView
- Three-way editing: Design view, Preview, and Source code
Project Tree Structure (TabProject.h, Dialogs.h)
- Hierarchical organization: Faculty → Department → Course → Chapter → Project
- Dialog-based management for each level
FTP Publishing (Ftpd.cpp, FtpDown.cpp, NewFtp.cpp)
- Deploy projects to content servers
- Automated synchronization
Authentication (Login.h)
- Teacher login system
- MySQL-based user management

Technologies: MFC, DirectX, MySQL Client, FTP, CHtmlEditView

`/VoDPlayer` - Student Player (Basic Version)

Standalone video player for students with collaborative content contribution capabilities.

Revolutionary Features:

Drag-and-drop content contribution (Drag.cpp, Drag.h)
- Students pause video and drop files (documents, links, PDFs)
- Automatically timestamped to current frame
- Saved to shared project repository
- Visible to all other students as timeline markers
- Up to 400 contributions per video!
Visual timeline markers:
- Blue: Instructor-added official content
- Green: Student-contributed supplementary materials

Core Playback Features:

DirectX-based video rendering
VCR controls (play, pause, stop, seek)
Progress bar with buffering indicator
Synchronized HTML content display in split-pane view
Bookmark management with persistent storage
TCP/UDP/RDUP protocol support
Frame-accurate content synchronization

Technologies: MFC, DirectX, Windows Sockets, CHtmlView, OLE Drag-Drop

`/VoDPP` - VoD Player Plus (Enhanced Version)

Extended student player with integrated real-time chat capabilities.

Additional Features:

All features from VoDPlayer
Real-time chat panel (Video.cpp contains chat references)
Multi-user collaboration
Online presence indicators
Enhanced UI for collaboration

Technologies: Same as VoDPlayer + Chat integration

`/VoDTCPServer` - TCP Streaming Server

Dedicated TCP-based video streaming server.

Responsibilities:

TCP socket-based video delivery
Connection management
Bandwidth management
Client authentication
Session tracking

Technologies: MFC, Windows Sockets (TCP)

`/VoDUDPServer` - UDP/RDUP Streaming Server

UDP and RDUP (Reliable UDP) streaming server implementation.

Responsibilities:

UDP-based video streaming
RDUP protocol implementation:
- 32-bit CRC error checking
- Packet recovery mechanism
- Connection-oriented over UDP
- 9.14 Mbps throughput (25% faster than TCP in tests)
Low-latency delivery
Packet loss handling

Technologies: MFC, Windows Sockets (UDP), Custom RDUP Protocol

`/vodWeb` - Web-based Management Interface

Complete web frontend for system administration and user interaction.

Structure:

vodWeb/
├── Admin/              # phpMyAdmin - MySQL database management
├── forum/              # phpBB - Discussion forum system
├── thread/             # Custom discussion threads
├── adm/                # Administrative tools
├── cgi-bin/            # CGI scripts
├── images/             # Web assets
├── libs/               # PHP libraries
├── projects/           # Published video projects
└── vod/                # VoD-specific web files

Key Files:

admin.php - Administrative dashboard
login.php - User authentication
chat.php - Web-based chat interface
list.php - Content listing
menu.php - Navigation system
panel*.php - Control panels
vod.js.php - JavaScript functionality
config.cgi - Configuration management
httpd.conf - Apache web server configuration
vod.sql, vod_web.sql - Database schemas

Technologies: PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, phpBB, phpMyAdmin, Apache

Database Files

vod.sql - Main VoD database schema
vod_web.sql - Web interface database schema
vodWeb/Admin/scripts/create_tables.sql - Table creation scripts

Documentation

Tez.pdf - Full Master's thesis (Turkish, 2004)
tezPres.pdf - Thesis presentation slides
IEEE Paper - Published at ICALT 2004 conference

Revolutionary Features

1. RDUP Protocol (Reliable UDP)

Custom-designed streaming protocol specifically for video delivery:

Connection-oriented unlike standard UDP
32-bit CRC error checking
Packet recovery mechanism
9.14 Mbps throughput (25% faster than TCP in testing)
Designed for low bit-error-rate networks

Performance Results (10 Mbps ATM Network):

Protocol	Speed (Mbps)	Overhead
FTP	7.33	Highest
TCP	7.69	High
UDP	8.63	Low
RDUP	9.14	Optimized

2. AVI Header Innovation

A breakthrough moment (literally conceived in the bathroom!):

The Problem: AVI files couldn't start playing until fully downloaded because header information was at the end.

The Solution:

1. Allocate full file size on client
2. Download last ~2KB of video first (contains header)
3. Then stream from beginning
4. Result: Videos play while still downloading!

This was critical for enabling true streaming of AVI files in 2001 when:

No HTTP progressive download
No modern streaming codecs
Limited bandwidth (dial-up era)

3. NTFS Hidden Streams Security

Videos were stored in NTFS Alternate Data Streams for privacy:

Hidden from normal file browsing
Protected from unauthorized copying
Innovative use of NTFS features for DRM-like protection
Cutting-edge technique for 2001!

4. Smooth Buffering Algorithm

Mathematical model for determining optimal playback start time:

When to start playback:
- If download speed > playback speed: Start immediately
- If download speed < playback speed: Buffer until safe threshold
- Dynamic adjustment based on network conditions

5. Pedagogical Enhancements & Collaborative Learning

Unlike simple video players, PeVoD provided true collaborative knowledge building:

Multi-User Content Contribution (Revolutionary for 2004, still unmatched in 2024!)

Teacher-created content - Instructors use WYSIWYG editor to add primary materials
Student contributions - Learners add supplementary resources at any timestamp
Shared knowledge base - All student-added content visible to other learners
Drag-and-drop simplicity - Pause, drop file, automatically timestamped
Persistent storage - Contributions saved and synchronized across sessions
Visual timeline markers:
- Blue markers: Instructor-added official content
- Green markers: Student-contributed supplementary materials

Technical Implementation (`VoDPlayer/Drag.cpp`, `VoDPlayer/Drag.h`):

// Student drops a file onto the player
void CDrag::OnDropFiles(HDROP hDropInfo) {
    // Get dropped file path
    DragQueryFile(hDropInfo, 0, file, sizeof(file));

    // Copy file to project directory
    CopyFile(oldfile, newfile, FALSE);

    // Get current video frame position
    int currentFrame = pVideo->m_Slider.GetPos();

    // Add to shared content database
    AddPage(currentFrame, newfile);

    // Save to persistent storage (visible to all students)
    uPref.Write(&uPageDat, sizeof(uPAGESDAT));

    // Refresh timeline markers for all viewers
    pVideo->Refresh();
}

Data Structure for Collaborative Content:

typedef struct _uPAGES {
    int Frame;              // Video timestamp (frame number)
    int PageID;             // Unique content identifier
    TCHAR PageName[MAX_PATH]; // File path/URL
    int PageSeenBefore;     // Tracking flag
} uPAGES;

// Up to 400 collaborative contributions per video!
typedef struct _uPAGESDAT {
    int PageCount;
    uPAGES Pages[400];
} uPAGESDAT;

Other Pedagogical Features:

Synchronized HTML display - Rich content appears automatically at timestamps
Discussion integration - Per-video threaded forums (phpBB)
Real-time chat - Students online simultaneously can discuss content
Bookmark management - Personal notes and navigation aids
Content organization - Faculty → Department → Course → Chapter hierarchy

Why This Matters in 2024:

Modern platforms like YouTube, Coursera, edX, Udemy still don't allow:

Students to attach documents/files at specific video timestamps
Rich HTML content sharing at the timestamp level
Collaborative content building visible to all learners
Structured supplementary material organization per timestamp

VoD achieved this in 2004 - making it a pioneer in collaborative educational video that modern platforms have yet to match!

6. WYSIWYG DHTML Editor

Built into the VoD Project Editor for teachers to create synchronized content:

Based on MFC's CHtmlEditView (VoD/Design.cpp, VoD/Design.h):

Full What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get editing
Rich formatting toolbar with buttons for:
- Text formatting: Bold, Italic, Underline
- Font selection and sizing
- Text alignment: Left, Center, Right
- Lists: Ordered and Unordered
- Indentation controls
- Hyperlink insertion
- Image embedding
Three editing modes:
1. Design View - WYSIWYG visual editing
2. Preview View - See exactly how students will see it
3. Source View - Raw HTML code editing
Timeline integration - Content automatically synchronized to video timestamps
Auto-save functionality - Changes preserved automatically
Template system - Reusable content templates

Technical Implementation:

// Based on MFC's CHtmlEditView
class CDesign : public CHtmlEditView
{
    CToolBar m_wndFormatBar;  // Formatting toolbar

    // DHTML editing command map
    BEGIN_DHTMLEDITING_CMDMAP(CDesign)
        DHTMLEDITING_CMD_ENTRY(ID_BOLD, IDM_BOLD)
        DHTMLEDITING_CMD_ENTRY(ID_ITALIC, IDM_ITALIC)
        DHTMLEDITING_CMD_ENTRY(ID_UNDERLINE, IDM_UNDERLINE)
        DHTMLEDITING_CMD_ENTRY(ID_HYPERLINK, IDM_HYPERLINK)
        DHTMLEDITING_CMD_ENTRY(ID_IMAGE, IDM_IMAGE)
        // ... more commands
    END_DHTMLEDITING_CMDMAP()
};

This was advanced for 2001-2004:

Most educational systems used plain text or basic HTML forms
WYSIWYG web editors were rare and expensive
Microsoft FrontPage was the main alternative (bloated and complex)
VoD's editor was streamlined specifically for educational content creation

System Interfaces

VoD Player (Student Interface)

Features:

Main video screen with DirectX rendering
HTML browser pane for synchronized content
Progress bar showing buffered vs played content
Visual indicators for:
- Blue markers: Instructor-added content points
- Green markers: Student-added bookmarks
VCR controls (play/pause/stop/seek)
Drag-and-drop content addition
Chat panel (in VoDPP version)
Discussion forum access

VoD Project Editor (Teacher Interface)

Features:

Video preview screen
Project tree (Faculty → Department → Course → Lecture)
Content timeline ruler with synchronization markers
WYSIWYG DHTML editor with formatting toolbar
Three-way editing (Design/Preview/Source)
Synchronization tools
Build and publish functionality
FTP deployment to content servers
User management interface

Web Management Interface

Features:

User authentication and registration
Course catalog browsing
Video library management
phpBB discussion forums
Real-time chat rooms
Administrative control panel
Database management (phpMyAdmin)
Usage statistics and reporting

Installation & Setup

Note: This is archival code from 2004. Some dependencies are not included.

Prerequisites

Windows OS (XP/2003 era recommended for compatibility)
MySQL Server 4.x/5.x
DirectX SDK (for video playback)
Visual Studio 2003/2005
Apache/IIS web server (for vodWeb)
PHP 4.x/5.x
ATM network (optional, for RDUP testing)

Database Setup

# Import database schemas
mysql -u root -p < vod.sql
mysql -u root -p < vod_web.sql

Build Instructions

Open VoD.sln in Visual Studio
Configure MySQL include paths
Build server components first:
- VoDTCPServer
- VoDUDPServer
Build client applications:
- VoD (Project Editor)
- VoDPlayer
- VoDPP (Player Plus)
Deploy web interface:
- Copy vodWeb/ to web server document root
- Configure vodWeb/config.php with database credentials
- Set up phpBB forum
Deploy to appropriate servers

Network Configuration

Mediation Server: Central authentication (MySQL + Web server)
Content Servers: Distributed (TCP/UDP/RDUP/FTP services)
Clients: VoD Player or Project Editor

Educational Value

This repository serves as an invaluable reference for:

Software Engineering History

Pre-cloud distributed systems design patterns
Early streaming video architecture
Custom protocol design (RDUP)
Client-server patterns from the early 2000s

Technology Topics

MFC Windows programming with DirectX
Network programming - TCP/UDP sockets
Custom application protocols
Database-driven architecture
Multimedia streaming concepts
NTFS internals - alternate data streams
WYSIWYG HTML editing with CHtmlEditView
ActiveX and COM integration

Educational Technology

Asynchronous vs Synchronous learning systems
Pedagogical design for video-based education
User interaction patterns in e-learning
Content synchronization techniques
Collaborative learning tools

Documentation

Full Thesis (Turkish, 2004) - Complete technical documentation
Thesis Presentation - Overview slides
IEEE Paper - Peer-reviewed publication

Research Contributions

Collaborative Content Contribution System - Multi-user timestamp-based content sharing (still unmatched by modern platforms!)
RDUP Protocol Design - Reliable UDP optimized for video streaming
AVI Streaming Solution - Header-at-end problem solved
Smooth Buffering Algorithm - Mathematical model for playback timing
Pedagogical Framework - Synchronized multimedia learning materials with student contributions
Distributed Architecture - Multi-server content delivery (pre-CDN)
WYSIWYG Content Creation - Teacher-friendly interface for course material development
Shared Learning Repository - Persistent storage and display of community-contributed educational resources

Innovation Context (2001-2004)

When this system was built:

No YouTube - video sharing didn't exist
No Netflix streaming - DVDs by mail only
Dial-up dominant - 56K modems common
No Flash video - limited web video options
No smartphones - mobile video wasn't a thing
No HTML5 - video plugins required
No CDNs - no Cloudflare, Akamai was expensive
No WYSIWYG web editors - FrontPage was the main alternative

Yet this system implemented:

Multi-protocol streaming
Distributed content delivery
Interactive features
Custom reliable UDP
Synchronized multimedia
Educational collaboration tools
WYSIWYG HTML content editor

Author

Cem (Cihan) KARACA Master's Thesis Project (2001-2004) Eastern Mediterranean University Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Derviş Z. DENİZ

License

This project is provided for educational and historical reference purposes.

Recognition

This system demonstrated concepts that would become standard (or are STILL ahead of) modern e-learning:

Features Still Unmatched Today:

Collaborative content contribution at timestamps - No modern platform allows students to add rich content that other students see
Shared knowledge repository per video - Community-built supplementary materials

Features That Became Standard:

Video-centric learning (now: Coursera, edX, Udemy)
Synchronized materials (now: Interactive video platforms)
Real-time collaboration (now: Zoom, Teams education features)
Distributed streaming (now: CDNs, adaptive bitrate)
WYSIWYG content creation (now: Canvas, Moodle editors)

The VoD Legacy: This 2004 thesis project remains pedagogically more advanced than YouTube, Coursera, or any modern platform in terms of collaborative knowledge construction around video content.

Keywords

video on demand, distance education, e-learning, streaming protocols, RDUP, pedagogical enhancement, collaborative learning, content contribution, timestamp-based sharing, shared knowledge repository, student contributions, MFC programming, DirectX, distributed systems, early 2000s technology, pre-YouTube, educational technology, Windows programming, custom protocols, AVI streaming, NTFS hidden streams, WYSIWYG editor, DHTML, CHtmlEditView, phpBB, MySQL, drag-and-drop, multimedia synchronization, collective knowledge building

If you appreciate this piece of computing history, please star the repository!

"Sometimes the best ideas come in the most unexpected places - like realizing AVI headers are at the end of the file while in the bathroom!"

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 17 Commits
VoD		VoD
VoDPP		VoDPP
VoDPlayer		VoDPlayer
VoDTCPServer		VoDTCPServer
VoDUDPServer		VoDUDPServer
vodWeb		vodWeb
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
Tez.pdf		Tez.pdf
UpgradeLog.htm		UpgradeLog.htm
UpgradeLog2.htm		UpgradeLog2.htm
UpgradeLog3.htm		UpgradeLog3.htm
VoD.sln		VoD.sln
vod.sql		vod.sql
vod_web.sql		vod_web.sql

License

ckaraca/VoD

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VoD (Video on Demand) - Pedagogically Enhanced Distance Learning System

The Feature YouTube STILL Doesn't Have (20+ Years Later!)

How It Works:

Why This Matters:

Historical Significance

Academic Publication

Project Overview

Core Features

Architecture

System Components

Technology Stack

Folder Structure

/VoD - VoD Project Editor (Teacher Interface)

/VoDPlayer - Student Player (Basic Version)

/VoDPP - VoD Player Plus (Enhanced Version)

/VoDTCPServer - TCP Streaming Server

/VoDUDPServer - UDP/RDUP Streaming Server

/vodWeb - Web-based Management Interface

Database Files

Documentation

Revolutionary Features

1. RDUP Protocol (Reliable UDP)

2. AVI Header Innovation

3. NTFS Hidden Streams Security

4. Smooth Buffering Algorithm

5. Pedagogical Enhancements & Collaborative Learning

Multi-User Content Contribution (Revolutionary for 2004, still unmatched in 2024!)

Technical Implementation (VoDPlayer/Drag.cpp, VoDPlayer/Drag.h):

Data Structure for Collaborative Content:

Other Pedagogical Features:

Why This Matters in 2024:

6. WYSIWYG DHTML Editor

System Interfaces

VoD Player (Student Interface)

VoD Project Editor (Teacher Interface)

Web Management Interface

Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

Database Setup

Build Instructions

Network Configuration

Educational Value

Software Engineering History

Technology Topics

Educational Technology

Documentation

Research Contributions

Innovation Context (2001-2004)

Author

License

Recognition

Keywords

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Resources

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`/VoD` - VoD Project Editor (Teacher Interface)

`/VoDPlayer` - Student Player (Basic Version)

`/VoDPP` - VoD Player Plus (Enhanced Version)

`/VoDTCPServer` - TCP Streaming Server

`/VoDUDPServer` - UDP/RDUP Streaming Server

`/vodWeb` - Web-based Management Interface

Technical Implementation (`VoDPlayer/Drag.cpp`, `VoDPlayer/Drag.h`):

Packages