Replication of web-based pervasive display applications

Pervasive displays are increasingly employing web-based applications served by the cloud to show dynamic content and provide services to end users. In several important use cases, the content shown by one display needs to be replicated at multiple locations, for instance, to increase coverage in large spaces or to allow remote monitoring and management. Screen content can be cloned from one display to other hosts through a virtual (remote) desktop connection or video streaming. However, these solutions are not efficient, as they only consider the visual content of the display without leveraging higher-level information about the actual application. This article investigates several methods to efficiently replicate the content of a web-based pervasive display. We consider different classes of applications for both digital signage and interactive displays. We characterize the performance of the proposed solutions and their suitability for diverse scenarios through an experimental evaluation. We conclude by providing insightful considerations from the perspective of a pervasive display application developer.