In this paper we propose a framework for the efficient transmission of video traffic through IP-based networks. Since our focus is on pre-recorded video data, the video data is pre-processed through a smoothing operation prior to its transmission. The use of the smoothing algorithm reduces the network resources requirements facilitating the resource reservation process. First, we evaluate the performance of the smoothing algorithm chosen for this study through its sensitivity to processing and network latencies. The second phase of the experimental work consists in evaluating the performance of a QoS-aware switching point for the transmission of digital video supplemented by a smoothing mechanism and a class based queuing (CBQ) scheduler. Then, the use of scalable video is considered as an additional means to facilitate the provisioning of QoS guarantees for MPEG-2 video communications. The overall system evaluation is carried out using various video streams and under different load conditions.