Path 1 Technologies sees IPTV as the next-generation platform that everyone involved in content distribution will be a player in three or four years from now.
IP delivery of TV content could be the cost-effective method broadcasters have been looking for to launch new platforms and services with repurposed content.
Path 1 Technologies sees IPTV as the next-generation platform that everyone involved in content distribution will be a player in three or four years from now. Indeed, most video-on-demand systems from cable operators are already IP-based.
With IPTV, bandwidth can also be reallocated easily, sometimes on a minute-by-minute basis, as needed.
IPTV has also enabled various special-interest channels to be seen in the U.S., that would not without the cost savings of IPTV networks. Content can be sent over a series of distribution platforms that might include a data-quality network to a fiber-optic infrastructure and then on to an IP system before being delivered to a consumer’s home.
The technical hurdles surrounding reliability and image quality are being addressed with forward error correction algorithms and increased processing speed. Path 1 IPTV gateway products include “error recovery” technology that helps put the received packets in the proper order, to ensure quality. And Path 1 can do this on the fly, at speeds of up to 270 Mbps. (equal to uncompressed SD video).
Path 1 has entered into a partnership with Alcatel (and its subsidiary Packet Video Network Solutions) for transmission of live video over an IPTV network to mobile devices, which is one key area where IPTV might find its niche. Path 1’s technology, which includes the Vx8000, is a multi-port, bi-directional IP video gateway for live broadcast applications, could be used by cable satellite and terrestrial broadcasters with equal success.
The Vx8000 enables broadcasters to deliver real-time, broadcast-quality MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 video in both SD and HD formats to remote locations over public and private IP networks. By integrating the Vx8000, network operators can inexpensively enhance their real-time video capabilities and scale these services as demand grows.
With the Path 1 Vx8000 gateway, broadcasters can move live content such as sports, news and concerts from venues to studios and production facilities for content contribution applications, as well as backhaul the feeds to aggregation and distribution providers around the world. Leveraging Path 1’s advanced QoS technology, the Vx8000 shields the video from any impairments imposed by an IP network. Eight ASI input or output ports and Gigabit Ethernet network interfaces allow the Vx8000 to act as a bridge between encoded ASI digital video sources and IP networks, as well as provide IP to IP conditioning and transport. The technology can be implemented in small stages, installing a few links at a time.
For more information, visit ww.path1.com.
