the connected world supplement special report Supplement sponsored by


Traditionally, telecom and cable operator video services have been distributed over managed networks to a limited number of devices capable of viewing high quality content. However, in the last few years a massive range of video playback capable, Internet connected devices have emerged, making a profound impact on many aspects of the video market and network infrastructure. Duncan Potter, chief marketing officer at Edgeware, reports.


Multiscreen delivery: solving the bandwidth issue


The groundwork of multiscreen delivery - streaming protocols


he proliferation of these new devices, the shift to professionally produced content delivered over the top, and consumer demand to access content at any time has become a huge issue for the operator that now has to ensure bandwidth availability and consistency. There is a significant difference between providing video services over managed networks with a fairly predictable bandwidth and streaming video content over the top. In order to successfully deliver high quality content to a new set of screens, while maintaining high quality of experience (QoE) and minimising the impact of unmanaged networks on available bandwidth, operators must rethink their approach to the network infrastructure.


T


To achieve multiscreen


delivery a new and more reliable


underlying protocol suite was required in order to carry video signals to a wide range of connected devices, over differing network


infrastructures. High-level protocol (HTTP) streaming protocol has become the de facto industry standard.


Delivering video content to the new set of screens has become known as multiscreen delivery. To achieve multiscreen delivery a new and more reliable underlying protocol suite was required in order to carry video signals to a wide range of connected devices, over differing network infrastructures. Over the last few years, leading companies have implemented protocol suites and systems that support streaming to these Internet connected devices. High-level protocol (HTTP) streaming protocol has become the de facto industry standard. Manufacturers such as Microsoft, Apple and Adobe have developed a range of HTTP adaptive bit rate streaming protocols that enable client devices to access variable bit rates depending on ability to consume and ensure quality of underlying connectivity. By allowing the client to determine the bit rate in two second ‘chunks’, the scalability of the basic system is ensured, assuming that the content can be delivered effectively to the end device. Because the system is based on HTTP supported by a robust protocol stack (TCP/IP) that provides a


42 l ibe l the connected world supplement march/april 2011 l www.ibeweb.com


sophisticated and reliable retransmission scheme, the protocol can support a huge range of network media from the widely available bandwidth at the core, to the very limited bandwidth over a mobile wireless connection.


Shift from ‘walled gardens’


The single biggest impact of multiscreen delivery is the technology shift away from highly managed infrastructure. Usually referred to as the ‘walled garden’, this network was built primarily for TVs connected through set top boxes. Home media centres, mobile devices, tablet PCs, gaming consoles, and other devices capable of video playback are driving consumer demand for content anytime, anywhere. This demands an urgent requirement for operators to be able to deliver video services to these devices while ensuring the same level of QoE expected of a more traditional viewing experience.


This means that while the IPTV and DTT infrastructure remains in place to serve the TV set, new protocols are needed to deliver content to devices connected through broadband, wireless, mobile wireless and other relatively untethered and unmanaged media.


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