A New Approach to Transporting Program Content

The distribution of program content to broadcasters, cable headends, satellite uplink sites and between production studios is a high-volume and cumbersome process requiring immense resources. Today, content distribution is largely conducted via satellite circuits and physical tape. In certain cases, the element of time becomes important enough that physical movement of videotape is not even considered an option. Technological advances in the development of lower-cost, higher-powered computing and digital processing devices are finding wider use in the creation and delivery of programming. With server-based (digital) content storage, delivery becomes a matter of moving bits; however, digital program content transport requires payload bit rates from 20 Mbps to 270 Mbps. Existing electronic, network-based content delivery systems are limited in capacity, signal performance and flexibility. Leveraging advanced terrestrial digital networks holds the promise of removing these limitations. This paper will describe the development and envisioned uses of a unique Network Interface Device (NID) that is expected to make content transport via advanced common carrier (ATM and SONET/SDH) communications networks as easy as making phone calls.

Published

1996-10

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/M00108

ISBN

978-1-61482-925-6