Real-Time Applications

Large-Scale Multimedia Content Delivery over Optical Networks for Interactive TV Services

URL:
itvp.psnc.pl/en

Contact:
Miroslaw Czyrnek, Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center (PSNC), Poland, majrek @ man.poznan.pl

Collaborators:
PSNC, Poland: Miroslaw Czyrnek, Cezary Mazurek, Maciej Stroinski

A high-quality multimedia content delivery system is being developed for National Public Television of Poland, for delivery of live TV, Video-on-Demand and Audio-on-Demand with interactive access over broadband IP networks. While terrestrial, satellite and cable platforms are used for digital TV distribution, only a completely IP-based solution offers true interactivity, enabling the creation of new content access services. PSNC has developed a scalable architecture Content Delivery System (CDS), in which Regional Data Centers (RDCs) can obtain content from content providers and then distribute it among themselves and to lower-level proxy / cache servers. A prototype installation has RDCs in Warsaw, Cracow and Poznan, and is able to provide service for up to 15,000 users. The content is digitally encoded with an MPEG-4 compatible codec at 1.5Mb. During iGrid, one CDS node is set up in San Diego. Multimedia content is sent over a Gigabit link from RDC Poznan to San Diego, triggered by many simultaneous user requests. iGrid attendees see firsthand the quality of the response time and media delivery. The prototype CDS system is deployed by PIONIER, the Polish National Research and Education Optical Network.