Project On-demand - the new IPTV services paradigm

Traffic in the Internet Protocol (IP) network has increased rapidly the recent years, more than 100% in two years. This increase can be explained almost solely by the growth of video traffic. The two main components are Web-TV i.e. video over Internet exemplified by YouTube and the introduction of TV over IP networks (IPTV) using Quality of Service (QoS) IP.

IPTV is mainly broadcasting (multicasting) today, but a behaviour shift is anticipated among users. New possibilities are introduced allowing people to choose what to view when and when to view it, without being bound to a specific broadcast time but still enjoying high picture quality including HDTV. Additionally on-demand services as film on-demand, e-services, local services, and interactive services will emerge. We will be able to receive a lot of minority and niche chan-nels and they must for economical reason be distributed on-demand. All this will happen both in fixed and in the mobile networks.

On-demand IPTV offers plenty of opportunities for service providers and end-users, but also raises issues that this project will address:

• Distribution of many simultaneous on-demand video services in a cost efficient way i.e. optimising between network capacities, storage (caching) and coding while maintaining good picture quality. The technical challenge of the project is on a network system level and not on technical development of the network equipment in itself.

• Understand user behaviour and consequently traffic patterns when user can choose a mix of broadcast TV and a large number of on-demand channels and services. This will impact the distribution issue.

The project will use the Open Choice IPTV environment developed under technical leadership of Acreo as part of the VINNOVA broadband program. This is an open environment where new on-demand services easily can be added. The project will use testpilots from Acreos national testbed in Hudiksvall and from similar testbeds in Gävle and Vällingby.

The project deals with on-demand IPTV and addresses the fundamental issues about distribution and user behaviour for on-demand services and will in that way stimulate successful introduction of many new services both commercial and e-government based on an open environment and architecture.

Participating and financing 50% of the project (in kind) are besides Ericsson, a large number of Swedish SME:s with interests in services and distribution. They will provide their services and equipment like codecs, middleware platforms, provisioning systems, video servers, network equipment, set top boxes and home gateways.

Acreo has a broad experience related to IP networks, Open Choice IPTV and picture quality based on earlier and ongoing EU programs, VINNOVA programs, EU Objective 2 programs and participation in the Video Quality Experts Group (VQEG). SICS adds competence in user studies and services and Mittuniversitet (MiU) are doing research work in the IPTV technology area including encoding.

Consortium

Project coordinator: Acreo

Partners: Advanced multimedia technology AB (AMT), Bonver/Film2home, Edgeware AB, Ericsson AB, NetAdmin AB, Northport AB, Packetfront AB, SICS, Skaparum AB, Tilgin AB, TT Spektra, Östgötacorrespondenten

Project details

Duration: 3 years, 2008 –2010

Budget: 12 million SEK over the 3 years

The project is funded by VINNOVA and industrial partners.

Project manager: Kjell Brunnström, Acreo

e-mail: kjell.brunnstrom(at)acreo.se