Scenario

University is interested in setting up a multi-channel Digital Television Network for broadcasting video content to a range of devices typically used by students, staff and the facility. Most importantly the solution must be future proofed. The university wants you to design a IP based streaming network solution for a 1Gb network capacity to use for video distribution to its wide range of clients.

You have been selected to consult on this project.

Written Report

Networked video, DVD Technology, Blu-Ray, and digital television systems operate using advanced modern compression schemes to allow for the distribution of high quality video content to be transmitted and displayed over low bandwidths from a few kilobits (kbps) to 100+ megabits (mbps) per second.

Numerous digital television networks broadcast a version of their programs on the Internet and on mobile devices including Sky, BBC, ITV.

You are required to:

Provide detailed technical study for the underlying technologies in:
• Critically analyse the key overarching compression schemes of MPEG4 in the H.264 version.
• Research the resolution and bitrates of 5 of the most popular online streaming services and record in a table.
• oFormulate a solution to the universities multichannel TV distribution requirements and write a rationale of the reasons for the adoption of your approach.
• Determine the optimum bitrate for a variety of resolutions to suit your end client needs.
• Suggest a practical network structure with switches to be able to deliver the needs of the client. You should consider segmenting the network to offer an enterprise level solution to the problem.
• The answer to the overall solution should conclude with a description of how many different and types of channels would you advise the university could offer concurrently using Unicast only technology. It has to ensure all clients are satisfied.

Assignment outcomes

•Write a standard technical report (around ‘but not limited to’, 2000 words but no more than 3000) to summarise your research findings and outline your recommendations. This does not include the bibliography or the contents pages.

Guidance

•The report structure is to include Table of Contents, Table of Figures, Table of tables, Introduction, Aims and Objectives, Research, SWOT Analysis, Solution, Conclusions and be fully and accurately referenced.