[opendtv] Internet TV distribution architecture
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2014 01:33:41 +0000
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
>> In order to scale this up to where everyone is watching HDTV over the
>> Internet, ISPs will have to strategically distribute many TV content
>> servers throughout their local networks. More so than today.
> Not true.
>
> The only issues for the ISPs are upgrading their networks to handle the
> peak load requirements. Remember, most of the content people will watch
> will still be delivered via IP Multicast.
I doubt that. ISPs aren't particularly fond of multicast, nor are Internet TV
viewers likely to be satisfied with by-appointment TV. Both of those factors
conspire against your line of reasoning.
> The CDNs will handle the increased server loads, building out more
> mirror sites.
Moving beyond the arm-waving, it seems to me that your on-demand HTTP TCP/IP
streams are going to be differentiated by the TCP 16-bit Port Number. So that
says to me, assuming that bandwidth problems do not exist at all, each server
or server blade is limited to 65,536 TCP sessions at a time. A different IP
address will get you another 64K sessions. But that's not a whole lot in major
metro areas, during prime time.
To avoid huge bottlenecks in the path, and to speed up the reaction time when a
new user comes on line, I think you'll need to do something a whole lot better
than to expect everyone in the world to go to some Apple site in North
Carolina, Craig.
> For example, lets assume that you like CSI. You pay a small fee for
> the CSI app, and new episodes are downloaded to every subscriber
> during off peak hours using IP multicast.
Craig! You're recycling the same arguments you were using for broadcast DTV 15
years ago. They didn't pan out then either. This sort of arcane arrangement
might work for a short time, but soon the more competitive ISPs will get rid of
it. We aren't going back to by-appointment TV or to TiVo either, especially not
with mobile devices that may or may not have a good connection when you're not
using them.
> By the time we actually get to Internet TV,
You forget that all this stuff exists now, Craig. People today are already
watching Internet TV without having to choose and then download shows off
hours. So I doubt very much that when the big numbers of Internet TV users show
up, people would put up with a cumbersome new scheme.
Bert
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