Description
Objective: The project aims to study and develop an end-to-end infrastructure for delivery of collaborative adaptive bit streaming multimedia services over integrated satellite terrestrial networks to multiple end user devices/displays and multi-homed clients. The project envisages an expedient combination of broadcast and unicast technologies where typically the main component is satellite broadcast.
Targeted Improvements:
Collaborative services delivery over heterogeneous integrated satellite terrestrial networks creates new business opportunities for satellite networks enabling satellite broadcasters to enhance their video services line up with different multimedia and real on demand video services.
Users can benefit from an enhanced services experience, i.e. service resilience and improved Quality of Experience (QoE). Terrestrial operators are also interested in increasing their service coverage area thanks to satellite.
Finally, there are both direct and indirect benefits for the overall satellite industry deriving from resulting satellite capacity growth and satellite infrastructure development.
Description:
Growing demand for bandwidth hungry multimedia services at home, in office, on move (e.g. TV on go, video anywhere/anytime) brought up the development of several delivery infrastructures i.e. digital satellite/terrestrial broadcast, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and Over-the-Top (OTT) networks including Content Delivery Networks (CDNs). These infrastructures rely on different network access technologies, different transport and video formats, target different end user displays/devices and deploy different underlying business models. Separate ecosystems proliferated and evolved independently leading to major inefficiencies through the end-to-end delivery chain, to mention also the capacity limitations encountered by terrestrial networks xDSL/LTE/eMBMS. Efficient delivery of multimedia content using the appropriate medium/technology is therefore crucial. The main characteristic of satellite video delivery via satellites is the ubiquitous large service coverage area. This is obviously very advantageous in terms of user*bps/Hz as long as all users are interested in the same data, but at the same time a severe disadvantage, when it comes to delivery of user-specific data anytime or even with multi-beam satellites.
The activity shall analyse the benefits of integration of satellite and terrestrial networks by jointly exploiting the advantages of satellite and CDN terrestrial technology for efficient delivery of collaborative adaptive bit streaming multimedia services. The activity shall address effectively the following points: (1) suitability of different CDN architectures such as national/federation/micro-CDN in conjunction with the use of satellite links in intra-CDN, inter-CDN and access networks and caching over the terrestrial path, (2) use of optimized satellite-cache scheme correlated to the users group interest profile and their geographical distribution under the satellite multi-beams, (3) resources allocations strategies between terrestrial and satellite path, (4) integrated networks topology management and active content-based traffic engineering techniques, (5) suitability of specifications for Hybrid Broadcast Broadband Television (HbbTV) and Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH) (known also as MPEG-DASH) for content re-composition/ synchronisation/rendering and exploitation of their features to make efficient use of the integrated heterogeneous networks.
Service-wise, the activity aims to address:
- time-shifted viewing,
- reduction of channel zapping times,
- service enhancement using optimized auxiliary components (e.g., 1080p enhancement, additional audio),
- improved service robustness and coverage extension of broadcast services,
- insertion of local content, like commercials or local news,
- real VoD and TV on go (consume same services while on move),
- solutions related to content protection and digital rights management.
Business wise the activity aims to address issues related to collaborative services management amongst which those related to end users/subscribers ownership and dta security, data privacy and content integrity of cached content.
The activity shall include two steps:
- definition of the end-to-end infrastructure for the delivery of collaborative adaptive bit streaming multimedia services including trade-offs for the critical selection/definition and specification of components enabling seamless integration of the satellite and terrestrial networks and
- validation of the end-to-end service delivery and develop system proof of concept as necessary for the initial pre-operational infrastructure.
Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to EMITS news "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes".
Tender Specifics