Video quality, latency and cost are delaying IP migration
August 17, 2010 – A recent survey by video transport solutions provider Nevion has found that concerns over quality, latency and cost are causing organizations to delay their migration to IP. Maintaining video quality proved to be the biggest area of concern, cited by 43% of respondents, made up of more than 200 network owners from across the globe including broadcasters, cable companies, service providers, government agencies and educational institutions.
Video quality was closely followed by latency which was mentioned by 38% of respondents. Other significant factors cited as reasons for delaying IP migration were the cost of replacing legacy equipment (29%) and reliability (25%). Of less concern were the ability to monitor and control content (10%), security (11%) and the need to retrain staff (6%). More than a quarter of respondents are planning to migrate their video contribution networks over the next 12 months, with a further 20% planning their migration in 12-24 months. Just 3% report that they will never migrate to video over IP.
“While it’s hardly surprising that video quality is the number one concern among content owners, the technology exists today to preserve quality when transporting video over IP,” said Oddbjorn Bergem, CEO, Nevion. “JPEG 2000 offers visually and mathematically lossless compression to preserve video quality, and our particular implementation of it minimizes latency to just 44 milliseconds. Organizations can also opt for modular solutions that allow them to maximize their legacy infrastructure and minimize the costs of migrating to IP. It doesn’t have to be an expensive and worrying process.”
The survey also revealed much confusion about the meaning of the term ‘video over IP’ with most respondents associating it with more than one meaning. While the majority of participants (61%) associate the term with IPTV, 39% relate it to MPLS broadcast contribution, 24% to web video offerings such as Youtube and 21% to telco TV.
One area of agreement though was the importance of standards when it comes to choosing video over IP solutions. 66% reported that they avoid using solutions that aren’t standards based and a further 26% said that it’s an important factor in their decision. Just 7% feel it’s not very important or not important at all.
Nevion’s video over IP system is a modular, standards-based solution that comprises JPEG 2000 compression, protection switching and monitoring solutions to deliver peace of mind for transporting professional contribution quality video over IP networks.
Equipment in Nevion’s video over IP system meets the stringent requirements of the US NEBS Level 3 certification for reliable operation in harsh environments. The system adheres strictly to SMPTE, ISO and DVB-ASI video standards for signal performance and integrity, ensuring the highest quality and video integrity possible.