multi-cast services

whats this going to give me extra? I understand multi-cast. I am currently using SKY as a service and waiting for the FTTC to become order-able. What is reality can the multi cast service provide to me that I would not get already. Is this just and ISP bandwidth saving tool?

>>>>Furthermore your exchange is enabled for multi-cast services on copper lines and due to be enabled on fiber lines by 30th September 2012, please contact your provider for further details.<<<<<

It appears to be some kind of fibre based TV service.

Streaming tv channels to isp tv boxes such as fx etc comming soon to bt vision

Makes sense, BT paid a lot of money for Premier League TV rights so they'll probably be multicasting their content across fttc. Perhaps Youview will join in too.

Edited by Oliver341 (Sat 18-Aug-12 13:26:13)

In reply to a post by iand:

Is this just and ISP bandwidth saving tool?

Basically, yes. But that's good for all of us. Broadcasting TV over the net without multicasting is a horrible waste of bandwidth. Without multicasting hundreds of thousands of identical data streams get sent across the country's network at the same time. Multicasting has the potential to vastly reduce that freeing up expensive bandwidth for other things or - more likely - helping reduce ISP costs which will hopefully filter through to our wallets

I suspect the multicast would only be within the ISPs network and primarily for ISP generated content (such as the BT vision and Sky streaming services).

I think BT can do this on some scale but only where they control the distribution. At any point outside of the BT network they will lose control and Multicast will stop.

Is anyone working on Multicast for the Internet? The number of routers involved I suspect would make this a very daunting challenge.

In reply to a post by ian72:

I suspect the multicast would only be within the ISPs network and primarily for ISP generated content (such as the BT vision and Sky streaming services).

I think BT can do this on some scale but only where they control the distribution. At any point outside of the BT network they will lose control and Multicast will stop.

Is anyone working on Multicast for the Internet? The number of routers involved I suspect would make this a very daunting challenge.

Multi-cast is part of the GEA specification and last I read it appeared to be available to anyone using FTTC. Sounds a little too sensible in my opinion but BT aren't complete idiots - they do have all the parts though

To my mind there has to be some good effect on user pricing, and in many cases performance as well.

As the ISP drops it to the exchanges once, the user inevitably has lower throughput on the ISP's routers. No doubt the savings there will be party cancelled out by whatever and how the ISP is charged by OR for the service.

I haven't read up on the OR implementation. Does anyone know if the ISP drops once to OR, or once to each exchange that it chooses?

The performance will come down solely to that of the copper from the cabinet. No ISP congestion or backhaul congestion.

It can't be that simple, or that good ? Can it?

BT Vision, YouView et al are all candidates for using this.

As yet none of the IPTV services utilise the possibilities of FTTC/P, they still restrict themselves to 2 to 3 Mbps streams.

Well, I wonder how long it might be before the cost to stream via multicast is lower than the costs to use a transmission network or satellite for broadcast television. Many Smart TV sets, decoder boxes and games consoles have ethernet or wireless built in, after all.. All the required kit is in place, just need the multicast service!

My old TV aerial is more reliable than my ancient overhead copper wire!

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5216-predictions-...

2021 is one estimate, a lot depends on the cost of transponder space versus the IP delivery costs. Multicast for IP may alter this by a long way.

"All the required kit is in place, just need the multicast service! "

So no significant changes are needed at the content provider end then?

Well, besides getting a multicast enabled network (naturally) and getting their encoders / similar set up to broadcast via this method, nothing that'd cause them to skim from the face of the earth!

http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/products/super-...

and

http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/products/super-...

So it still looks like each ISP would have its own streams (ie; BBC One TalkTalk, BBC One IDNet, BBC One BTr etc.) but least they'd only need one stream per exchange. Or per node so they save most of the costs. I did think perhaps it was clever enough to share a common stream between ISPs.

A silly question then. That means that each ISP would provide a stream of "live" material. Does that not then make them broadcasters requiring a broadcast license?

The alternative is that all the streams are broadcast via the original broadcaster but then the ISPs would all need a private link to each broadcaster in order to maintain control of multi-cast all the way down the line.

I may have this completely wrong but unless the end to end network from stream initiation to end point is multi-cast enabled then it will break into separate streams at the first point where multi-cast is not present.