The Rising Preference to Real-Time Broadcasting Effects upon Traditional Multi-Media Broadcasting Solutions

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2006

The Rising Preference to Real-Time Broadcasting

Effects upon Traditional Multi-Media Broadcasting

Solutions

Noaman Najeeb

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Recommended Citation

The

Rising

PreferencetoReal-Time

Broadcasting

EffectsuponTraditionalMulti-Media

Broadcasting

Solutions

By

Noaman Najeeb

Thesissubmittedinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirements forthe

DegreeofMasterofSciencein Information

Technology

RochesterInstituteof

Technology

B. Thomas GolisanoCollege

Of

Computing

andInformationSciences

12th

B. Thomas Golisano College

of

Computing and Information Sciences

Master of Science in Information Technology

Thesis Approval Form

Student Name:

Noaman Najeeb

Thesis Title:

The Rising Preference to Real-Time Broadcasting

Effect upon Traditional Multi-Media Broadcasting

Solutions

Thesis Committee

Name

Signature

Date

Prof. Jeffrey Sonstein

Chair

Prof. Steve Jacobs

Committee Member

Rochester Institute of Technology

B. Thomas Golisano College

of

Computing and Information Sciences

Master of Science in Information Technology

The Rising Preference to Real-Time Broadcasting

Effects upon Traditional Multi-Media Broadcasting

Solutions

I, NClaman Najeeb, hereby grant permission to the Wallace Library of the

Roc lester Institute of Technology to reproduce my thesis in whole or in part.

Any reproduction

must

not be for commercial use or profit.

Abstract

Originally

theInternetwasaresearch-basedarenabut

today

theapplications

available are_{greatly diversified}and_extremelyadvanced.Media

broadcasting

on a real

timebasis isthatwhich characterizes_manyprovidersbusiness base in_service,

applications,soft andhardwareneeds. Today'sengineers aredriventoward_making

provisionsof new and superior applicationstomaketheInternetstronger and more

serviceable.

Along

withthenewdimensionoftoday'sInternetcome new challenges.

Videoconferencing

and video

broadcasting

are mainstream entrant applications. These

applications_specificallythoseof_{videoconferencing}and

broadcasting

place_previously

unheard ofdemandsontheresponse-load ofthenetwork_effectingdata intermsof

efficiencyand effectivenessin data delivery. Thenew _analogtype

delivery

used

today

hasopenedthe_{Internet up for}newusefulness. Thiswork exploresthechanges andthe

newtechnologiesunleashed aswellas_{observing how}other advantagesinIPnetworks

still needtoberealized,making determinationoftheroadblocksin achievinga

competitive advantagein IPnetworks and evaluatethedevelopments in

broadcasting;

determining

other resourcesthatneedtoberealizedand

identifying

thechancesthat

traditional

broadcasting

technology

willrevolutionize and catch_upwithIPbroadcasting.

Finally

thisworkwill assess whatitwouldtake toachievethedevelopmentof

The

Rising

PreferencetoReal-Time

Broadcasting

EffectsuponTraditionalMulti-Media

Broadcasting

Solutions

CHAPTER 1 6

INTRODUCTION 6

Overview 5

Background ofthe

Study

10

Basic Types ofnetwork communication 13

RecentAdvancements 14

Objective_ofthe

Study

15

Hypothesis 17

Significance ofthe

Study

17

ScopeandLimitations 17

CHAPTER 2 18

REVIEWOF RELATED LITERATURE 18

Introduction 18

WhatisInternet Protocol(IP)? 18

Dynamics ofIP 19

The Evolution ofthe TCP/IP 21

Types ofIP's, IPv4andIPv6 24

Importance of TCP/IPfor Real-Time

Broadcasting

25

IP

Unicasting,

Broadcasting

and

Multicasting

27

What's

Holding

_{up Real-time Broadcasting?} Error! Bookmarknotdefined.

Effectson Organizations 38

Electronic MediaandtheSociological Aspects 40

CHAPTER3 47

METHODOLOGY

Introduction 47

Method ofResearch 47

Research Design 50

Determination oftheSample 51

The Subject 51

Research Instruments 52

Validation oftheInstrument 53

Statistical TreatmentandFormulasused 54

CHAPTER 4 56

INTERPRETATION,

PRESENTATION&CONCLUSION OF RESULTS

Introduction 56

PartI 57

PartII 62

Survey

questionnaires 62

Analysis oftheresults 64

Part IE 70

Roadblocksin_achievinga competitiveadvantageinIPNetworking. 70

Part IV- Chi-Square Analysis_andConclusion 73

HypothesisandChi-square Tests 74

Results ofallthree chisquaretests 74

Streaming

Media impact 82

The

Rising

Preferenceto Real-Time

Broadcasting

EffectsuponTraditional Multi-Media

Broadcasting

Solutions

- Chapter One

-Overview

The

intricately

engineered and wovenInternetwebisonethatis_remarkably

flexibleand as wellthe_{Internet continually}evolves and reshapes.

Originally

theInternet

was a research-based arenabut

today

theapplications available are_{greatly diversified}and

extremelyadvanced.Media

broadcasting

ona real-timebasis isthatwhichcharacterizes

manyprovidersbusiness base in_{service, applications,}soft andhardwareneeds.Today's

engineers aredriventoward_makingprovisions of new and superiorapplicationstomake

theInternetstronger and more serviceable.

Along

withthenewdimensionoftoday's

Internetcome new challenges.

Videoconferencing

and video

broadcasting

are mainstream

entrant applications. Theseapplications_specificallythoseof_{videoconferencing}and

broadcasting

place_previouslyunheardofdemandsontheresponse-_loadofthe

network

effecting dataintermsof_efficiencyand effectivenessindata delivery.

Delivery

ofdata has changedfroman_analogmethodto thatofdigital

delivery,

which requiresthatnetworkdesignersensurethat thenetworkiscapableof_supporting

reliable and

timely

delivery

ofdata. Thenew applicationshaveallowedindividualstobe

online moreoftenandsupported more serviceable

delivery

methodsthrough

diversity

in

data delivery. The

delivery

ofthisdatahasreplaced

television,

_radio,cable and other

Backgroundofthe

Study

Usersaroundtheworld are

increasingly

turning

to the Internetforvarious

reasons, such asinformation gatheringor entertainment purposes. IP

broadcasting

has

allowed userstoaccessliveevents or pre-recorded contents not_onlythrough their

PersonalComputers

(PCs),

butalsothrough theirmobile phonesandwireless-personal

digitalassistants (PDA). Thishasprovided userswith_extremelyrich data inaudio and

video_quality,which was_previouslynot available

by

conventional

broadcasting

systems.

Asa_{result, these}high_qualitybroadcastsare abletocreate a new range of value-added

servicestomultiple users.

In_{the past,}real-time

broadcasting

was limitedor non-existentdueto

technological restrictions, mainlybecausetherewas alimitedamount ofIPnetworks

available atthat time.

Today,

IPnetworks are seen asthenew cost-effective meansto

disseminateawide rangeof multi-media contentto a_varietyof users. Ithas been

expectedthatNorthAmericawillbethestrongest overall regional marketfor

Professional Video-over-IP services. IntheStore & Forwardcategory, Content

Delivery

Networks

(CDNs)

used

by

corporationsto _{deliver streaming}video services are expected

toexperience a_{strong Compound Annual Growth Rate}of36%.

(Kaufhold,

2004)

Streaming

Media(e.g.video camera audio/videoout_connectors)

The deploymentofsatellitevideo

broadcasting

or standardvideotransmission

technologiestobroadcastlivecorporateeventsto themasseshasbeenthegeneral

applicationhoweverwith_streaming

technology

available aswellas_networkingsupport

canbedoneviatheIPnetwork.Enterprises are abletoreduce costs as wellas costsin

termsof_equipment,which are associatedwiththe traditional

technology

invideo

broadcasting.

Therearetwo_existingsets of servicesinLive

Broadcasting

overIPsolutions,

which are

(1)

theapplication_services,and

(2)

thenetworkservices.Network

administrators are ableto_easilyand_quicklyconfigurethelive eventthrougha graphic

userinterface

(GUI),

whichisa_{user-friendly}application. Thetransportoftheliveevent

is handled

by

thenetwork_services,which simplifies andisolatesprogram_creation,

source server configuration and run-time allowancesfor live events.Theliveeventisthe

responsibilityofthenetworkintermsoftransportfromtheIPTV Broadcastservertothe

IPTVClients. Stated intheworkentitled"LiveBroadcastingoverIPintheEnterprise:

Solution Reference NetworkDesign"

is"Thenetworkisresponsiblefor

transporting

the

digitized liveeventfromtheIPTV BSto theIPTVClients. BeyondtraditionalL2andL3

forwarding,

thenetworkmustalso affordIP MulticastandQoSservicesto the

applicationsabove. Layer 2 devicesmust supportIGMP

Snooping

andQoS

tagging/queuing. Layer 3 devicesmustsupport_{IP Multicast routing}protocols and QoS

tagging/queuing.Figure 1-1 illustratestheLive

Broadcasting

overIPservice architecture.

Althoughat ahigh levelaLive

Broadcasting

overIP solution requires a small number of

services,enablingthoseservices isnotatrivial task. For_example,both IP Multicastand

QoStechnologiesmandate anend-to-endconfiguration,whichimpliesthateach

networkingdevicemustbeatleastconsidereda candidateforadditional configurations or

evenupgrades.

card, thesignalis in_analogform (NTSC or

PAL)

theanalog signalisthenconverted

by

theBS toa stream ofdigital bits inpreparationfortransportover anIPnetwork.This

processiswhatisreferredto as'encoding'. TheCODEC isthe_encodingdevice. The

broadcastserver supports several_encodingand compression_algorithms,inotherwords

thereare multipleCODECs available onthebroadcastserver.The qualityrequirements

fortheproduction are whatdeterminethealgorithm. Whileit is_generallyacceptableto

useMPEG-1 video stream encoded at 128-512Kbps

by

most enterprises used withthe

audio stream encoded at

64Kbps,

theneeds of enterprises _varya greatdealjustasdo

capabilities of networks.Morebandwidth isrequiredfora single stream asthechosen

encodingrateishigher. Administratorsmustweightheoptions_{carefully in planning for}a

livenetwork event.

Generally,

theavailablebandworkisthatwhich mustbequalified

since"an IPTV BSiscapableof_{generating very high quality live broadcast}streams(e.g.

.2Mbps

encoding)"

There arefour_{existing primary}CODECSwhich are standard and

suitableforuseintheSRNDwhichare

(1)

MPEG-1;

(2)

MPEG-2;

(3)

MPEG-4;

and

(4)

H.261. Furtherstatedisthat"The

key

pointtorememberwhen_choosingaparticular

technology

isthateachCODEChasasub-range withinits_operatingrange whereit is

The

following

chartillustrateseach service andits'components:

Table 1-1Application Services Components

IPTV Content Manager

Controlsmost configuration aspects attheapplicationservices layer

Hostsanadministrator'sGUI

Serves as mastertoall

logically

attachedBroadcastServers

Serves as mastertoall

logically

attachedIPTVClients

IPTV Broadcast Server Servesasphysicalattachment pointof_{analog live}eventfeed

Responsible forencoding/compression oflivefeed

ServesasIP Multicastsourceforlive broadcasts overIPnetwork

Hostsa simplebox-specificconfiguration

GUI/utility

Points to _primary and/or _{secondary CM for} live broadcast event information (BS

-specificinformationsuch as start

time,

run

time,

_{encodingrate, etc.)}

IPTVClient: Actsaslive broadcastevent receiver

Loadedonto individualclientdesktops

Availableas either standaloneIPTVclient software orbrowserplug-in

ServesasIP Multicast destinationofliveevent stream

Points to _primary and/or _{secondary CM for} live broadcast event information (aka

Program

information)

Source: Live Broadcasting over IP in the Enterprise:

The

following

chart illustratesthenetwork services andtheircomponents:

Table 1-2 NetworkServices Components

IP Multicast:

IP Multicast routingprotocol configured on eachL3 device inthe

Network

Servesastransport

technology

forallliveevents as

they

exitIPTV

Broadcast Server

Protocol Independent Multicast

(PIM)

technology

uses_{L3 routing}

Protocol resiliency

Ensuresefficient utilization of networkbandwidth

Allowsa singlelivebroadcastto scaletoentire enterprise audience

Quality

ofService

Tagging

and_queuingconfigured on eachL2andL3 device inthenetwork

Offerslive broadcaststream preferentialtreatmentover regulardatatraffic

UsesprovenDifferentiatedServicesarchitecture

EnsuresthatIPTVClientsreceivelive eventinan acceptablemanner

Layer3 Services Standard IP

forwarding

basedon whatever_{IP routing protocol(s)}are

Enabledoneachdevice

Layer 2 Services Standardframe

forwarding

Source: Live

Broadcasting

over IP in the

Streaming

is an area of

technology

thatisapplicableto _manyvariousapplications

such as E-learning. "Live

broadcasts,

scheduled

broadcasts,

and video on demand are

some examples of solutions that require streaming. There are sixbasic steps to _creating

streaming

content"

although all six steps are notrequiredinall_streamingapplications.

The

following

are the steps _necessary to create and video and publish it on the

Internet:

Step

1 Shootthevideo_usingan_analogordigitalcamera.

Step

2 Capture the video _using a capture card on a personal

computer.

Step

3 Editthevideo_usinga_{video-editing}tool.

Step

4 Compress and encode thevideoto makeitsuitable foran

IPnetwork.

Step

5 Distributethevideo overthenetwork.

Step

6

Play

thevideo attheclientdesktop.

"Steps

4, 5,

and6 are ofinterestto the scope ofthischapterbecauseCisco'sproduct

portfolio supportsthoseareas. Steps 1 through3canbeaddressed with a_varietyof

third-partycommercialandfreeware

applications."

"Steps

4, 5,

and6areofinterestto the

scope ofthischapterbecause Cisco'sproduct portfolio supportsthoseareas. Steps 1

through3 canbeaddressed witha_varietyof

third-party

commercialandfreeware

applications."

(Live BroadcastingoverIPintheEnterprise: Solution Reference Network

Design)

intodigital data (bitstream).Compressionofdataoccurs afterthedigitalencoding.

CODEC

means compressionordecompressionprocesses. Codec's mayeither existas a

softwareapplicationor as adevicethatisof a specialized nature

however,

bothwiththe

same

functionality

intermsofhardware.The Codecreceivesthebitstream andprocesses

itandthencompressesitontheside of_{the server,} whichisthecompression phase. Then

thebitstream_{is decompressed}ontheclient side andit isrevertedto theoriginalbit

stream. Theclients candecompressVideo/audioCODECS atthe time thecompressed

streamisreceived.

Basic Typesof network communication

Thebasictypes ofnetworkcommunication consist of one-to-one sessions

betweentwo computers, called unicasting. Theseone-to-one sessions allow a great

controlofthedatatrafficbetweenthesource and_{the receiver, allowing for}

acknowledgment ofreceipt,requests forretransmission of

data,

changesintransmission

rate andotherfeatures.

Currently,

mostaudio and videodata fallunderunicast.

However,

many Internetapplicationsinvolve_one-to-manyor_many-to-many

(multipoint)

communications,whereone or more sources are_{sending data}tomultiple receivers.

To further describethesuccess and growth of real-time

broadcasting,

theresearch

willelaborateonthemaintypesofIPnetworks,which providetransmissionsofdatato

multiple receiversinthreedifferentways:

1. Unicast: This is where a separate _copy of the data is

2. Broadcast: This is where a data packet is forwarded to all

portionsofthenetwork evenif_onlya fewofthedestinations

areintendedrecipients

(Kosiur,

1998)

3. Multicast: This is where a single packet is addressed to all

intendedrecipients andthenetwork replicates packets _onlyas

needed.

(Kosiur,

1998).

Recent Advancements

Inthepastfew_years, ithas beenreportedthatvendors of alltypesofhardware

and software services are_{coming up}with new mechanismsto deliver_streamingmedia

content,especially providing largevideo overtheInternetwithrichvideo and audio

quality. For_example,

Sony

developeda newEthernetportfortheirEVLXstudiodigital

videorecorder. This Ethernetport wasabletoachievetransportationofdigitalvideo streamstonumerouscomputerbasedvideotools thatwere_especiallyinstitutedaround digital

broadcasting

facilities. Time-scalesarestill_uncertain,butitlooksasifthe Ethernetwillbecome

truly

ubiquitousoverthenextfew_years;it_alreadyisincountries such as

Korea,

wheregovernment

funding

has allowedthemass

delivery

ofbroadband Internetaccessinto

homes,

withEthernetas a

key

_enablingtechnology.

(Broadhead,

2003)

IthasalsobeenreportedthatMicrosoftTV'splannedIPTVsolution will use

industry-leading

videocompression

technology

to

dramatically

reducebandwidth

requirements,enabling Bell Canadato deliver broadcast qualityvideo servicesto a

Jim

Chiddi,

Presidentofinteractivepersonal videoforAOL Time

Warner,

advocated as a speakerfor

Society

ofCable

Engineers,

statedtheneedforthecable

industry

toestablish anIPbased broadbandnetworkto_seamlesslyconnect all cable

services on one unified network.Aunified network simplifiesnetworkdesignandallows

forimproved bandwidthallocation_amongservices

(Birkmaier,

2002).

Competition,

advancementin

technology,

networks and users needs are

leading

waystoenhanceIPcommunications. "Sunhasbeencommittedto

helping

Telco'slike

SaskTelintroducenew serviceslikevideo-on-demandthatleveragetheirinvestments in

DSLandbroadbandnetworkinfrastructure,"saidPhil

Sasso,

seniordirectorofthe

Telecommunications

Industry

atSun Microsystems.

"Working

_closelywith

Kasenna,

Sunis

helping

deliveronthepromise oftriple_{playservices, video,}voice and

data,

over a

coverageIPnetwork."

(Evans,

2003)

Furthermore,

acollaborationof

Apple,

Cisco, Kasenna,

Philips

Electronics,

and

Sunwas assembledin 2000 inordertopromote open standardsfor

developing

end-to-end

media_streamingproducts over_{IP. The emerging reality}isthat_{LP networking is}the

driving

force forthefutureof_{virtuallyevery form}ofdigitalcommunications.

(Birkmaier,

2002)

Objective ofthe

Study

Theobjective ofthis_studyisthefocusoftheevolution ofTCP/LP and_specifically

examinedwillbethefollowing:

(1)

What exactlyisTCP/LP?

(3)

What are the effects of real-time

broadcasting

and the

future of real-time

broadcasting

when compared to traditional

methods ofdata delivery?

Finally,

this _{study has} gather information that will serve to weigh the need of

making provision of an interactive medium, disseminate information and analyze how

usersmightbeexpectedtorespond.

QuestionsoftheResearch

Questionsoftheresearchinthis_studyare as follows:

(1)

What arethe factors that influence certain users to turn to

interactivemedia?

(2)

Are there _{any existing} competitive advantages in LP

networks that are yet unrealized? If so what barriers block the

implementation ofthese advantages?What resources are needed

toward thisimplementation?

(3)

What are the chances that traditional

broadcasting

technologies will revolutionize and catch _up with LP

broadcasting? What barriers exist in this initiative? What is the

needfortraditional

broadcasting

torevolutionizeitself?

Hypothesis

There is no significant _relationship between the

rising

preference

in Real Time

Broadcasting

and Traditional Multi-Media

Broadcasting

solutions.

There is no significant _relationship between the roadblocks in

achieving any competitive advantages in LP networks and the

developments intraditional

broadcasting

solutions.

There is no significant_{relationship between} theresources needed

to achieve this realization and the steps in _achieving the

developmentofRealtimebroadcasting.

Significanceofthe

Study

This study is significant inthatitwill addto the_{very little existing knowledge in}

thisareaof research.

ScopeandLimitations

Thereis little_existingresearchinrelationto this area of_studytherefore_primary

and_secondaryresearchisutilizedinthecompilation ofthisresearch. Limitationsexistin

theavailableliterature forwhichtoreviewanddisseminatethisareaofresearch.

Methodology

The study intendstoinvestigatetheeffects ofLPnetworks ontraditional

used.

Primary

researchwillbeconducted_usinganonymous_surveyquestionnairesthat

willbesentto_randomlyselectedLPend-users.

Survey

questionnaireswillbeusedto collect quantitativedataandtheinterviews

willbeusedtoprovide qualitativeinsights intothedatacollected. Alimitednumberof

responderswillbeused for_{this research,} duetothe timeconstraints. Howeverthissmall

sample wouldbeabletorepresentthegeneralpopulationthatis

being

studied.

Finally

thedatawillbe analyzed and compiledforthecorrelation ofthe

hypothesis;

itwillthenbepresented

by

means oftabularand graphical_{representations,}

illustrating

theresults andthedifferencethatwouldbeexplainedindetails. Throughthe

use ofdifferentstatistical

tools,

theresearcher willbeabletodeterminethedifferent

The

Rising

Preferenceto Real-Time

Broadcasting

EffectsuponTraditionalMulti-Media

Broadcasting

Solutions

Chapter Two

ReviewoftheLiterature

Introduction

In_{this chapter, the}researcherhasreviewed_{the write-ups, readings,}and studies

thatare relatedto thepresent studies andimportanceofrealtimebroadcasting.

Furthermore,

itlooksattherelevant_networkingtechnologiesusedtodeterminethe

similarities anddifferencesfromthepast and present studies. Theaimistogaininsight

intotheaspects oftheproblemthatare critical and controversial fromthevarious

literaturestudies_regardingreal-timebroadcasting.

Likewise,

itgives a review of related

reading,literature and studiesthathaveprovidedtheresearchera goodbackground

regardingtheaspectsthathaveorhavenotbeenstudied.

Whatis Internet Protocol (IP)?

LP,

by

definition,

isanetworkofsystemsthatare separatedintoseveral

layers,

andwithineachindividual

layer,

thereare single or multiple entities_performingits

functionality. Theseentitieshavethe_abilityto interact

directly

withthelayer

immediately

beneaththemand providefacilitiesto thelayerabovethem. Theprotocols

entity, as

long

as it's inthesamelayerastheremotehost. Thiswill_eventuallyallowthe

LP _number,whichisafour-byte destination_address,tomovethepackets ofdatafromone

nodeto anothernode.

LP,

alongwithUser_{Datagram Protocol}

(UDP)

andReal-timeTransport Protocol

(RTP)

isusedtoconducttelephonecalls and_supplyreal-time characteristics overthe

Internet. One formofLPwas calledLP

telephony,

whichallows_makingtelephonecalls

overtheInternet. IP

telephony

was possible

by

_usingtheUDPinsteadofthe

TransmissionControl Protocol (TCP).

In_short,TCPis a connection oriented end-to-end protocol whileUDP isa

connectionless end-to-end protocol. ThisallowsUDPtobeusedinsteadof

TCP,

inorder

toavoiddelays inretransmission oflostor corrupted packets.

Furthermore,

RTPis able

to_supplyend-to-end

delivery

servicesfor datawith real-time characteristics. Theseare

some ofthecore

features,

which makeLPa

key

_enabling

technology

towards the

developmentof real-timebroadcasting.

Dynamics ofIP

To furtherunderstandthe_relationshipofLPand real-time

broadcasting,

the

researcher exploredthe technicaldetailsofhow LPworks. Itis importanttounderstand

thatLP isthemainfunctionforTCP/LPprotocolsuite. LPisadata-oriented_protocol,

whichisused

by

varioustypesof sources anddestinationhoststo communicatedata

across a packet-switchedinter-network. The dataintheLP inter-network is

distributed

in

TransportControl Protocol

(TCP),

User Datagram Protocol

(UDP),

Internet Control

MessageProtocol

(ICMP)

and InternetGroupsManagement Protocol

(IGMP)

data.

LPhastwo

key features,

which makesitunique, LPprovides'unreliable' and

'connectionless'

datagram

delivery

service. 'Unreliable' standsforIPs 'best

effort'

to

deliver LPdatagrams. Routers could

temporarily

run outof

buffers,

packets could arrive

damaged,

duplicated,

out of_order,or could_{be entirely dropped}off. Whenthis

happens,

IPperforms a simple error

handling

logic,

itthrows awaysthecorrupted packets andtries

tore-send anICMPmessagebacktoitsoriginal source. The Transmission Control

Protocol

(TCP)

intheTransport Layerisabletorepair_{the errors,}handlelostpackets or

regeneratetransmissionuntillthepackets are_securelyand_{completelyreceived,}but

guaranteeingno reliability.

Hence,

LPprovidesits 'best

effort'

todeliverpackets.

LPis

'connectionless',

itdoesnothavetosustain_{any form}ofinformationto

deliversuccessive packets. Eachpacketis independentfromtheother packet andisalso

handled independendly.

Distinctively,

ifahosthasnot communicated withtheotherhost

priorto_sendingpackets, a_setupisnot requiredtobeestablished. For_{this reason,}

connectionlessprotocols are efficientbecausenotimeisusedin_establishingand

tearing

downconnections.

Delivery

ofLP Datagrams iscrucialforreal-timebroadcasting. The qualityof

real-time

broadcasting

dependsonhow effectivelyand_efficientlypacket switches are

usedtoforwardpackets acrossdifferent interconnected layer 2 (Data

Link)

networks. In

short,"the layer 2 is dividedintotwo sublayers, theMediaAccess Control

(MAC)

layer

andtheLogical Link Control

(LLC)

layer. The MACsublayer controlshowa computer

layercontrolsframesynchronization, flowcontrol and error

checking."

(Webopedia,

2004)

Ifthenetwork

drops,

re-orders ordamagesthe packets, theresultsviewed

by

the

end userwouldbepoorin_qualityanddistorted. Sometimesthereareoccasionaland

minor_errors,buttheseerrors are

hardly

ever notacable

by

end-users.

However,

it is

importantformost networksto

try

hardandtoavoidtheseinconsistencies.

TheEvolution oftheTCP/IP

Beforeweindulge into_{the research, the}researcher studiestheimportanceon_why

TCP/LPiscreated andhowitevolved.

By

_{understanding}therootsofthe

Internet,

itwill

give ustheinsight intothedevelopmentofTCP/LPand_manyofitsrules and standards.

Thereare several network protocols(suchasNetWare's LPX/SPXandIBM's

SNA,

for

example),butthispaper will_{only be}concernedwiththeprotocols _{collectively known}as

theLP orTCP/LPprotocols.

(Kosiur,

1998)

Thepredecessor oftoday's Internetwas

Arpanet;

a super networkthatwas created

by

theAdvanced Research Projects

Agency (ARPA)

launchedin 1969.

(G.Blank,

2002)

The United States DepartmentofDefense

(DoD)

initially

createdtheARPAinresponse

to thepotentialthreatof nuclear attackfromtheformer Soviet Union.

Mainly,

ARPA

was a_{military branch}thatwas used

during

theCold Warto

develop

top-secretsystems

and_weapons, which_{eventually lead}todesignafault-tolerantnetworkthatwould enable

U.S. military leadersto_stayincontact with eachotherincase ofa nuclear war.

(G.Blank,

2002)

Theprotocol orlanguageofchoice,used ontheArpanetwascalledNetwork

was_{needed,simply because NCP}didnotfulfilltheneeds of alargernetwork.

(G.Blank,

2002)

Theconcernswherethat the

language

could_onlyenable afewpeopleto

communicate,had manylimitationsand was not robustenoughforthesuper_network,

which was_growingat an exponential rate. Thustheprotocolhadtobeimproved asthe

number of users_{grew, eventually}

leading

to theresearch anddevelopmentof a new

networklanguage.

Eventually

in

1974,

twoInternetpioneers calledVintCerfandBob Kahn

published"A Protocol forPacket NetworkInterconnection,"

inwhichit describedthe

TCP,

which was a protocolintheprotocol suitethatdescribedcommunicationbetween

hosts. Thiswould_eventuallyreplaceNCPand revolutionizetheprotocol structure.

(G.Blank,

2002)

The

key

highlightofTCPwas its_abilitytocommunicatebetweentwo

hosts,

while_{staying in}touchwitheach other and_makingsurethat therewas a reliable

delivery

ofdata. NCPwas unabletoresolvetheaboveissuesto theextentthatTCPwas ableto.

Also,

TCPwasableto

keep

trackofwhat was

being

sent, and even retransmit_anything

thatdidnotgetthrough. Ifthemessage wastoolarge forone_package,TCPwas ableto

splitthemessageintoseveralpackages and wouldthenmakesurethat

they

wouldall

arrive correctly.

Concurrently,

aftertheseveralpackages would arriveto theotherhostat

theother_{end, the}TCP wouldbeabletoputallthepackagesbacktogetherinthesame

proper order.

By

1978, testing

andfurther developmentofthislanguage ledtoa new suite of

protocolscalledTransmission ControlProtocol/InternetProtocol(TCP/LP).In

1983,

it

thenetworkcontinuedto grow_{exponentially}to thisday.

(G.Blank, 2002)

Althoughthe

Arpanetceasedtoexistin

1990,

theInternetstillhas and continuestoevolve and meet

new_changingrequirements.

Fromits

beginning

in

1969,

theoutput ofthe_agencyprovidedatest-bedfor

networkingresearch anddevelopment

(Bellis,

2001),

linking

_manyuniversities and

research centers.

Eventually,

thisoutputfrom Arpanet_{became extremely}successful

amongseveral clients and service systemsbecauseitofferedbasic and simple services

thateveryone_needed,such as file

transferring,

_sendingelectronic mailtoone another and

remotelogins. _{This eventually}ledto thedevelopmentoftheInternetwhereapplications

runningacrossdifferentnetwork protocols were abletofindwaystocommunicatewith

each other. TCP/LPwas abletocommunicate with various entities and structuretheir

information_{exchange,creating} a matrix of networks.

Asthedemand and needfortheInternetgrew and withtheassemblage of

numerous anddifferentorganizations, theInternetauthoritiestookon animportantroleto

conveya range of numberstodifferentorganizations.Thesenumbers werefurther

assignedtocollectedgroups,whichpermittedtheLP

(operating

on_{gateway machines)}to

movedata fromvariousdepartments.

Furthermore,

thiswould allow datatonetwork

throughseveral organizations andcross-vastregions and_eventuallyglobal. Thisprocess

allowedTCP/IPtobe_{predominantly}utilized

by

thepublicand_providingrealtime

communications.

It became widelyaccepted as amedium of_{communication,}

information,

and

interactionbecause ofits

flexibility

inconnectionless_protocol,whichallowedthedatato

gained more_popularityafterthe

1990s,

when graphicalinterfaces became_widely

availableand commercialinterestswereallowedtoparticipate.

(DiMaggio, 2001)

This

eventuallyledto theestablishment of a network of networks.

Types of

IP's,

IPv4 andIPv6

Therewere several protocolsthatarefoundwithinthenetwork andtransport

layer,

alsoknownastheTCP/LPprotocol suite. SomeoftheLPversionsthatwere

assigned wereLPversion0

(IPvO)

to IPv3andLPv5. LPvOtoLPv3 wereeither reservedor

unused

by

certain organizations. LPv5 was_onlyused as an experimental stream protocol

andthe twoLP versions_{currently in}use andin demandareIPv4andIPv6. Other

versionsdo _exist,but

they

were either usedforexperimental_protocols,or are not used

frequently.

Currently

IPv4is_widelyused asthestandardforInternet_{communication,} andhas

beenusedtoprovidethebasiccommunication mechanisms ofTCP-TPandtheInternet

foraround20years.

(Kosiur,

1998)

However,

newer versionshave been

developed,

mainlybecauseofLPv4sincapabilitiestohandletheinfluxofInternetusers andits

inflexibility

toallowtheInternettogrow andfunction efficiently (both insize and

number).

(Kosiur, 1998)

AstheseInternetaddresses grew

limited,

theproposed

successortoIPv4was

IPv6,

enabledittobe introducedintherealm ofTCP/LP.

Conceptually,

IPv6differs little from

IPv4,

however manydetailshavechanged.

Forexample,IPv6provideslargeraddresses and replacestheIPv4variable-length

optionsfieldwitha series offixed-format headers(whichleadstofasterprocessing). The

comparedto

IPv4,

whichuses a32-bit source. Anewflexibleheaderformatusesa

fixed-formatheaderwitha setofoptional

headers;

networkresources canbereallocated

insteadof_{using LPv4'stype-of-service specification;} IPv6can more_easilyaccommodate

futureextensionsthanIPv4.

(Kosiur, 1998)

ThebasicfunctionsofIPv6 andIPv4are quite_similar,butthemaindifferencesin

IPv6arefound in its

form,

such asthe_{addressing, security}and configuration.

Primarily,

IPv4usesa32-bitsourcethatistooinadequate forthelong-termgrowth oftheInternet.

This_{has currently}openeddoors for_{many largeorganizations,} suchasCiscoand

Microsoftto test thenewIPv6and

develop

potentialreal-time

broadcasting

technologies

thatcouldbereleasedto thegeneral public.

ImportanceofTCP/IPfor Real-Time

Broadcasting

Mostcomputersthat areabletoconnectto theInternetusesometypeof_protocol,

mainly fromalargecollectionof protocols calledTCP/LPsuite. TCP/LPhasevolvedto

becomea critical playerinthefutureof media

broadcasting;

_especiallyforpeer-peer

digital networkingand offers_manyadvantagesover_manyothernetworkprotocolsand

protocol suites.

Oneofthestrengths and_contributingaspecttoitsgrowthishow TCP/LPbecame

widelyavailableto thepublic. TCP/LPisbasedupon

having

openstandards andisnot

proprietaryorcorporation owned. Thismakesit flexibleenoughto allow_anycomputer

engineertoimproveorenhancetheprotocol

by

_publishinganRFC.

Therefore,

TCP/LP

TCP/IPisrobust, asitcanbeconfiguredtowork with_anytypeofhardware and

networkcreated. Ithasthe_abilityto figureoutthepathfor everydataor_packet,

regardless of size and asitmoves_{through the network, mainly}becauseTCP/TPisa

routable protocol. TCP/IP can scaleto_anysize environment andis robustenoughto

connecttodifferenttypesofLANs. TCP/LP isreliable and can guaranteedatatobe

efficientlytransferred toanotherhost.

TCP/LP usesa single and_relativelysimple_addressingschemeinorderto forward

datato theappropriate

destinations(s),

which makesit_easyto transferknowledgeof

TCP/LPto_{any TCP/LP}network without_re-learningthe_addressingscheme. The

addressingschemeallowsthenetwork protocolstoreceivethedataorinformthesource

hostofa changeinthenetwork or undeliverablemessages.

Mostcomputersthatare abletoconnectto the_{Internet commonly}use a32-bit

integercalledtheLP addressforeachhoston aninter-network. Thelatestversion ofthe

JPprotocol,

IPv6,

provides 128 bits foraddresses. This allowsTCP/LPtoutilizeits 32-bit

JPaddresswithintheTransport Layerto_{consistently locate}and

identify

thedestination

inthenetwork.

Thus,

the adequatelevelof a32-bit LP address confers_{consistency in}

determining

thedestinationinthenetwork.

LPhasmadeitpossiblefortherapidgrowthofthe

Internet,

whichhas becomea

necessityfortoday'sbusinessandhomeuse andis_eventually

becoming

the

key

language

forreal-timebroadcasting. All computers areconnectedto theInternetand useTCP/LP

astheprotocolofchoice fortheirinternalnetworks. Thecommercialimplicationsofthe

taughtand continuesto

bring

real-time

broadcasting

to_everyhomeand

business,

_making

TCP/LPa standard communication protocolfortheInternet.

IP

Unicasting,

Broadcasting

and

Multicasting

According

toRoeder

(2000),

therehasbeenan_ongoingdebateon whetherLP

broadcasting

willtakeovertelevisionbroadcasting.Butwhile most agreethatitwill still

bea

long

time to

develop,

it isassumedthatLP

broadcasting

will continuetobean

integralpart of contentdelivery.Asa_result,itwill see phenomenal growth inthenext

fewyears.In_addition,Birkmaier

(2002)

also recognizesthecompetition_amongseveral

giant corporationstoimprovetheirLP

broadcasting

technologies.

Microsoft CorporationandBellCanadaannouncedthat these twocompanies

intendtoworktogether to testand

deploy

televisionservicesbasedonnewInternet

Protocoltelevision

(IPTV)

technology. With Bell ExpressVu digitalprogramming,Bell

Canadaplanstobethefirsttelecommunications_companyinCanadaand_amongthefirst

intheworldto trial the

delivery

of servicesoveranLPbroadband_{network, using IPTV}

technology

thatis

being

developed

by

Microsoft TV.

(Blair, Thibodeau, Perry,

2003)

Tofurtherunderstandthegrowthofmulti-media

broadcasting,

itwouldbe

importanttounderstandthe threemaintypes ofmultipointcommunications:_unicasting,

broadcasting

andmulticasting.

Unicasting

iswhen_anysingle source sends anindividual

copyof a messagetoeach_recipient, alsoreferredtoas multipoint unicasting. Insome

casesthenumbers ofrecipients arelimitedtothesender'sbandwidth.

(Kosiur,

1998)

For

sessions arelimitedto theparticipants. Otherwisethenetwork wouldbecomeover saturated andreducethebandwidth.

The widelyusedexample of_unicastingiswhen userstransferfilesthroughFTP

(File Transfer

Protocol)

file serverto theircomputers. Theuserisableto transfer_anyfile

over_{the network,} from anyserver andtohisorherown computer.

However,

ifthere

were several users who would needto dothesametypeoftransferatthesametime

through

FTP,

theFTP server wouldhaveto sendthefiletoeach of_{the recipients,}

separately. Itwould cause a repeated usage ofbandwidth foreachtransfer toeach_user,

causingan_unnecessaryuse ofbandwidth.

Mostoftheapplications used ontheInternetuse_unicasting,perhaps morethan

90%. Theseapplicationsinvolveone-to-onecommunicating. Anexample wouldbea

client/serverapplication setup. The advantageof_{unicasting is}thatitoffers controlto

both,

thesender and receiverand providestherecipienta_wayto acknowledge

delivery

of

dataor askforretransmissionof_missingpackets.

(Kosiur,

1998)

In manycases where

thesamedatais senttomorethanonerecipientatthesame

time,

_unicastingworks_well,

as

long

asthereare alimitednumberofrecipients.

However,

thedownsideof_unicastingiswhenit'susedfor data distributionand

replication. Theunicast protocolisnot abletosupportthelargenumberof parallel

sessions. Thiswould causethesystemto_{become extremely}slow,would need alarge

amount ofserver_processingandlarge

buffering

overheads. Inaddition,itwouldcause

an_unnecessaryuse ofbandwidth. Inthesesituationsahigh-performanceanddedicated

Anothertypeof an alternative network spectrumisLP

broadcasting.

In JP

broadcasting

themessageiscopied andtransmitted to all network nodes. Therethe

receivingnodes are abletodecideif

they

needtoreceivethemessage or not.

(Kosiur,

1998)

A copyofthemessageistransmitted toall networkloads.

By

distributing

the task

of

duplicating

thepackets_amongthenetworkhostsprovides an advantagetowards the

sender,ratherthan

focusing

the taskatthesender'shostmachine.

Currently,

thereare severaltypesof networktechnologies

(hardware)

thatare able

tosend packetstomultiple

destinations,

simultaneously. Anexample wouldbethe

Ethernet

LAN,

wherebroadcast

delivery

canbeaccomplished within a single packet

transmissionoverthewire. Thehardware interfaceon eachhostcomputer(attachedto

any Ethernet cable) isabletoobservethenetforpacketsthatare

bearing

abroadcast

address. Oncethesepackets are_noticed,

they

are accepted. Theother softwarethatis

operatingonthehost'smachine isabletodetermine ifthebroadcastdata is_actually

needed

by

thehostor_{not, saving}resources onthecomputer.

By

filtering

the

broadcast,

it

provides a suitable compromisebetweenthenetwork andhost'sresources.

Routersor other networkdevices are abletoduplicatepackets anddistributedata

amongthesubnetsfor_{any WAN (wide}area_{network) based}

broadcasting

orinter

networks. OnceontheEthernet

(LAN),

these systems are abletoutilizetheEthernetand

deliverthepacketstoeach computer.

(Kosiur,

1998)

Thescalebackto

broadcasting

is that thenetworktrafficcan_swiftlygrow out of

control. Thiswould cause afurtherreductioninthebandwidth forother critical

bandwidth

would_eventuallycrashthenetwork. Toovercome this

issue,

itwouldbe

necessarytorestrictsuchbroadcaststoa single subnet.

However,

broadcasting

still places an_unnecessarycomputationalloadon

workstations,wherethehost isnotinterestedinreceiving.

(Kosiur,

1998)

To detennineif

themessageis_needed,a part ofthemessageisprocessed

(by

_checkingifthemessageis

needed or_not),causingsome usage ofthenetwork and computational resources.

(Kosiur,

1998)

Through LP

broadcasting,

end-users are abletoaccess and monitorabroadrange

ofliveeventsthroughtheInternet

by

_usingreal-time

technologies,

_preventingend-users

tohaveno constraintin_accessingchannels and most_{notably, the}

flexibility

tohave

global coverage. Globalcoverage couldbereceived

by

meansofsatellite or cablethat

are encodedintotheLPnetwork. Agood example oflive LP

broadcasting

technology

is

DigitalVideo

Broadcasting

(DVB). ThisistheEuropeanversionof ahigh-speed digital

television,

whichhasthe_abilityto_supplyvideo and audio as well ashandlethe_many

megabytes per second neededforreal-time

broadcasting,

simultaneously.

Anothertypeofan alternativenetwork spectrumisLPmulticasting, similartoLP

broadcasting. If unicastingand

broadcasting

were_{two extremes, thanmulticasting}would

fallinthecenter. Varioustypes ofLANtechnologiescanalso supportitandthenetwork

devices,

such asthe

Ethernet,

are abletomonitorand receivedatathroughouta series of

multicast_addresses,paralleltobroadcastaddresses. Ratherthan_sendingthedatatoa

singlehostasin_unicastingortoallhostson a networkthrough

broadcasting,

The host group is identified

by

a specified multicastaddress thatis assignedtoit.

The host'smonitorstheLANandisabletoacceptthepacketsthatare addressedtothe

multicast address. Themulticastaddressis ableto

identify

thehostgroupstowhichit

belongsandallowseachhosttochoose whetheritwantstoparticipateina_multicast,

unlikebroadcasting.

Using

multicastingon aWAN mayalsohavesome similarfeaturestohow LAN

multicastingoperates.

Multicasting

aimstodeliver datatohostgroups wherethe

membership information's concerningthesehostgroups ismaintained acrosstheentire

WAN. Theprocedures for

joining

and_maintainingahost group may be different from

LAN becauserouters needtogetinvolved. Therouters passinformation_among

themselvestomaintainthefabricofthemulticastinter-network.

(Kosiur,

1998)

Finally

whenahost group isset_{up, the}sender startsto transmit thepacketsto the

establishedhost group address. Thepacket streams aredeliveredtoallmembers ofthe

groupsthroughoutthenetworkinfrastructure. Toconservethebandwidthin

multicasting,onlyone_copyof amulticast messageisused andispassedover_{the router,}

forexample, anyotherlinkinthenetworkisusedunlessthemessageneedstobepassed

overtoanotherrouter.

LP multicastingcan_onlybeusedforcertainapplicationsontheInternetalthough

thereare_{many different kinds}ofapplicationsdeveloped for LP multicasting. These

applications canbecategorized_{according to}whetherthey'rereal-timeapplicationsthat

use_onlysinglemediadataormultimedia. Someexamples of real-timeapplicationsthat

use multimediaforweb_castingapplicationsarefiletransferselectronic software

graphics. Otherexamples ofreal-time applicationsthatusesingle applications are shared

whiteboards, interactive gaming,stock quotes or newsfeed.

However,

LP multicastingprovides no advantagestoWeb

browsing,

_sending

e-mail,or_{running TELNET for}remote accessto ahost_{computer, for instance.}

(Kosiur,

1998)

Themainissue isthatifmorethan two orthreepeople are_sharingcommondata

ina given_application,thenLP_multicastingcan

help

reducethedemandon network

bandwidth.

ThedownsideofLP_{multicasting is}that thereare still severalissuesthatremainto

besolvedtopromote_{LP multicasting}forcommercial purposes. Someoftheseissues

involve _scalabilityproblemsthatcan occur asthe_multicastingnetwork grows. The

routers not_{only have}todealwiththedynamictopologicalchanges commontointer

networks,but

they

alsohavetodealwiththedynamicsofhostgroups as membersjoin

andleavethegroups. LP multicastingdepends onthe traditionalbest-effort

delivery

method of

LP,

which renders

delivery

unreliable. Althoughefforts are under_wayto

develop

abetterprotocolforreliable

delivery

of multicast

traffic,

thereisno single

reliable multicast protocolthatiscapable of

handling

thewide_varietyof_group

distributions,

amount offeedbackrequired,orthevarioustypes ofdata involved.

Quality

ofService

(QoS)

formulticasttrafficisanimportantissue. Thiswillbeof

immense importance forthedistributionof multimediaandreal-timedataoverthe

Internet. But manytypesofmultimediahavespecial

timing

and

delay

_{requirements,}

whichhavetobeguaranteed

by

_{the network,}ifthedelivered data istobeuseful.

(Kosiur,

networkdevelopers seektocombine_multicastingwith multimediadata distributiononLP

networks.

(Kosiur,

1998)

LP

Multicasting

isa much simpler_wayforservice providerstomanage and

monitortheirreal-timeand multimedia

broadcasting

transmissions.

Streaming

multimedia,particularlyaudio,video or combined audio and video canbedistributedtoa

multicastinggroup.Thereare several products likeProgressiveNetworks' RealAudio

andReal

Video,

which weredesignedtouse_multicastingwhenit'savailable.

Recordingsof conference_{sessions, concerts,} andinterviewsuse multicast overthe

Internet.

Mainly

because_multicastingsendsdata fromone singleserverto_manyusers at

thesame_{time,allowing}theendusertoselectthebroadcast

they

wantafter

they

have

receivedtherequiredlimitations fromtheirserviceprovider.

When comparing LP

broadcasting

andJPmulticasting, LP

broadcasting

isthe

inadequatereplacementformulticasting. Inpractice,broadcastsare_usuallyusedwhere

multicastsareneeded. Packetsarebroadcastedatthehardware

level,

but

filtering

softwareinthe_{receiving hosts}givestheeffectofmulticasting. LP

broadcasting

sends

datatoeveryoneatthesametimewhileLP multicastingprovidesa_{better way}to control

thestream ofdataandtosendittoreceivers who_reallyneedthem.

What's

holding

_up Real-time Broadcasting?

Theusageofinformation

technology

has increased

dynamically,

dueto the

availabilityof_{user-friendlyapplications,affordability}andefficient software/hardware

packages, and major advancesintelecommunicationcapabilities. Overthepastfew

such areais inbroadbandnetworking,where competitors are always_seekingwaysto

replaceincumbenttechnologies

by

improved_{performance,reliability,speed,}recognition,

and_probablymostimportantofall,cost.

Overthe years, theEthernethas beenthe

key

_player,not_onlyinthebusiness

environmentsbutalso athome. Thisis_{mainly because}thesecomponentshavebecome

more affordable and_effective,butas_{these technologies progress,}itcanleadtowards

other potential and efficient versions. Someoftheseexamples areGigEandFiber

Channel,

which continuestoallowthegrowthtowardsreal-timebroadcasting.

Currently,

Gigabit Ethernethasthe_abilityandthebandwidthroomtorun

applications. Ifmoreis_{needed, then}equipment _supportinganewer versionofthe

technology

thatoperates at 10 Gbpsfaster is_alreadyavailableto themarket.

However,

many

industry

expertsbelievethatfromits_{track record,}installation

base,

andtheprice

per_megabyte, Ethernetwillbetheultimateandfinalprotocolthatwill win out

Asynchronous Transfer Mode

(ATM)

inthewide area.

(Carty, 2002)

ATMisadedicatedconnection_switching

technology

thatorganizesdigital data

into 53

-bytescell unitsandtransmit themoveraphysical medium_{using digital}signal

technology. SpeedsonATMnetworkscanreach_upto 10 Gbps. (Power Net Global

Communications,

2004)

however;

thiswasfirst developed_{unsystematically}anddidnot

come closeto thedevelopmentoftruereal-time

delivery

ofvideo.

Fiber Channel

(FC)

is another

technology

thatisusedfor

transmitting

data

betweencomputerdevicesatdataratesbetween 100to400mbps,overoptical fiberor

copper. Theseopticalfibers areoptimizedtoconnect serverstoshared storagedevices

connectionandis

bi-directional.

_It's

topology

_independentand provides ahighscalable

interconnection

between_{computers, peripherals,}and networks.

Mostly,

FCtakesits

place alongsidethe

development

of video servers.

TheGigabit Ethernettechnologiesare abletooffer greaterbandwidthandmore

flexiblechannelsthanstandardEthernet. ImprovementsinGigabit Ethernet

technology

are_replacingthe_older,slowerAsynchronousSerial Interface

(ASIs)

connectionsthat couldbe_{important in Video}onDemandnetworkdevelopment. Itisthenexthope for

extendingdatatransfersover_existingsystems withtheprospect of

integrating

pocketsize video on a more conventionaltopology.

In early

2001,

theserver manufacturersbegan offeringalternative simultaneous

bitstream outputformatswithtransportstreaminputsovertopologiessuch as

GigE,

Fiber Channelandthemore conventionalEthernetoverJPorFTP. Theseextended capabilities are_{clearly moving}themodern video server out ofthepure"video"domain

andintothe true "store-and-forward"media-serverdomain. Companies like Metro

Ethernetare

developing

technologiesthatcan and_{accordingto analysts,}

bring

real-time

broadband connectivity

directly

to theoffice orhomethroughfibercables.

(Broadhead,

2003)

More

importantly,

thiswillallowtheintegrationoftheInternetas a core_strategy

initiativefornumerousbusinesses.

However,

there are stilldelays for_manyend-usersto

incorporatereal-time

broadcasting

ona

daily

basis,

such as_{affordability,}network

management,

inter-operability,

andreliability.

Inthe_{early development}of

FC,

itwas once regarded asthemost probable

methodof

intra-facility

interconnectionforthehigh-speedtransferof video anddata

video serversisa small subset oftheentire rangeof capabilities ofFC.FC has beena

key

developer

inthevideo/media server_marketplace,butthedevelopmentofGigabit

Ethernetand 10-Gigabit_{Ethernet may}effectthecontinueddevelopmentofFC.

(Paulsen,

2001)

During

the

1980s,

Internetengineers and scientists realizedtheinefficienciesof

unicastin

developing

media

distributions, leading

waysto

develop

multicasting. Mostof

the_{Internet streaming}

today

uses_{unicast, the}designatedInternettransportprotocol.To

improvethis_qualityand providelargescale_streaming,theservice provider needsto

incorporatetheprice forextrabandwidth_use, which wouldbe_veryexpensive.

Thedifferencesbetweenunicast and multicastisthatmulticast allows a_copyof a

streamtobesentthrough_any

link,

_allowingthe_routingprotocoltoreplicatethe

streamingmedia packetsinsidethenetwork and_{sending data}toselected end-users.

Providing

distributionat alowercost.

Currently,

_multicastingalsohasbeen widelyused

by

organizationstosendLP Datagram (i.e. audioor_video) stream overtheInternetfrom

onelocationto_many

locations,

simultaneously.

The growthfor

broadcasting

technologiesdependson affordable_systems,such as

lowequipment costfor

installing,

maintaining,operatingand_{making capacity}changes.

Conversely,

serviceproviderhavetobeconcernedabouthowend-users willbeeffected

by having

theseservicestransformedfromone system_{to another,making}surethe

transferformediadataare seamless,withminimaldisruptionof_services, and

unobservable

by

theend-users. To successfullydo

that,

apowerfulnetwork management

"Between 2002 and

2006,

Ethernetwill make majorinroads intometrotelecom

equipment_{spending,accumulating}$18bn." _{This spending}is

being

driven

by

thefactthat

more users are

demanding

Ethernet_services,lowerprices andtheconvenience of

incremental

bandwidth fromtheirservice providers.

(Broadhead, 2003)

To establish a powerful network management_system,itwould requiretheinter

operability amongequipment used

by

multiple service providers andthevarioustypesof

IPnetworktypologies.

Inter-operability

meansthat theequipmentinthenetwork should

notjustco-existinthesame_networks,butalso_productivelysharethe_{responsibility}of

providingconnectivity.

Furthermore,

itshould also supportliveor on-demand_streaming

video_services,aswellas well-defined protocolfor

inter-connecting

_{these elements,}

ensuringthatall-common network management models can coexist. Withinter

operability,datacanbe_seamlesslytransformedfromone_another,evenifthenetwork or

equipmentfails.

However,

effective use ofthese fieldswould require a stringent

agreementbetweenvendors andwillpresent new

inter-operability

issues inthefuture.

Inrecent

times,

theMetro Ethernet

inter-operability

demonstrationsatthe

Supercomm 2003tradeshowintheUS stressed onthisbelief. Thiswasthelargestand

most comprehensive service

inter-operability

demonstrationofMetro Ethernetservicesto

thisdate. Thiswas_probablyone ofthefirsttimes thegeneral public was abletosee a

genuine multi-supplier solution_runningreal applications.

(Broadhead,

2003)

Acreate awell-establishednetworkmanagement_system,itwould require

reliability. Carriercallsystemsshouldbereliableenoughto ensurethat theirsystems

don't failtodeliverdataat_anygiven point oftime.

Providing

theend-users withthe

having

aneffective_{software-quality}management system.

Furthermore,

thiswouldallow theend-usertominimizetheirsystemdowntime.

Toensurethat theseservices are availablefor_end-users,carrier call systems

shouldberobust.

They

shouldbeabletodetectproblems at_any

time,

repairthem and

provide an extensive service recovery.

Providing

ahigh leveloffaulttolerancefor

end-users.

Conversely,

ifthesystem goes

down,

end-users wouldloosetheservice and would cause aheaviercost ontheservice providers.

Otherthan the

Internet,

new compression methods could reducethedatasize and maintainthesoundandimage_qualityatits best. Serviceproviders should provide

end-users with adequate software

decoding,

andimprovedbroadbandservicestodeliver high qualitycontinuous mediadata-streams. In_addition,

they

should provideadvanced

technologiesfor_sortinglargevolumeofdataandthewidespread adoption oftheserver

client architecturetoensurethe

delivery

ofcontentacross abroadgeographic area. More

importantly,

providers needtoestablisha powerfulnetworkmanagement system

by

maintaining

inter-operability

amongnetworks, affordabilityand_reliabilitytoend-users.

Therefore,

a solidnetwork managementfoundationis _clearlythenucleusoftheover all solution.

Effectson Organizations

Recently,

multimedia

broadcasting

has beenrevolutionized

by

the_continuing

advancementofLP

broadcasting

technologies. "Corporatevideo servicesare_already

embracingLP infrastructuresandthebroadcast

industry

will_graduallymovetoLP

services, as

well,"

networksprovidea greatdealofbandwidth atlow_cost,when compared against

traditionalprofessional_qualityreal-time video_connections, which must adhereto _very

stricttechnicalrequirements.

(Kaufhold,

2004). More

importantly,

LPhasbeen associated with_{every decision}

being

made aboutthefutureofbroadcasting.

Birkmaier

(2002)

statedthat theInternethasbeen

threatening

television,

radio,

cable and otherbroadcast distributioninfrastructuresandthenumbers of people who

haveturned to the

Internet,

ratherthan

broadcasting

_media,have increasedthroughoutthe

years. "Enabled

by

theLP _{concept, the}Internet hasemerged as a massivethreat to

TV,

radio, cable,DBS and other

broadcasting

distributioninfrastructures."

(Birkmaier, 2002)

Withahyper-turbulentcompetitive environment andthe_abilityoflarge

organizationstosqueeze out smaller_competitors,competitionhas becomechallenging.

Providerswillhavetobecompetitivein_pricing,provide promotional_campaigns, and establish cooperationbetween businessesand organizationstosurvive.

Furthermore,

they

needtoenhancethere_standingand

legitimacy

inthefirm's localenvironment,

develop

new

technology

enhancements, affordabilityandestablishimprovements in

broadcasting

technologies,such as_establishinga powerfulnetworkmanagement system.

However,

the autonomy-seekingbehaviorcharacteristic of entrepreneurs andthe self-directed behaviorthatdrivessmallbusinessowners would seemtobeat oddswiththe increased interdependence. The

rising

cooperationand changesinthecompetitive

environmenthasbeenposed

by

anincreased

technology

usage.

Already

largeorganizations,such asAOL Time Warner havestressedthe

importance in

finding

waysto_re-developthecable

industry

and makeita critical partin

one network.

(Birkmaier,

2002).

Delivering

alive streamingevent overtheInternet

wouldbeefficientfora servertoroute one streamto_manyusers.

Unfortunately

most

Internetrouterscannotdothisbecausetheserver needstoduplicatethis_{for everyserver,}

(Birkmaier,

2002).

Existing

router needstobeupgradedtosupporttheJPmulticast

protocol. Oncethisis achieved,itwillleadwaysto

develop

a unifiednetwork,which

willbeableto _simplifythenetworkdesignsand allowimproved bandwidthallocation

amongservices.

Corporatenetworks andbroadcastvideo

delivery

services are

taking

advantage of

improvements,

such asMPLS and

IPv6,

aswellas_usingvideo encapsulatedproductsto

send real-time_qualityvideo overLPvirtual networks.

However,

theevolutiontoLPwill

takesometime to accomplish.

Many

traditional

delivery

services are providedthrough

long-termpurchases _{agreements, causing}a

delay

toimplementLPsolutionsuntilthe time

periods of previous contractshave expired.

(Kaufhold,

2004).

Electronic Media andtheSociological Aspects

Themaintheoretical traditionsof_sociologyhavecome_upwith various

viewpoints aboutelectronicmedia andhowit influencesend-users. The Internettends to

complement ratherthan_{displace existing}mediaandpatterns ofbehaviorbecause it

integratesbothstyles ofcommunication(reciprocal

interaction,

broadcasting,

individual

reference-searching,group

discussion,

person/machine

interaction)

anddifferent kindsof

content

delivery

(text,

video,visual

images,

_audio)ina single medium. This_versatility

rendersplausible claimsthat

technology

willbeimplicatedin_manykindsof social

Someviewpointsabout electronic media andhowit influencesend-usersarefrom

the

Durkheimians,

MarxistandWeberians.

They

stress onthechangesinelectronic

media andhowitaffectsthesociological aspect.Althoughthere_mayhavebeena wide

varietyof studiesdone inthepast on

broadcasting

technologies,

this_studywill seekto

contribute anin-depthanalysis ofthefactorsthatinfluencedtheproliferationand

rising

preference oninteractivemedia channels.

TheDurkheimiansstatethatwhen_{using different kinds} of point-to-point

communications,such asthe

telephone,

radio or

television,

itwouldtend tocreatea

different kindofimplicationtowards each user. Forexample,when_usingthe telephone

itwould reinforce organic solidarity. _{When using}theradioor_television,itwouldyield

tocreate apowerful and cooperativerepresentation. Real-time

broadcasting

would

provide

both,

_{solidarity for}whenend-users are_usingthe telephone through the

Internet,

orcreatehugegatheringswhenLP

broadcasting

istransmittedto_manyend-users at one

time,

perhapsinthesame place. The influenceoftheInternetto the_{society from}the

Durkheimiansperspective sensitizes ustothenewmedia'simpacton_communityand

socialcapital.

WhentelevisionappearedintheUnited

States,

ithada rapidimpactontheuse of

other mediadevices. Audienceabandonedtheirradio _sets,movie_{theatre closed,} and

general-interest magazines stoppedpublishing fictionand_eventuallyfolded. (DiMaggio

ET

Al,

2001) Enforcing

declines inout-of-homesocializing, in-homeconversation,

housework,

personalcare activities,andeven sleep. (DiMaggio ET

Al,

2001)

If

television, aunidirectionalmassmedium,displacedso_manyactivities, thenitstandsto

might substituteevenmore. Observershaveexpressed particular concernsthatInternet

users_mayreducethe timedevotedtooff-line socialinteractionsand spendlesstimewith print _media, aswellasthe televisionand other media. (DiMaggioET

Al,

2001)

TheMarxistsarguethat thecorruption and abuse of communicationalmedia

wouldleadtoaugment control on politics and productionthroughcultural_supremacyand improvedobservation. TheWeberianswould arguethat_anyformofpoint-to-point

media would advance rationalization

by

_reducingthelimitsoftimeand_{space, thus}

allowingbroadcastmediatocreatedistinctivestatus cultures. The Marxianand

WeberianstraditionsabouttheinfluenceoftheInternetonthe_societyareconcerned

about power and

inequality

intheaccessto thenewtechnology. The Weberianstradition

raisesthequestion oftheeffectoftheInternet

technology

on

bureaucracy

and economic

institutions. (DiMaggio ET

Al,

2001)

Technological deterministsarguethat_anychange orimprovementsmadeto the

featuresoftraditionalmedia would create asocialchange. Suchashowreal-time

broadcasting

haschallenged ourtraditional

broadcasting

methods and opened anew

mediumfor LP

broadcasting

throughtheInternet. Thesechanges willinduce a new_way to communicate,refining distinctiveskills and

bringing

awareness. Inthe

1960s,

the

students ofsocialchangesuggestedthat_anynewdevelopmenttowards the

communication

technology

wouldcausethe_{industrial society}toyieldtowards the

"informationsociety,"

thus_causinga changein_{every institution}existing. Proofsofthis

arepresentin every societythesedays.

smaller electronicdevicesandtheother wouldbethroughoptical circuit. Opticalcircuits

are_extremelyeffectivetoincreasethespeedtheflowofinformationthroughnetworks.

Thesecondwouldbethefutureintegrationof computer_processingand

telecommunications,

alsoknownas"communication"technology.

Aswehave seeninrecent

times,

a powerful network managementsystem would

improve

broadcasting

technologies. In_{the past,}Bellanticipatedthedemocratizationof

electronic_mail,

Tele-faxing,

as well as digitaltransmissionofnewspapersand

magazines,and_currentlyit ishappening.

Hence,

heexplored and statedthat these

changes would cause"thesocial organization ofthenew"communications'_technology,

themost centralissue"forthepostindustrial society".

Ithasbecomeclearthatreal-time

broadcasting

haschangedthevision onhowthe

Internet,

the traditional telecommunications devices/services and media oriented

televisionsectorswouldinterac