Technology

The Problem:

Current technologies exist for transmitting video over legacy IP connections. These readily available solutions are utilized every day. These video over IP solutions perform reasonably well, but performance characteristics dramatically change when transmitting live video. When streaming live media over legacy IP networks a specific set of video delivery impairments are created. These impairments include packet jitter, packet loss, packet alignment and bandwidth capacity fluctuations.

In order to achieve problem free live video delivery over IP it is necessary to eliminate network impairments and restore overall quality of service. When Managed IP networks are not an option it is very common for design engineers to utilize affordable packet management technologies.

Multiple packet management technologies are readily available for recovering lost transport stream packets and the most common solutions include Pro MPEG FEC, SMPTE 2022, and Raptor Codes. These technologies may provide acceptable protection against undesirable packet loss, but at the expense of increased overhead.

When Pro MPEG FEC, SMPTE 2022 or the latest generation of Raptor Codes are utilized to combat live video delivery impairments overhead percentages can still reach unsustainable levels. This ultimately creates an environment where transport stream packets are lost and video quality is no longer acceptable. Current FEC technologies do not provide full proof protection for jitter related technical issues.

The Solution:

VMT Incorporates Proven Technologies and Infrastructure to eliminate “Live” Video Distribution Impairments

Fully Managed IP Network – VMT network traffic is managed via multiple geographically placed Tier 1 multi-gigabit data centers. VMT Network infrastructure has been designed to provide full internal link redundancy.

Public Internet Supported Solution – VMT technology allows customers to utilize low cost IP network connections. The versatility and availability of public Internet connectivity makes VMT an attractive medium for professional broadcasters.

Jitter Elimination – VMT incorporates specific technologies that eliminate packet jitter. Packets are often discarded by IP decoders because of jitter related deficiencies. The VMT technology actually corrects packet timing issues and will not eliminate packets because of late arrival.

Prioritized Packet Flow – When customer transport streams are initially generated, VMT transport stream technologies analyze and prioritize main transport stream traffic to increase overall efficiency. The solution is designed to manage and prioritize primary packet flows and create secondary packet flows for retransmitted packets.

MPEG Null Packet Elimination – VMT technologies delete Null packets from the initial transport stream then re-insert them at the receiver to maintain bit rate settings. This process increases bandwidth capacity for actual content and reduces packet loss over unstable connections.

Reliability – VMT has incorporated an arsenal of available technologies that allow customers to achieve unprecedented levels of reliability.