Uncompressed HD and SD video transport over IP networks

Japanese broadcasters, not satisfied with the quality offered by existing video compression technology, have turned to telecom carriers to provide low cost, flexible, uncompressed video transport. Japanese telecom carriers recognize that significant capital and operational savings can be realized through the deployment of uncompressed video transport equipment, due to the vastly simpler networks that can be constructed. This breakthrough has allowed carriers to supply uncompressed video transport of up to 1.5 Gbps at only a 50% price premium over competitive video services. This technology was originally deployed for the FIFA Worlds Cup™ 2002 matches in Asia. The next generation of this technology has been used for transporting video signals to Tokyo for the 2004 Olympics. This paper describes this technology in detail, including the video encapsulation method recommended to the Internet engineering task force. A description of the transport network used for both the World Cup and Olympic sporting events is provided. The results of new testing with high performance IP routers are also given.