A generic platform to study the basic aspects of DVB-IPTV conversion process

Paper describes briefly the basic concepts and a practical implementation for an original generic platform able to acquire, create and distribute IPTV content, using as primary sources DVB or locally stored video content. A clearly unusual, original feature, is the fact that the system includes both components of the bridge, RF/baseband DVB processing and IPTV streaming elements in an integrated architecture. The architecture is conceived to implement multiple test scenarios. This is particularly important in the educational environment, to clarify this mélange of technologies ranging from video acquisition or RF transmission to networking and embedded systems. Audio-video content is gathered by different traditional technologies: DVB-S, CATV Headend, video streaming servers. This experimental network is intended to be used for throughput, QoS or audio-video quality measurements. The system is used to test even possible hardware/software implementations of commercial systems. The versatility of this system is proven by implementation of few basic test scenarios. Most relevant features of the system and tests implemented in this configuration are described in the final paragraphs of the paper.