1.5 and 3.0 Gbps Uncompressed HD Video Transport

It’s been over a year since analog television broadcasting with its SD video signals went off the air. What 4:3 sets are still in use are relics of an obsolete technology. They’re hanging on for the time being, thanks to Cable and Satellite receivers that feed their RF inputs. But look closer and you can see that HD channels are multiplying and SD channels are being abandoned by viewers with flat-screen HD TVs. What’s coming up fast is IPTV in high definition. Next year it will be 3D with and without glasses.

For broadcasters, show distributors and content providers, yesterday’s video transport techniques are just as obsolete as those old tube sets. What’s needed now is high definition digital transmission. The highest quality requires uncompressed transport, which, unfortunately, consumes bandwidth at a prodigious rate. No problem. Level 3 Vyvx service is set up to meet the need. Now, level 3 is offering uncompressed high definition video transport services between Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and New York City at 1.5 and 3.0 Gigabits per second.

Live video feeds are delivered in their native, pristine form by sending them with zero compression. Think of it as one very long connection between the studio and the control room. Or, more likely, between the scene of an event and the network control center.

Level 3 has been a major player in video transport services worldwide. Their Emmy Award winning Vyvx resources include fiber connectivity to 125 cities in the United States and Europe. They have direct connectivity to most professional sports venues in the United States and Canada. They offer Managed Video Network Services (MVNS), teleports in Atlanta, Denver, L.A. and Berlin, standards conversion, encryption and HD encoding.

The heart of the system is Level 3’s IP/MPLS worldwide fiber network. MPLS or Multi-Protocol Label Switching networks offer high capacity bandwidth with quality of service controls, deterministic pre-allocated paths with rapid switching to redundant paths if needed. This makes for a highly reliable, secure and high performance core network ideal for high bandwidth data and video transmission.

This is really the leading edge of what will become a much more extensive high bandwidth video transport system. Level 3 has stated that other cities will be added to the 1.5 and 3.0 Gbps service as demand increases. Even as this happens, the demand for compressed HD and even SD video transport is increasing world wide. There is more video content, live feeds and specialized programming being produced every day. Every one of these sources needs high quality and highly reliable transport services.

Are you involved in video production, content distribution, high quality teleconferencing, video streaming or coverage of breaking news? If so, learn more about the range of options available to you for metropolitan and long haul video transport.