IP/TV testing |
The NOC is testing broadcast TV delivered to computer desktops. From a TV antenna on top of Natural Sciences II we are injecting two channels as multicast into the UCSC campus data network. |
Low bandwidth: 480i resolution: KSBW-2 about 3 Mb/s udp 239.192.1.2 port 1234 |
High bandwidth: 1080i resolution: KION about 13 Mb/s udp 239.192.1.3 port 1234 |
The application we've been testing is VLC from videolan.org. We have used XP, Vista, Intel Mac and Linux clients to watch TV. Select Open Network Stream in the Media pull-down menu and fill in the three values for the channels as listed. |
This works on campus, but not behind firewalls (Lick and the Health Center), nor on wireless or in Resnet. It works at 2300 Delaware. Other off-site locations (e.g. Long Marine and 2901 Mission) have limited bandwidth and it probably will not be watchable. If your desktop connection is at 10 Mb/s you can watch the low bandwidth stream but KION will break up badly. |
TV reception does not use our off-campus Internet connections, and so this could provide the campus with a way to get news if fiber cuts isolate us. TV to desktop is also a possible future delivery system for TV in the on-campus residences and this lets us test what that might be like. |
Comments/questions can be sent to noc@ucsc.edu. Note that this is an experiment, not an ITS service. Please don't write to complain about the content of the channels. Broadcast TV is what it is. |
9 December 2009 |