What you need to consider before making the switch. Many agencies will be transitioning from closed circuit television (CCTV) to internet protocol television (IPTV) at some point over the next few years. This is a natural progression as digital infrastructures replace analog and AV migrates onto enterprise networks. Natural or not, the progression is not simple. The lack of understanding of streaming video technologies results in poor documentation of functional requirements. Without proper requirements, IPTV projects quickly become overwhelming.
IPTV brings a vast new set of challenges that can be so daunting that IPTV transition projects are often shelved or canceled. Requirements pitfalls can be avoided through careful planning. I could not possibly outline all of the considerations for IPTV since every agency has different requirements, but I can provide some observations from my own experiences.
My first attempt at IPTV transition was in 2003. I was working in a large consulting firm and we recognized the need for IPTV transition fairly early, but we also found the cost prohibitive and the technology too limited. We ended up deciding to stick with our CCTV system and revisited the topic every year, but never made a commitment to the project. When I left the firm in 2007, the IPTV system project was still being considered and the CCTV system was still in operation.
My next attempt at IPTV transition was early last year. In this case,
we conducted an extensive study of streaming video and IPTV possibilities. The result of the study was a recommendation to hold off on streaming video and IPTV, but to include it in the new campus that we were planning. We are now in the design process for our new campus and have decided to move forward with IPTV. We now have the advantage of brand new construction and high bandwidth fiber networks, but there are new challenges to overcome.
Each of these experiences taught me valuable lessons. The first attempt was canceled primarily for three valid reasons: the existing CCTV system met the needs of the firm, the cost for IPTV was prohibitive, and the available systems were limited at the time. It is important to know when to pass on a potential upgrade. If a project does not add value to an organization or the costs outweigh the benefits, it should not move forward. The next attempt at IPTV reinforced this lesson. It did not make sense to make a large investment in IPTV infrastructure when the headquarters was moving in a few years. The current project makes sense because we are building from the ground up. This made the choice easy, but there are still many reasons to consider IPTV upgrades in existing facilities.
One reason to consider IPTV is cost savings. By riding on the same cables and infrastructure as the computer networks, IPTV can reduce overall cost of ownership. If your agency is coming up on lifecycle replacement of CCTV infrastructure, it may make sense to consider IPTV. If the cabling needs to be replaced, there may be significant savings in adding streaming video to existing enterprise networks. This not only eliminates the need to purchase and install additional cabling, but it also reduces operation and maintenance costs, since it requires fewer unique system components and digital signals are generally easier to maintain than analog ones. IPTV can also save money by streaming video to the desktop. This can avoid the cost of installing and maintaining displays in public areas.
Another reason to consider IPTV is improved information flow. IPTV can easily integrate multiple sources, including terrestrial cable television, satellite sources, broadcast, and internally generated content. This allows organizations to tailor their systems to provide the specific information needed by particular audiences. Increased bandwidth capacity and the ability to multicast streams make multiple channels possible. For example, situational awareness can be enhanced by providing staff with the ability to view news or congressional proceedings. Missions can be supported by providing analysts with foreign broadcast television channels that can help them to find critical information. Command and control can be managed by providing a large audience with the ability to view streams from daily briefings or town hall meetings.
The reasons to consider IPTV are balanced by the drawbacks. IPTV systems are still expensive to build. They can also consume a lot of bandwidth and may put stress on the network. There can also be significant licensing fees from service providers. Many providers charge by the number of displays. When using a CCTV system, the number of displays are easily limited to public area monitors and selected offices. When IPTV streams channels to the desktop, the costs can grow quickly since licenses are required for each individual that can access the channels.
If you are considering migrating to IPTV, you should start with a cost/benefit analysis. If the analysis indicates that you should proceed, you should begin by meeting with stakeholders and documenting functional requirements. You should consider features like HD capability, number of concurrent users, how many channels are needed, and recording capabilities. You will also have to put some thought into the IPTV management and scheduling system. If your organization has a need to provide IPTV to both computers and public area displays, careful engineering planning is required. The system designer will need to factor in the bandwidth and quality of service requirements for the larger public area displays that may be displaying high definition content while provisioning low bandwidth streams to individual computers. Ideally, multicasting would be used whenever possible. This would cut bandwidth requirements and make your network capacity managers less likely to glare at you in meetings.
When designing the system it is important to consider things like IPv6 compliance, emergency message capabilities, system scalability, and future enhancements. The IPTV head end should have plenty of extra inputs and outputs, or at least be expandable. The system should also be able to be seamlessly integrated with digital signage solutions. If recording and video ondemand features are needed, the system will have to be designed to support these capabilities. There may also be the need to restrict access to certain content and channels through authentication credentials.
Like CCTV systems, IPTV systems require active management, but the level of administrator involvement can be much lower than CCTV. IPTV systems can be scheduled far out into the future and program guides can be updated quickly and easily. Insertion of internally generated content can be done easily. Well-designed systems can be much easier to maintain and can grow along with the enterprise network. In addition to these benefits, IPTV can be incorporated into a suite of rich media, collaboration, and communications capabilities. This feature alone makes it much more flexible than its analog cousin. Video that runs on the network can be embedded in applications and portals, including email messages, wikis, blogs, and mashups. Additionally, IPTV can be integrated with unified communications components, including videoconferencing, VoIP telephony, and web collaboration.
The time has not yet come for universal IPTV, but it is getting closer every day. Now is a good time to learn more about it and to begin documenting requirements. If your experience is like mine, you may have the chance to go over the requirements and refine them over time. More likely, IPTV will grow quickly over the next few years, and if you don’t start learning about it now you will find yourself trying to play catch up when it becomes a quick turn around project with a high priority in your organization.
To get prepared, begin by talking with your stakeholders to identify their emerging needs and then evaluate the various products that are available to meet these needs. Make the process fun and take the time to get it right.
Gary L. Hall, CTS-D, CTS-I, is a program management execution officer at the National- Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) in Bethesda, MD. He is also an adjunct instructor at the InfoComm Academy and can be reached at garylhall@gmail.com. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and are in no way officially endorsed by NGA, and do not necessarily represent the views of the United States.