Network Video Optimization 101
There is a generally accepted term in mobile networks called optimization. In this sense it usually involves tweaking the radio base station antennas in terms of down tilt, messing around with the power settings and figuring out the best combination of cell-sites that provide the best results for handover and handoff. This and dozens of other techniques make it possible for the best sound quality and power and to make sure calls are not dropped when you’re driving at 70 mph down the highway.
For delivering video services over 3G and LTE networks a number of other considerations come into view. Besides having to deliver high quality multimedia to a variety of devices over radio frequencies, there is the need to optimize the video to minimize the amount of bandwidth that these services take up. This is especially needed as more and more people use video (driven by iPhone for example) and use up all the available bandwidth in a given cell site, requiring operators to deploy more radio base stations and transceivers, all of which are incredibly expensive.
Using services such as Video Network Optimization, operators can reduce the rate from say 140kbps to 110kbps while insuring no decline in perceivable video quality to end customers. The technology behind this takes a lot of experience from companies that are experts in mobile video but can deliver great cost savings which are going to be needed as video explodes in the mobile network.
What do you think are the biggest challenges in optimizing mobile video networks? How will the coming rollouts of LTE (as with Verizon in the US) make the need for this even more important? What are the key technologies and techniques that can be utilized?
Key Technology Advances for Video Quality
The delivery of video services is far more complex than that of pure voice or data. Dilithium engineers and technical experts have been involved in broad range of standard and technology development in the audio/video compression and multimedia communication areas since the early 1990s. Today’s Dilithium products and solutions are underpinned by many of these technologies, either in a unique offering or as part of the standards.
Different telecommunication networks today utilize different audio/voice codecs. The variation is due to the different conditions (bit-rates, delays, error recovery/concealments, etc…) that govern a particular network. Within an industry (e.g. mobile/cellular) different codecs may also be dominant or mandated, as is the case in GSM/WCDMA and CDMA/CDMA-2000 networks. Another example of variation is between broadband VoIP codecs (e.g. the ITU-T G.72X series) and the mobile-oriented voice codecs.
The variations of audio/voice codecs used across networks necessitate transcoding because of bit-rates restrictions and the complexity involved in terminals supporting codecs of other networks. For example WCMDA handsets do not/cannot support G.72X series of codecs.
Etisalat UAE Launches World First Video Push Service
Etisalat UAE, has launched world first Video Push service on its Weyak portal. The service is launched with Funniest Videos. The subscription costs around $5.50 per month, and the subscriber will receive a video call delivering the funny videos everyday at 7pm. An interesting aspect of Video Push is that subscribers can be introduced to new services automatically. The Video Push platform can be easily programmed to videocall subscribers who have opted in, to offer them and demonstrate to them the latest services.
Multimedia Market Trends
The world of mobile multimedia has been around largely since the launch of the first 3G networks ten years ago in Japan. During this time more, than 100 operators and service providers have sold video services to their subscribers and a number of trends are starting to emerge, especially during the past year.
While it is easy to throw out words such as personalization, social networks, and communities of interest – there is little consensus on what this means for multimedia services to mobile phones, PCs, and televisions (the three-screens). However, we are seeing massive take up currently in all kinds of new video services to both 2.5 and 3G handsets.
A number of factors contribute to this market increase including: easy-to-use, simple and great video quality smart phones (think iPhone e.g.), better pricing by service providers, and even a good degree of marketing to promote these services.
Multimedia market trends is a very broad topic and we will be writing much more about this in the coming weeks and months. For now, suffice it to say that we believe the market for multimedia across broadband and mobile is taking off now!
So what will the next 18 months bring for video services? Which kind of services will people be using? What macro economic and social trends are coming that will drive new services?
Video Network Optimization
What if you could squeeze 20-40% more bandwidth from the network while delivering quality services to subscribers at a lower cost? Sound too good to be true? People forget that MP3 technology allowed for the advent (eventually) of the iPod and other audio and video compression techniques enabled much of the services we take for granted today on our various devices.
The whole area of video network optimization requires an understanding of how multimedia is squeezed through the radio, core, and service layer networks. We will be expanding on this topic much more in coming posts.
Right now though, there are products available that take a lot of what our company has pioneered around transcoding to enable a huge amount of more video traffic at any given cell-site or radio network.
For instance (sales pitch ahead!): Leveraging the transcoding and transrating capabilities of the Dilithium Content Adapter (DCA) allows existing network deployment to serve greater numbers of customers when serving video content over mobile broadband networks. Thus, our DVO solution reduces network build-out costs and provides quality video services with less radio, core and service layer components.
So how important will network video optimization be for service providers? Will the end-customer be able to see a difference? What are the true cost savings and benefits?