News for and about the Internet2 community

["Dana Martin" <>]

Sept. 21 - ResearchChannel announced today that its iHDTVT suite of software 
will be available as open source in first quarter 2006. iHDTVT consists of 
software modules that capture, packetize and transport high-definition video 
in various formats over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, with the goal of 
providing wider access to HD content.



Developed with the University of Washington, iHDTVT was first demonstrated 
at the National Association of Broadcasters annual meeting in 2000. The 
software suite has since been expanded to enable and expedite efficient 
streaming with data at rates of up to 1.5Gb/s, which is sufficient to 
transfer uncompressed 1080i high-definition video. The iHDTVT code is 
designed to require minimum overhead to achieve low latency. Its modular 
design can easily support new devices and flexible modes of operation, and 
the code is highly configurable.



"Open-sourcing our code will enable us to put together a talented group of 
partners worldwide. I expect great advancements in this technology with this 
new, collaborative group,"says Michael Wellings, director of engineering, 
ResearchChannel.



ResearchChannel envisions extensions to the current software that will scale 
the video images and tile several images together in a single display. These 
and other enhancements will create a package of services that will enable 
high-quality, low-latency, interactive HD collaborative environments. These 
environments might include interactions between people, or even between 
people and instruments, such as in remote-sensing applications.



ResearchChannel invites partners to participate in this open source project. 
Interested parties should contact Michael Wellings, ResearchChannel's 
Director of Engineering, at (206) 543-9922 or . 
For additional information, contact Sephora DeRoest at 877-616-7265.



About ResearchChannel

ResearchChannel is a nonprofit media and technology organization that 
connects a global audience with the research and academic institutions whose 
developments, insights and discoveries affect our lives and futures. 
ResearchChannel was founded in 1996 by leading research and academic 
institutions so they could share the work of their researchers with the 
public while collectively participating in advanced distribution and 
interactive technology experiments. Programs are shared in their original 
form, unmediated and without interruption. Today, more than 50 institutions 
participate as members and affiliates, and that number continues to grow.



Through cable and satellite distribution, ResearchChannel is available to 
more than 21 million U.S. households. The ResearchChannel website, with 
users in over 70 countries worldwide, provides programs on demand and 
through a live webstream. The online video library houses more than 2,100 
full-length programs.

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