OVERVIEW OF HD CAPABLE IP SET-TOP BOXES (STB)

- HD capable IP set-top boxes - are a fast growing sector in the consumer electronics marketplace. HD capable set-tops typically deliver enhanced HD video and audio to consumers. These types of IPTVCDs not only allow viewers to watch high quality HD transmissions but also standard definition programming content as well. HD capable IP set-top boxes are typically classified as follows.

















- HD Multicast Only Boxes - These set-tops are capable of receiving HD channels via a number of different types of IP broadband access networks.

- HD Set-tops with Hard Drives - This type of IP set-top box is able to replicate PClike functionality and allow consumers to personally record HDTV video content and cache HD multicast programming content.

- HD Set-tops with Integrated Recording Unit - HDTV consumes huge amounts of network capacity. A typical HDTV MPEG-2 stream is transmitted at over 20 Mbps. To record 1 h of this stream, over 6 GB of storage would be required. Despite the high capacity storage required, the demand from consumers for solutions, which allow recording of HD content, is rising. Traditional storage media devices such as CD-ROMs are not capable of archiving these volumes of data. Therefore, manufacturers have started to build HD capable set-top boxes that include an optical recording unit that allows consumers to securely record content onto a hard disk or writeable DVDs. These disks can then be played on other devices such as PCs, notebooks, or portable DVD players. In addition to recording material these units are also able to play off-the-shelf DVDs and CDs. These devices support next generation optical disk formats, namely, Blu-ray and HD-DVD.

BLU-RAY Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD), is a next generation storage format that is used by optical disks to store up to 50 GB of data. The standard is developed and promoted by a group of consumer electronics, personal computer,and media manufacturers called the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA). HD capable IP set-top boxes that are equipped with Blu-ray compliant units are able to directly record, rewrite, and store large amounts of high quality HD video content.

HD-DVD Some HD capable IP set-top boxes come with a DVD recording unit that supports a format called HD-DVD. Similar to Blu-ray the HD-DVD storage medium also allows the recording, delivery, and storing of HD digital video content onto optical disks.

All of the above IP HD set-top boxes receive the HDTV signal from a IP broadband network. The set-top box then decodes the signal and streams the output to a display. The format of the signal outputted depends on the capabilities of the display device used in the consumer’s household. For instance, advanced flat panel displays such as plasma screens can support HD broadcasts in their original studio format, whereas a standard TV will only be able to view a scaled down version. As HDTV services become more advanced, the set-top industry needs high performance technologies to support the decoding of high definition video streams.

An IP HD capable digital set-top box hardware platform has similar features to cable, terrestrial, IP, and satellite set-top boxes. HD capable IP set-top boxes do however have some additional and unique characteristics that are used to deliver services such as high definition streaming video, improved digital audio, and connectivity to other in-home digital devices. These characteristics include advanced connectivity ports and a sophisticated security system for protecting content outputs.

AN END-TO-END IP HDTV SYSTEM

In general the protocols used to transport SDTV signals across an IP network
are the same used in the delivery of HD video content.
























HD Enabled Digital Cameras

HD cameras are been used by a growing number of film production companies. These types of cameras shoot video content up to five times the resolution of SDTV. The content from a HD camera typically gets digitally transferred to a server using fiber optic cable.


HDTV Servers

The HDTV server is connected via a high speed broadband network to an HD capable IP set-top box or a standard PC. Its main function is to digitally store HDTV content on a high capacity storage device.


Encoders

MPEG-2 encoders are the most common format for compressing SDTV. The processing of a high definition MPEG-2 video channel can use up to six times the amount of bandwidth of a standard channel. A number of telecommunication providers have limited bandwidth capacity on their networks to support MPEG-2 compressed high definition content. Therefore HD capable encoders play an important role in the HDTVenvironment and are responsible for achieving the best picture quality at the lowest bit rate. Most encoders used to deliver IP HDTV content are based on advanced encoding algorithms such as MPEG-4 and VC-1. These encoding technologies promise to deliver better video quality at lower bandwidth capacities.


A High Capacity IP Network

A HD video file can include up to five times the information of an SDTV file. Therefore, a high speed digital cable, satellite, DSL broadband, or terrestrial network with sufficient bandwidth capacity is required to transport HD content from the IPTV service provider’s data center to the HDTV home viewing system.