Fast Channel Change

Using the Edgeware Video Delivery Appliances

Application Note

One of the critical aspects of user experience that must be considered before the implementation of High Definition TV within an IPTV network is the time it takes the user to change channels.
The Issue Channel change times are generally viewed to be acceptable to users as long as they are kept at sub second levels. The introduction of HDTV requires the support of advanced video compression to allow viewing of these channels over low speed lines such as DSL. The video compression techniques used to allow transmission of standard definition channels such as MPEG-2 include the necessary reference frames (I-Frames) every 0.5 seconds. Once a user selects a new channel, the system must identify the next reference frame to allow the decoding of that channel. New compression techniques such as H.264 allow higher bandwidth channels to be utilized but the necessary reference frames are generally between 2-4 seconds apart. This means that once a user selects a channel they may need to wait up to 4 seconds before a new channel starts playing on their screen. Solving the Problem The general way in which this is solved is to implement a separate video server system that accepts a channel change command from the users set top box. The video server then initiates a short burst of unicast traffic carrying a stream of cached content for the selected channel which can be immediately played by a compatible set top box on the users screen. The Challenges with This Approach While this solution solves the problem, there are two main challenges with this approach: This solution requires additional servers, meaning additional cost and complexity of implementation. For cost and management simplicity reasons, these additional servers are generally not implemented close to the user so the level of additional unicast traffic being transmitted across the backhaul network can be signifi-

cant especially at natural viewing events such as end of program periods. The Edgeware Fast Channel Change Solution The Edgeware Fast Channel Change solution is built using dedicated Fast Channel Change application software that is deployed into any of the next-generation video appliances of the Orbit family. The standards based solution makes use of inherent multicast ingest capability that can also be used to deliver different types of Time Shift TV services in the same multi-service appliance. Bandwidth for Fast Channel Change and VOD/Time shift TV are licensed separately and any combination of the two services is possible, as long as the total bandwidth does not exceed 20 Gbps per server.
Bandwidth savings by distributing Fast Channel Change Caches
TV Head-end Set-top boxes

Core Network

MetroNetwork

Access Network

Multicast Bandwidth

Fast Channel Change Bandwidth

Network B/W Savings with Fast Channel Change servers at Core Edge

Network B/W Savings with Fast Channel Change servers at Metro Edge

Example: 100 Channels 400 000 Subscribers 5 Mbps Bitrate / Channel 5% Fast Channel Change Concurrency

Bandwidth Usage:
Multicast: 0.5 Gbps Fast Channel Change: 100 Gbps

(= 200 times Multicast B/W)

Edgeware AB, HQ Mster Samuelsg 56, SE-11121 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: +46 736 126 840 E-mail: sales@edgeware.tv www.edgeware.tv

Edgeware, Inc., Sales and Support, Americas 4300 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 218, San Jose, CA 95129, USA Phone: +1 408 490 1200 E-mail: sales_americas@edgeware.tv www.edgeware.tv

Fast Channel Change functionality begins with the server recording original multicast feeds, caching only short windows of the most recent data for each channel. When a standards compliant Fast Channel Change client requests a channel change, the server will send a unicast burst of data from the new channel. This transmission is optimized for immediate decoding by aligning PAT, PMT and ECM tables, followed by a reference frame (I-frame). The unicast burst can also be delivered with a configurable over-speed that can quicken startup time even further. Bursts are requested from the

Fast Channel Change client using standardized RTCP messages (draft-ietf-avt-rapid-acquisition-for-rtp) and delivered to the client using UDP. This standards compliant solution allows the Fast Channel Change client to almost immediately present pictures from the new channel. Once decoding of the burst data has started, the client will synch-up with the new multicast feed and then transparently hand-off from the unicast to the multicast stream.

Standards complient Fast Channel Change interaction

TV Head-end Multicast Playout with / without RTP encapsulation

Orbit-2X

Burst Request (RTCP) Unicast Burst (RTP/UDP) Fast Channel Change enabled multicast (RTP/UDP)

Set-top box

The Advantages of the Edgeware Fast Channel Change Solution This solution has several advantages over other approaches: Edgewares Fast Channel Change solution is fully integrated into the Orbit appliance that is providing all of the other on-demand TV and video services dramatically reducing cost and complexity. The Orbit platform provides the highest density of video streaming services in the industry, further reducing complexity and enabling very high levels of scalability. The additional unicast traffic bursts are generated only from the Orbit server to the set top box rather than across the core or backhaul network, irrespective of numbers of channels or users. The level of bandwidth required for Fast Channel Change support can be separately provisioned and licensed allowing an optimized approach but using the same management and provisioning tools as for the rest of the Edgeware Distributed Delivery solution.

Copyright 2010 Edgeware AB. All rights reserved. Rev 1, April 2010. Disclaimer: Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Edgeware AB, HQ Mster Samuelsg 56, SE-11121 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: +46 736 126 840 E-mail: sales@edgeware.tv www.edgeware.tv

Edgeware, Inc., Sales and Support, Americas 4300 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 218, San Jose, CA 95129, USA Phone: +1 408 490 1200 E-mail: sales_americas@edgeware.tv www.edgeware.tv