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November 9, 2018
NTT BizLink and NTT Launches Unicast-Copy Based 4K Video Delivery Solution and Joint Research Experiment Aiming at Enhancing Applicability of SDN in Commercial Network Services for Enterprises
NTT BizLink, Inc. (NTT BizLink; Headquartered in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Takashi Ooi) announces the launch of the unicast-copy based 4K*1 video delivery solution, which is enabled by the "Flow Copy-Cast (FCC)" system using "Lagopus," the software defined networking (SDN)*2 software switch/router that Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT; Headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Jun Sawada) has developed. Launched on October 1, the solution provides a low-latency, multi-site content delivery service of 4K live videos and is available for short and long term uses. It will be showcased at the International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition (InterBEE) 2018 exhibition held on November 14 - 16 at Makuhari Messe, Chiba Prefecture.
To expand uses of the SDN technology in network services for enterprises, NTT BizLink and NTT will initiate a joint research experiment aiming at enhancing applicability of SDN and software-based fast packet processing techniques employed in Lagopus and other software packet processing techniques to commercial network services.
1.Background
As video streaming services are gaining more and more popularity, the demand for distance learning, live streaming of events, and other kinds of video deliveries for enterprise uses is also increasing. Even high-presence experiences via 4K and other types of high-resolution videos have become familiar as content delivery services accommodated to such videos begin to penetrate into commercial uses. However, it is not always easy to realize a 4K video delivery to multiple sites due to cost and time needed for the provisioning.
NTT BizLink has been providing video delivery solutions to address enterprise customers' needs at various places and events, such as general meetings of shareholders, company executive's talks, seminars by manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, and academic conferences of medicine. To support even wider uses, the company starts to provide a brand-new, "4K Unicast-Copy Video Delivery Solution" service that realizes low-latency, multi-site, live deliveries of 4K video content and is available for short and long term uses.
The 4K Unicast-Copy Video Delivery Solution consists of the "Flow Copy-Cast (FCC)" system running on the SDN software switch/router Lagopus; IP-based closed networks that are safer and more secure than the Internet; and the content delivery cloud system that can support different use cases efficiently.
Lagopus is a high-performance software switch/router equipped with the SDN and additional functionalities that are needed for both data center and wide-area network usages. Since open-sourcing it in July 2014, NTT has done a number of tests for various use cases and contributed the results to the Lagopus open source software (OSS) community while continuing the development to improve its quality.
4K Unicast-Copy Video Delivery Solution
The 4K Unicast-Copy Video Delivery Solution is provided by NTT BizLink with the following features.
(1)Summary
The solution realizes delivery of 4K live videos to multiple destinations using unicast packet forwarding. It includes encoding of recorded live videos and compressing of the video data at a source site, data delivery via a unicast-based network, and decoding of the video data as a bundle.
(2)Features
1) Low-latency live delivery of 4K videos
Higher resolution enables audience to enjoy content with higher presence and receive information with higher precision. Low-latency video delivery is especially effective for time-sensitive uses.
The solution uses hardware 4K encoder/decoders and delivers high-resolution videos live with low-latency, thus providing higher reality to end users.
2) Video delivery to multiple sites
The solution addresses demands of customers who wish to send their video content to multiple destination at a lower cost but have security concerns about using the Internet.
The FCC system realizes multi-destination content delivery while keeping cost low. By utilizing the delivery cloud system and the IP based closed networks, it also realizes a secure content delivery that avoid using the public Internet.
3) Short and long term uses
Customers may wish to use a 4K video delivery service only for a short term. The solution, equipped with the delivery cloud system, can be used even for a short term at a per-use price.
3.Lagopus
Lagopus is a high-performance SDN software switch that NTT has developed. It runs on a general-purpose, commercial server and can be combined with other applications without difficulty. Since releasing its initial version as OSS in July 2014, NTT and the Lagopus OSS community have been enhancing its functionality and improving its quality. It has been used in the dedicated network for the Interop Tokyo exhibition, called ShowNet, every year since 2015, when it won the special award for ShowNet. In 2017, routing functions were added to Lagopus, the reason why it is now described as Lagopus switch/router. Lagopus's software design is module based, which means additional functions can be easily incorporated.
Lagopus website: http://www.lagopus.org
4.Flow Copy-Cast System (FCC)
The FCC system is a content delivery system using Lagopus. With this system, unicast packets, which are to be delivered to a single site in ordinary uses, are copied and then sent to multiple sites. Lagopus's capabilities and high performance help the FCC system conduct this process efficiently. Packet processing load can be lowered by configuring Lagopus with defined instructions in advance, compared with that in conventional methods in which applications for packet copying, processing, and forwarding are implemented separately from packet switches. The use of Lagopus in the FCC system also leads to lower cost compared with other systems specifically designed for content delivery.
5.Joint research experiment
To improve stability of the SDN technology in commercial, real-traffic environments and expand its applications, NTT BizLink and NTT will start a joint research experiment on SDN-based enterprise services using the content delivery cloud system and the delivery network. NTT BizLink will provide the delivery network, which are used for its commercial services, and evaluate applicability of the SDN technology to its network operations and services. NTT will evaluate software-based fast packet processing techniques employed in Lagopus and other software packet processing techniques in the network. The results will be contributed to the Lagopus community so that they can help improve its quality.
6.Showcase at International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition (InterBEE) 2018
The solution will be showcased at the InterBEE 2018 exhibition. The date and the venue are as follows:
| Date | November 14 - 16, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Makuhari Messe, Chiba prefecture |
For more information, please contact to NTT BizLink.
7.Future plans
NTT BizLink continues to enhance video delivery solutions. To address wide variety of customer needs, the company will develop solutions using MPEG-DASH, which enables stable video delivery to different kinds of devices, new error correction techniques, and high-presence virtual reality videos, among others.
NTT continues research and development of SDN technologies while cooperating with the Lagopus OSS community in such a way as contributing the newest expertise obtained from the experiment.
Glossary
*14K video
High-definition (HD) video with resolution 3840 × 2160, which is four times more precise than Full-HD video (1920 × 1080).
*2Software Defined Networking (SDN)
A set of networking technologies that enables definition and control by software of network functions and configurations.
Trademark notes
All brand names, product names, and company names that appear in this article are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Contact
NTT BizLink, Inc.
+81-3-6381-2840
event@nttbiz.com
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
Science and Core Technology Laboratory Group
+81-46-240-5157
science_coretech-pr-ml@hco.ntt.co.jp
Information is current as of the date of issue of the individual press release.
Please be advised that information may be outdated after that point.
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