Here below are the current AT&T standards for encoding video for deliver from PEG stations.
Vendors are approaching cities, like Austin, with proprietary systems that will deliver this encoded stream.
I'm wondering about open source solutions for this.
PEG Encoder Technical Specifications
The following minimum requirements and specifications must be configured on the municipality
encoder/streamer in order to comply with AT&T’s IPTV PEG solution.
Video Encoding Standard: Windows Media Video 9/VC-1 Main Profile
Video Streaming Bandwidth: 1.25 Mbps
Input Video Format: NTSC
Frame Rate: 30/29.97 fps
Scanning Type : Non-interlaced
Key Frame Distance: 4 Seconds
Buffer Size: 2 Seconds
Output Resolution: 480 x 480
Captioning: Open Captions1
Audio Encoding Format: (WMA) Windows Media Audio
Audio Streaming Bandwidth: 96 kbps
Audio Sample Rate: 48 kHz
Streaming Protocol: HTTP
Streaming Mode: Constant Bit Rate
Streaming Format: Unicast
Addressing: Public IP Address
Output: ASF Network Pull
Input Physical Connection: Component, Composite, S-Video, or SDI
Comments
Is that 1.25 Mbps per
Is that 1.25 Mbps per channel?
I don't think you'll be able to do this as an open solution since Windows Media isn't an open standard, but it seems like you can do this cheaply. Can't everything in that spec be done with the free Windows Media 9 encoder Microsoft already offers? Unless I'm missing something, you should simply be able to send you signal to a windows box with a capture card instead of a modulator. Obviously something that runs Windows Media 9 encoder as part of an embedded Windows install would be more stable than a box you pick up at Besy Buy, but with the direction Windows Media has been headed I wouldn't invest more than I had to in that technology.
When searching for Windows Media Encoder on Google, I noticed no one is even advertising on those keywords. Compare that to a Google search for Flash Encoding. And check out the Google Trends on Windows Media!
The Card Is Key
It's true that you can get Windows Media Encoder for free, but you can also use the software that comes with the video capture card. At EarthChannel we like the DRC-Stream 500 from Digital Rapids. They have their own software that they bundle with it. Throw this on a Win2k3 box and you have a quality encoder.
It's not open source, but it's cost effective.
Hope that helps!
proprietary 96k audio? Thats
proprietary
96k audio? Thats the quality that people are using on their ipods to listen to britney spears. I would expect DOUBLE that bitrate for broadcast. Mpeg2 audio at 192k would sound alot better,even though its old tech now.
It looks like they are trying to squeeze the filesize a little bit too much - like they are doing with DAB radio in UK- "better than CD quality"-which was true when it started at 256kbps,but it can now get as low as 64kbps.Better get used to mp3 gravelly distortions!
I see that the filesizes on PEG are HUGE for a 30min show - but thats because Im used to x264 encodes-which encode at 5fps on my machine which may not be practical for a server getting a few videos per night to convert as soon as possible.