 |
|
|
Internet IPTV - System Administration
By: Lawrence Harte
Part 3 of a 4 part series.
|
System administration of an IPTV system is the processes and tasks that are performed to add, change, or disconnect devices, features, and equipment. System administration tasks may include: setting up accounts for subscribers and content providers, receiving, processing and managing program content, collecting system usage and billing records, distributing content, monitoring network performance, and coordinating the overall operation of the network.
The NeuLion system is divided into 3 functional parts; customer & company data management, media gathering, and operations support systems ( OSS ). The data collection portion gathers subscriber and content partner information. The media gathering function receives and encodes program content. The OSS center coordinates the transmission of programs along with customer support services.
The information and data collection system is responsible for allowing setup and maintaining of users (subscribers), content providers (vendors) and administrators to setup and manage their information and services. Subscriber Management Subscriber management is the process of identifying, adding and configuring of user accounts that are part of a system. Subscriber management is composed of subscriber, service, feature, and equipment provisioning.
|
capabilities within devices and the sending of information or configuring of these devices to enable them to perform services and/or run applications for customers.
Content Partners A content partner is a person, company or organization that owns the rights to content and provides the content along with content rights to distribute the content. Partner management allows administrators to setup accounts for content providers. Content partners can provide content that is branded with their channel or service logos. Brandable content is the ability to create an awareness of a company (corporate brand), product (product brand) or service (service brand) to people or companies. Revenue sharing may divide revenue received from the customers on a subscription and/or on a per view basis. Administrator Administrators configure accounts that are added to a network and change or remove user account features from a network. Subscriber administration allows system operators to select, setup and control customer services. Administrator portals are menu systems and/or Internet web sites that act as an interface between a system manager and the services the system provides to customers. Data Collection A data collection server is an information processing device that receives, processes and reformats billing information from distribution elements. The NeuLion data collection process allows content providers to transfer their media in electronic or physical media form. |
38 May 2007 Definitions FREE at www.IPTVDictionary.com
|
Electronic transfer options include Internet connections and satellite delivery. Physical collection options include DVDs, video tapes and other forms of stored media.
Figure 7 shows the NeuLion data collection system. This diagram shows that the data collection system gathers and stores information about subscribers and content partners and that these databases are |
linked to the billing system. The data collections system includes an administrator portal that allows the service provider to setup and change users and content provider accounts and services.
Program Encoding Center The program encoding system is responsible for adapting and/or ingesting content into the IPTV system. The program encoding center is used to transfer and convert media into a format that can be immediately distributed (broadcasted) or stored for later delivery (on-demand). A media encoder is a device or circuit that converts a signal into a media format that is suitable for transmission over a communication channel. Programs can be encoded in real time (online) or stored (offline) form. Real time encoding is the process of converting or processing media from one formation or data structure to another format or data structure where the process occurs immediately or within a very short time period after the media is available for conversion. Offline encoding is the process of receiving, adapting and storing information for later use. Because offline encoding has the availability of additional time, higher data compression amounts may be achieved. |
|
|
| Figure 7., NeuLion Data Collection System |
|
Some of the methods that can be used to transfer media to the encoding center include communication links or via stored media. Communication links include satellite, leased lines and Internet connection. Physical media transfer options include DVDs and VHS tape.
Figure 8., NeuLion Program Encoding Center
Content Delivery and Operations Center The content delivery and operations center coordinates the operation of the transmission, billing and operations segments of the Internet IPTV system along with customer support systems. Program Menu Server A program menu server is a computing system that maintains', formats and distributes listings of programs and allows users to select programs and options. |
Servers Management System A servers management system coordinates overall operation and interaction of media services in the system. Central Media Servers Central media servers (sometimes called streaming servers) are computers that receive requests for media transfers. They setup a communication session to the requesting media client and provide the downloading or continuous transmission (streaming) of digital media. Media servers must have the ability to setup and manage simultaneous streaming sessions. Simultaneous streaming is the process of providing and managing more than one media streaming session from a single device or system. Transmission Server A transmission server is a system and/or hardware that selects and manages the transmission channel that is used to send or broadcast information. The transmission manager is used to specify the encoding formats and other characteristics that will be used when a signal is being broadcasted or transmitted. Web Server Web servers are computer systems that are used to provide access to data that is stored and retrieved by commands in Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). HTTP is a protocol that is used to request and coordinate the transfer of documents between a web server and a web client (user of information). The typical use of web servers is to allow web browsers (graphic interfaces for users) to request and process information through the Internet. Digital Rights Management (DRM) Digital rights management is a system of access control and copy protection used to control the distribution of digital media. DRM involves the control of physical access to information, identity validation (authentication), service authorization, and media protection (encryption). DRM systems are typically incorporated or integrated with other systems such as content management system, billing systems and royalty management. Some of the key parts of DRM systems include key management, product packaging, user rights management (URM), data encryption, product fulfillment, and product monitoring. The |
41 May 2007 Subscribe FREE at www.IPTVMagazine.com
|
NeuLion system has the capability of authorizing, authenticating and encrypting media to subscribers.
Billing System A billing system is a combination of software and hardware that receives detailed service usage information, groups this information for specific accounts or customers, produces invoices, creates reports for management, and records (posts) payments made to customer accounts. The NeuLion billing system is linked to the data collection center to identify services (such as content transfers) and which users received the services. The billing system gathers usage events and creates settlement reports that are used to calculate royalty payments for content owners |
and distributors. The NeuLion billing system user management system provides online access and reports that contain customer information, billing and customer service inquiries. These information screens and reports allow a service provider or content owner to track their usage and revenue performance.
Customer Support System Customer support system is the processes and systems that are used to communicate with customers for inquiries, orders, service support, and dispute resolution. The customer support system is also capable of sending (fulfillment) and tracking equipment and software that is provided to customers. Figure 9 shows the NeuLion content delivery center and OSS system. This diagram shows that the NeuLion system adapts (encodes) content for delivery using a transmission server while the central media servers oversee the delivery of content to end user devices. The program menu server television menu displays and coordinates service requests from users. |
|
|
|
Chris Wagner has been a driving force in the technology industry for over 20 years. As Executive Vice President and Co Founder of
NeuLion, Mr. Wagner's position in marketplace strategy targets the revolution currently underway as the television and internet video industries converge.
NeuLion is an IPTV service provider that drives convergence between television and the internet. Working with companies interested in reaching target markets anywhere at anytime, NeuLion's technology uses the public internet to aggregate content from any provider and delivers it in real time. |
| Figure 9., NeuLion Content Delivery Center | ||
42 May 2007 Definitions FREE at www.IPTVDictionary.com
Copyright 2007 Althos Inc. All rights reserved.
