Assumptions/Information/Description

System

• Primarily Telephony
  • Satellite-based local loop
• Excess bandwidth for data, other applications
  • Guest telephony
  • Guest services (eg. Video, Internet, Games, Gaming)
  • Property-management functions (eg. PMS data dissemination)
• Pacific-island resort
  • Single management "chain"
  • Multiple island "property"
• Satellite link for inter-site communications
  • to main facility and remote properties (on other islands)
• Microwave, 10BaseT, (fiber?) for intra-site communications (between buildings on one island)

Resorts

• Location/Facilities
  • South Pacific
  • Wet/humid/salty
  • Sporadic power
    • 120/240VAC and anything in between
  • Sporadic phone service
  • no local technical services
  • minimal facilities
    • small or non-existent wiring closets
    • decaying or non-existent UTP infrastructure
  • non-computerized back-office
    • no or minimal PMS
    • folios and accounting by hand
    • pre-paid guests
    • extra charges on credit card (EuroCard, MC, AMEX, Visa)
• Ammenities
  • High-end (US$250+/rm/night)
  • Average stay: ??
  • 200-room average (100-400 rms)
  • Self-contained
  • Campus - outlying lodging units (cf. high-rise)
    • 20m btwn lodging units
    • 500m from central PBX to farthest lodging units
    • 2km farthest run
  • in-room phones
    • to front desk
    • not off-campus w/out switchboard intervention
    • no direct long-distance
  • no in-room TVs

System Requirements

Capabilities

• Telephone (internal, local, long distance)
• Video on Demand (VOD) movies
• Gaming
• Video Games
• Internet

Network

• IP-based
• Central satellite downlink
  • ATM (IP over AAL-5)
  • 2 Mb/s bidirectional up/downlink
• Local (on-campus) connectivity via wireless (microwave)
  • 10Mb/s, shared (hubbed)
• Remote (off-site, within chain) connectivity via satellite local loop

Video Services

• Continous video feeds
  • eg. CNN
  • number of channels?
• Video on Demand (VOD)
  • Central VideoServer
    • 100 movies on-site
      • approx 5GB per movie = 500GB storage
      • 5% late releases
      • 5% classics
      • 70% latest hits (2yrs)
      • 20% adult
    • Downloaded and Stored in MPEG-2
    • Delivered to clients via H.323
      • MPEG-2 delivery
        • 1.3MB/s stream
        • 720x480@30fps = very high quality (eg. DVD)
        • Non-IP
      • H.323 delivery
        • multiples of 64kbps per stream
          • nominal 768kbps
        • CIF (352x288) @ 30fps over 384kbps (eg. videoconference)
          • more bandwidth = less artifacts = higher quality picture
        • IP-based standard
    • Latest releases (content churn) downloaded by off-hours digital transfer
      • downloaded via satellite in MPEG-2 format
      • 5GB/movie / 2Mb/s downlink / 50% BW utilization = approx. 12 hours per movie download
      • content downloads initiated from US
  • VOD Management Issues
    • Video (movie) distribution rights
    • PMS interfacing (tracking and billing (guest))
    • Languages (!)
• Connectivity
  • IP-Based (UDP, RTP, or proprietary extension?)
  • H.323
  • PC-based client?
  • One client per TV (one TV per room)
• System Management:
  • Remote system management/diagnostics (servers, clients)
    • SMNP
  • System usage, tracking and billing (customer)

Additional Info: Internet access

Web page caching options may be suitable for video file (movie) pre-download storage (rather than simple FTP)

• Sandpiper Networks Inc.
  • product: "Footprint"
  • High-volume info posted to Footprint servers at times of high expected usage (spikes)
  • Good for special events, such as Olympics, Academy Awards, Mars Rover, Dow drops, tax time, etc.
  • Handles usage tracking
  • Publishers have control over what gets cached
  • Cached info can get stale (can be fixed by proper page programming)
• Inktomi Corp.
  • Caching software
• Akamai Technologies Inc.
  • Competitor of Sandpiper