SATELLITE CONTENT

DISTRIBUTION
EFFICIENT. RELIABLE.
FLEXIBLE. CONTROLLABLE.

Satellite Content Distribution

In May 2002 George Lucas shot “Star Wars: Episode II, the Attack of the Clones,” entirely on digital video. It was the first
big budget live action movie shot digitally and a milestone in the digitalization of professional media content. Today’s
film industry uses file based digital content exchange in every step of the process in stead of celluloid film. The film
industry is just one example of an industry switching over to handling content digitally. Other industries like
broadcasting, newsgathering, home entertainment and the government industry have all made a similar switch.

Unfortunately terrestrial network infrastructure is not prepared to send back and forth large amount of files. Apart from
problems with pure throughput capabilities, the underlying protocols are optimized for point-to-point (unicast) info
exchange. This means that if you want to send a movie file of 500 GByte size to 1000 destinations, it will be sent 1000
times… Strangely enough network devices around the world do support point-to- multi-point (multicast) protocols.
The network card in your home computer is prepared to receive multicast data but it is the largest network on earth
– the Internet – that does not allow multicast traffic.
This terrestrial infrastructure is in the foreseeable future not likely to improve in that area and that’s exactly where
satellites can play a major role.

By its inherent broadcast capacity, satellite is the ideal medium to distribute large amounts of Digital Media Content
around the world. In one single transmission, content can be sent to thousands of users in the satellite footprint. The
combined technology stacks of physical layer equipment, network infrastructure and access control ensure that
content arrives in an efficient, reliable, flexible and controlled way.

DIALOG
Your Content Delivered Efficient
Our systems strive for the highest spectral efficiency (a.k.a.
ST Engineering iDirect has a track record of reliable satcom Bits per Hertz) possible, dedicated technologies such as
IP networks successfully deployed around the globe. DVB-S2/ S2X, Mx-DMA, FlexACM®, Clean Channel
Leveraging on that experience. We can propose an Technology® and Network Optimization Software are used
end-to-end solution for satellite content distribution with inside these satcom IP networks to achieve maximum
following elements: throughput independent of the selected satellite (Ku-,
• The Newtec Dialog® multiservice platform, terminal Ka-,C-, X-band, HTS).
modems and its associated NMS software suite (VSAT
System) In addition to a high bits per Hertz number, the efficiency
• Content Distribution System based on our reliable File of satellite based content distribution is incomparable.
Exchange technology There is no other medium that is by nature so suited for
So just give us your content, we will deliver. point-to-multipoint or multicast content distribution.
Multicast enables the transfer of a variety of services in the
most economical way and is therefore especially important
for satellite network operators because fast and bandwidth
By its inherent broadcast capacity, satellite is the efficient content distribution is one of the main factors for
ideal medium to distribute large amounts of Digital success in today’s fast growing global markets.
Media Content around the world.
In good atmospheric conditions FlexACM technology will
make more bandwidth available. The Content Distribution
System hooks into that technology and makes use of the
extra bandwidth.
Reliable Controllable
Even in harsh and hostile conditions (rain fading, Digital Media Content is often of high value and must be
interference, etc.) reliable transmission over satellite is protected accordingly. In ST Engineering iDirect’s Content
available at all times (without service interrupts or loss of Distribution Solution, this is assured by encryption
data) thanks to the auto-adaptive modulation technology algorithms, built-in conditional access and the support of
FlexACM® inside the modems. hardware keys to ensure strict privacy. Before the actual
transmission starts a specific set of encryption keys is
On top of reliable physical layer technology an extra set of announced to the selected remotes, giving them access to
correction techniques is applied at content level. The the content to follow. A continuous re- keying is applied so
media files are fragmented transparently and on each that remotes can be revoked live during an on-going
fragment an extra Forward Error Correction is applied, transmission.
protecting the content from accidental “bit-flips”.
Flexible
At the remote site the content fragments are received one By its efficient channel and priority based bandwidth
by one. During a long transmission, the receiving management mechanism, Our Content Distribution
conditions at the individual remotes can vary a lot over System allows for quick and easy change even during
time. The location of the remotes can have an influence transmission. Each time content is presented for
on their condition, caused by sunny weather, rain or a transmission, the system will recalculate bandwidth
thunderstorm. In case of mobile terminals, e.g. on ships, occupancy based on priorities of both on-going
some remotes can even be located outside the satellite transmissions and the newly presented content. That way
footprint e.g. at the beginning of the transmission. In those the high value content can always get the bandwidth it
cases the remotes will keep track of the fragments that needs.
they have missed and will request re- transmission of those
missed packets only. No need to send the complete file Although optimized for satellite networks, Our content
over again. At the HUB those re-transmission requests are distribution technologies can easily be deployed in hybrid
evaluated and decision on actual re-transmission will be or pure terrestrial networks.
taken on different criteria going from statistics to requests
coming from VIP Terminals. After re-transmission and
successful reception of missed fragments, the remote will
Satellite Content Distribution with ST Engineering
reconstruct the original content and check for
iDirect’s technologies: efficient, reliable, controllable
confirmation via checksum on whether the complete file
and flexible.
has been successfully received.

All elements of the system can be deployed on full

ST Engineering iDirect | [Link] 03/20