Moneypenny - Went back to Munich, Sober.
I decided to take my new toy from Q for a ride after receiving another tip on a Amati/Deutsche Telekom connection.
Left England through the Chunnel with this Acura NSX,
made it to Munich in 4hr and 15 min Flat.
The Info made the trip worth while :
Monday, 3 June, 1996
MUNICH
EU trial to guage multimedia demand
BY JOHN BLAU
A European Union initiative aims to shed new light on the technical feasibility and user acceptance of broadband multimedia systems in the local loop.
The first of seven EU-sponsored field trials for multimedia subscriber services was launched in Munich, Germany, last month. The other trials are scheduled to follow in Italy, Belgium, Portugal and the United Kingdom later in the year.
Brussels is contributing 630 million ecu ($772 million) under its Advanced Communications Technologies and Services (ACTS) program to the tests, in which 22 European organizations are participating. They include equipment vendors Siemens AG in Munich and Acorn Computer Ltd. of Cambridge, England, network operators Deutsche Telekom and Telecom Italia, research centers CSELT and INESC, and content providers Videotime of Milan, Italy, and Autor Technologies Multimedia Lda. of Aveiro, Portugal.
The primary objectives of the project, called Advanced Multimedia Services for Residential Users (AMUSE), are to study the interoperability problems associated with technologies such as ATM end-to-end transmission protocols and MPEG video compression; and to assess whether subscribers are willing to pay for services delivered by these technologies.
"We will explore different technologies, such as Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, very high-speed Digital
Subscriber Line, and ATM switching in general," said project director Giorgio Gallassi, director of telecommunications systems and services at the research center of Italian equipment supplier Italtel of Milan.
"We will also explore user reaction to video on demand, high-speed Internet and distributed video," he said.
Gallassi added: "Content is crucial. Some of the previous trials have failed because of a lack of good content." Several large media groups, including Italian media and investment company Finninvest SpA and German public service broadcaster ZDF, have agreed to participate in the trials.
Franz Hiergeist, network director at Deutsche Telekom, said digital broadcasting and high-speed Internet access could drive the market for ATM systems. "Broadband multimedia services would create demand for both edge and core ATM switches," he said.
David Lytel, managing director of the Washington D.C. consultancy Sherpa Consulting Group, said the spectacular growth of the Internet has demonstrated widespread interest in on-line services. "Users are ready for multimedia games and video services, but slow network access and congestion in the Internet backbone are causing bottlenecks," he said.
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The tests come at a critical period, analysts say, as network managers across Europe assess their bandwidth requirements. John Cioffi, vice president of engineering at networking vendor Amati Communications of Mountain View, California, said: "As the monopoly PTTs prepare to privatize, they have to show their assets. So we're seeing a renewed interest in copper cable."
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For the Munich hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) trial, Deutsche Telekom is providing the infrastructure while Siemens is supplying the ATM systems and an on-line encoder for digitizing TV transmissions. Data communications subsidiary Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems AG in Paderborn, Germany, is providing the video server. Online Media Ltd., a subsidiary of the Acorn Computer Group, is furnishing the set-top boxes. So-called video pump software delivers the requested video data to an ATM adapter, which converts it into ATM signals for transportation across the HFC network. The subscribers' set-top boxes convert the ATM signals into the commonly used Phase Alternate Line (PAL) television format.
Data is delivered over the ATM switched network at speeds of up to 25.6 megabits per second. Video signals are transmitted at 4 mbps and Internet access is provided at 5 mpbs, compared to today's more typical speeds of 28.8 kilobits per second. Subscribers can use their remote control or an infrared keyboard to key in information.
At the Milan trial, Italtel and Telecom Italia will initially test ADSL technology, beginning with a 4-mbps downstream signal, later extending it to 8 mbps. The trial will also test VDSL and passive optical network technologies.
The project will also demonstrate remote access in Aveiro, Portugal, where users will receive signals transmitted over an ATM link from a video server in Milan.
This place is dead this evening, good night.
James B.
JW@KSC |
