MPLS-Enabled Applications: Emerging Developments and New Technologies

6.9. APPLICATIONS OF POINT-TO-MULTIPOINT LSPs

This section describes some of the main applications of P2MP LSPs. We first discuss how P2MP TE is being used for the purposes of broadcast TV distribution. We then describe proposals for how P2MP LSPs can be used as infrastructure tools to enable service providers to carry their customers' multicast L3VPN traffic and VPLS multicast traffic more efficiently. These proposals are discussed in more detail in the L3VPN and VPLS chapters (Chapters 7, 8 and 11).

6.9.1. Application of P2MP TE to broadcast TV distribution

An interesting application of P2MP TE is for professional real-time broadcast TV distribution [IBC2004, IBC2007, MPLS-VID]. This application should not be confused with Internet video streaming applications, which typically involve the sending of low-bandwidth video streams to end users' PCs without any quality guarantees. In contrast, professional real-time broadcast TV distribution requires exacting performance guarantees from the network. Customers of such a service are TV broadcast companies who transport real-time video between studios, from a studio to head ends of distribution infrastructure (terrestrial, cable or satellite) or from an outside broadcast location to studios. The ability to offer broadcast TV distribution services is attractive to service providers because of the high-value revenue streams that can be generated. The demand for such services is likely to grow as the number of TV channels increases as ...