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OSHEAN Member of the Month - Brown University Tunes In To IPTV

The ever evolving world of technology has offered innumerable and valuable advances, on which many of today's college students wholly rely and consider a critical function of daily life. For nearly a decade Brown has provided cable TV programming to students in the residence halls. But the aging system as well as student and faculty demands for expanded video services prompted an examination of how our newly upgraded data network could be used for distribution of entertainment and academic contend. Enter IPTV.

Brown University was the first institution of higher education in Rhode Island to provide students with advanced television and video access through the implementation of IPTV, or IP television, which delivers the content over the university's data network. In the fall of 2005, a pilot with a product from VideoFurnace was launched in residence halls answering both educational and entertainment needs by supplementing the existing cable offerings, including a broadcast channel dedicated to notable campus events, while also providing video materials for a dozen institution run courses which allowed students instant access outside the walls of standard viewing rooms.

The trial ran for the entire academic year during which viewing statistics as well as narrative feedback from the students deemed the new service a success. Consistently, about two-thirds of the population used the broadcast service with one student commenting: "Best thing about my freshman year…well, not really but up there…I told all my college friends and made them jealous." Faculty noted a higher rate of students viewing course materials on time than with the existing screening room arrangements. On the basis of this successful trial, in fall 2006, a full production service of 30 channels, about half entertainment, half educational, plus Video on Demand, was launched. Essentially every student in the residence halls now uses the IPTV player to watch TV, and academic Video on Demand use has grown to nearly 200 courses.

Coming to a close in its second full year, Brown University is answering the question - what's next? - by further developing channels with a foreign language concentration. Recent upgrades will allow further growth and expansion for this innovative offering as IPTV now is firmly a part of the Brown experience.

Many thanks to Alan Usas, Assistant Vice President, Academic & Network Systems & Services at Brown University for his contribution to this article.

		Site Highlight OSHEAN Member of the Month - Brown University Tunes In To IPTV The ever evolving world of technology has offered innumerable and valuable advances, on which many of today's college students wholly rely and consider a critical function of daily life. For nearly a decade Brown has provided cable TV programming to students in the residence halls. But the aging system as well as student and faculty demands for expanded video services prompted an examination of how our newly upgraded data network could be used for distribution of entertainment and academic contend. Enter IPTV. Brown University was the first institution of higher education in Rhode Island to provide students with advanced television and video access through the implementation of IPTV, or IP television, which delivers the content over the university's data network. In the fall of 2005, a pilot with a product from VideoFurnace was launched in residence halls answering both educational and entertainment needs by supplementing the existing cable offerings, including a broadcast channel dedicated to notable campus events, while also providing video materials for a dozen institution run courses which allowed students instant access outside the walls of standard viewing rooms. The trial ran for the entire academic year during which viewing statistics as well as narrative feedback from the students deemed the new service a success. Consistently, about two-thirds of the population used the broadcast service with one student commenting: "Best thing about my freshman year…well, not really but up there…I told all my college friends and made them jealous." Faculty noted a higher rate of students viewing course materials on time than with the existing screening room arrangements. On the basis of this successful trial, in fall 2006, a full production service of 30 channels, about half entertainment, half educational, plus Video on Demand, was launched. Essentially every student in the residence halls now uses the IPTV player to watch TV, and academic Video on Demand use has grown to nearly 200 courses. Coming to a close in its second full year, Brown University is answering the question - what's next? - by further developing channels with a foreign language concentration. Recent upgrades will allow further growth and expansion for this innovative offering as IPTV now is firmly a part of the Brown experience. Many thanks to Alan Usas, Assistant Vice President, Academic & Network Systems & Services at Brown University for his contribution to this article.