NBN multicast details released
NBNco has released details on the NBN multicast service, scheduled to be released this quarter. Multicast is a feature which essentially enables video to be distributed efficiently over a network infrastructure such as the NBN. On the Internet, between your computer and a website like youtube, there are multiple devices data must travel through to reach your computer. A multicast device, situated in close proximity to the end user, is capable of receiving data from one direction and then multicasting that data to multiple receivers, thus saving a large amount of bandwidth. For example, one hundred end users in a suburb watching a live sporting event. Usually a each viewer needs to open a connection to the original source of data, which uses a lot of bandwidth and thus image quality might be effected. Multicasting creates options for content providers to send high definition video because less bandwidth is required to reach multiple viewers. This is another example of how NBN high speed broadband connections will enable the distribution of information across Australia.
The document can be read here multicast-feature-technical-and-pricing-overview-17-july-2012