The Video Services Forum (VSF) has released a new feature to enhance the Reliable Internet Streaming Transport (RIST) protocol. RIST Satellite-Hybrid: Out-of-Band Method aims to augment satellite distribution, using the internet to recover data lost or corrupted in the space segment without modifying the transport stream before uplinking.
Detailed in TR-06-4 Part 8, the feature enables the satellite (or any similar unidirectional one-way transmission method employing MPEG-2 Transport Streams, such as DVB-T) to be used as the main distribution channel, with RIST as backup to recover data lost or corrupted between the satellite and receiver. Recovery actions take place over the internet, with lost data transmitted to the locations that need it using RIST. In the event of a complete fade, there is provision to recover the full stream. The method is backward-compatible with legacy receivers, said the organisation.
Commenting, Ciro Noronha Ph.D., president of the RIST Forum and CTO, Cobalt Digital, said, “Satellite is the ideal way to send content to many receivers at different locations. However typical GEO satellite distribution methods are unidirectional and higher frequencies such as the Ku/Ka-bands, are highly susceptible to rain fade. The RIST Satellite-Hybrid: Out-of-Band Method provides broadcasters with a method to recover lost data over the Internet using RIST without any data insertion or modification of the transport stream.”
