Video over telephone lines

[nav_video]

I'm not sure if this is the appropriate forum, but I am having troouble finding any kind of info on this topic.

A client of mine is going overseas, and has heard it is possible to send video over regular telephone lines. Has anyone heard of this? I think during the conflict in Afghanistan, a news broadcaster used this type of technology, however, the picture quality was very poor. For news, it doesn't matter so much, as immediate broadcast of the video is more important than quality.

I am thinking mpeg4, Divx, or maybe mpeg1 would be the compression used, but if anyone knows anything about this, I would appreciate any info.

[bazooka]

Verizon is just about to start doing that.

They are trying to compete against the cable companies.

[nav_video]

Interesting. That answers part of my question, I guess (whether or not technology is available).

However, I am still wondering if it is possible for the "unwashed public" (so to speak) could make use of it. I imagine the Verizon set-up would be for network broadcast, not for individuals to exchange video for their own use.

[bazooka]

Interesting. That answers part of my question, I guess (whether or not technology is available).

However, I am still wondering if it is possible for the "unwashed public" (so to speak) could make use of it. I imagine the Verizon set-up would be for network broadcast, not for individuals to exchange video for their own use.

To be honest.... I don't know.

[OmegaSupreme]

I am not sure if you mean a videophone like this http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/productview.jhtml?sku=VA800

If you just want to send files, you could simply have one modem dial another, connect and transfer the data or have both machines connect via dial-up to the internet and use a file transfer program.

[MikeV]

Check this video phone out. It's by Beamer and comes is varios different configurations.

http://www.smarthome.com/8373.html

[nav_video]

Thanks for the reply.

I am not talking about a video phone, file transfer, or that kind of thing.

I believe I even saw it on TV today, from SE Asia. It is actual real-time video broadcast over telephone lines. As MiniDV files are about 13GB per hour, file sizes are quite large. Essentially, real-time streaming over telephone lines.

[Goober57]

Thanks for the reply.

I am not talking about a video phone, file transfer, or that kind of thing.

I believe I even saw it on TV today, from SE Asia. It is actual real-time video broadcast over telephone lines. As MiniDV files are about 13GB per hour, file sizes are quite large. Essentially, real-time streaming over telephone lines.

This won't answer your question, especially if your friend is going
to another country, but it shows what is possible. The device
sends the video over standard 110 volt house wiring.

http://www.supercircuits.com/store/prodinfo.asp?number=VT6&variation=&aitem=1&mitem=1

Again, it's not what you want, but anything is possible.
(networking over a phone line)

______________

[scottie78]

What about hooking two routers up via ADSL and using Windows Media Encoder to stream the content across the WAN ?

[canadateck]

Maybe a VPN would work ,Could dial in through a digital CellPhone on a laptop.

[Richard_G]

You can use a webcam over the net from within Messenger. Whether it would work over normal phone lines (presumably using a dial-up modem), I have no idea. I suspect it would but would be in pretty horrible quality and a low frame rate. If you aren't talking live video but clips that are already saved on one of the machines, it might be possible to fool Messenger into thinking a stored clip is a webcam. You'll have to try it and see.

[burnman99]

nav_video, as long as you have a streaming server, you should be able to stream video via DSL over phones lines or via much slower modem. Over DSL would allow for MUCH better looking video though.

Happy Holidays!

Rog

[nav_video]

Thanks for all your replies, it has been very enlightening. They have also allowed me to refine my original question.

What I am talking about is a specific process that (I believe) is already in use. I saw on TV today, low-res, choppy (low frame rate) poor contrast video from SE Asia, that I think is the process I am talking about. However, it is full frame NTSC (or PAL)

Let me just back up a little and clarify. My client is going overseas, and will want to send to me full res- video (either for editing or distribution). He has heard it is possible to so do over phone lines. I have not been able to find any info, so I can't tell him if it is (which I suspect it isn't).

So, that's my dilemma. As long as he suspects that it is possible, I can't dissuade him.

[bazooka]

Thanks for all your replies, it has been very enlightening. They have also allowed me to refine my original question.

What I am talking about is a specific process that (I believe) is already in use. I saw on TV today, low-res, choppy (low frame rate) poor contrast video from SE Asia, that I think is the process I am talking about. However, it is full frame NTSC (or PAL)

Let me just back up a little and clarify. My client is going overseas, and will want to send to me full res- video (either for editing or distribution). He has heard it is possible to so do over phone lines. I have not been able to find any info, so I can't tell him if it is (which I suspect it isn't).

So, that's my dilemma. As long as he suspects that it is possible, I can't dissuade him.

I would say probably not, at least until the big companies start offering it.

[gll99]

Bell Canada is supposed to start offering video on demand over phone lines in 2005 in limited markets. The catch is that it requires a massive upgrade to fibre optic cable as close to the customer as possible to carry the video data. This is similar to the upgrades performed for digital cable by the cable companies. Your client should realize that what he saw on tv cannot currently be used for anything near the quality that he would require for hi-rez video.
The internet while relatively slow can do that and it's available worldwide via satellite if need be. Even streaming video has improved substantially with the introduction of new codecs and better technology and bandwidth. Why is he hanging on to this telephone idea given the poor display (although timely) we saw on the news channels?

[OmegaSupreme]

nav_video I am still not clear on the source of the video.

If it is a live video feed like a tele-conference, then streaming is the answer. The picture quality over a dial-up will be poor, choppy and low-res.

Anything else can be saved, compressed, and transfered as a file. Analogue sources such as VHS or 8mm would first have to be captured and digitized.

How do you plan on viewing the video at the receiving end, on a computer monitor or a tv?

[nav_video]

Bell Canada is supposed to start offering video on demand over phone lines in 2005 in limited markets. The catch is that it requires a massive upgrade to fibre optic cable as close to the customer as possible to carry the video data. This is similar to the upgrades performed for digital cable by the cable companies.

From my now more advanced Google searches, this is probably what my client saw and is talking about. I think I can speak intelligently to him now.

nav_video I am still not clear on the source of the video.

Doesn't really matter. Could be VHS, MiniDV, Betacam SX, live camera. video server, analogue, digital, I guess it depends on what the system can handle. The target would be either an NTSC screen, or recorder.

I just want to make clear, this does not involve the use on the Internet, or any of the popular web compression schemes. I am wanting to find out if it is possible to broadcast NTSC video over telephone lines, and I think I have enough to go on now.

Many thanks, folks.

[negon]

I'm betting what you saw was broadcast via wireless videophone.