A MODULAR MULTIRATE VIDEO DISTRIBUTION-SYSTEM - DESIGN AND DIMENSIONING

A modular architecture is proposed for distributing broadcast and swit ched video. The architecture consists of a set of concentration buses (or input buses), a TDM-based bus matrix and a set of distribution bus es (or output buses). The transmission time in each output bus is divi ded into fixed size frames. Dedicated time slots in a frame are reserv ed for broadcast video. The remaining time slots are allocated to swit ched video on a first-come-first-served basis. Videos are switched via time slot assignments which determine the connections within the bus matrix. Two slot assignment algorithms are designed, one for point-to- point transmissions and the other for point-to-multipoint transmission s. The advantages of this architecture include: 1) accommodation of mu ltirate video, 2) support of video broadcasting and multicasting, and 3) modular growth at distributed locations.