Technology for providing educational video on demand on campus

Much hope has been placed in the past on educational television for improving educational standards and distance education. However, in many countries the impact of this technology has been limited. Some of the reasons are discussed along with possible technical solutions. One solution that has been developed at HP Labs India is presented. This involves the use of satellite TV channels as the distribution channel for educational content in digital form. Inexpensive TV equipment, including those that work with direct to home (DTH) TV transmissions are used to capture TV programs in digital form and store them on a server. The system is also capable of capturing text content being sent with the program in the electronic program guide format as well as content in various other data formats including PDF. All captured content is stored in a digital library, offering students an on-demand video facility on campus. Easy search facilities are also offered to help find content items of interest.