User requirements for video networks

The manufacturers of hardware and software have realized that video is the key application that will increase their sales for the next few years. As a result, the weight of the consumer market has been brought to bear on the problems of processor speed and network bandwidth. This push has resulted in a corresponding development in the professional video market, creating lower cost solutions for the computer manipulation, storage and transfer of video over high speed networks. This paper attempts to quantify, from the user perspective, the requirements for video networks that will function in this new environment. The paper identifies business drivers behind the need for new networking technology. It then defines specific software, hardware, and quality of service levels for this technology. A new generation of television applications are calling for networked systems that will allow organizations to exchange data that crosses functional and departmental lines. These applications will that remove the physical barriers of time and distance as well as those of departmental and equipment functionality and interfaces. These changes impose hardware and software requirements that mandate detailed planning and consideration in order to implement this flexible support environment. It is the purpose of this paper to describe some of those applications and to the explore the requirements that they impose.