56-06 AT&T - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

APPENDIX B DESCRIPTION OF IP PLATFORM OF VOICE, VIDEO AND DATA SERVIéES AND lP VIDEO SERVICE -------------------- ------------------.-- Project Lightspeed will offer an integrated, switched, point-to-point, interactive IP platfornl of voice, video and data services. AT&T's IP-enabled services are based on a switched, two-way, client server architecture designed to send each subscriber only the progr~mming that the subscriber chooses to view at a particular time. In practice, the end user will only receive the specific content he or shè requests. That content is provided via two-way communication between the network and the set-top box, which, depending upon the subscriber's interests and unique demands, renders the selected content from the network on the television screen. In this arrangement nothing is sent to the subscriber until the subscriber interacts with the network and requests a unique result, in this case to view a specific piece of programming. In many ways, IP Video Service will be provided in a manner comparable to other communications services provided by AT&T, albeit using state of the art technology. The best example of this is Internet access service. In the case of a subscriber "surfmg" the Internet there is client software that resides on the subscriber's computer, such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer. From this client software the subscriber selects content from servers that are a portion of the Internet. The Internet itself is essentially a network of networks so these servers could reside in various networks intercoIJilected with the public Internet. Qnce the subscriber selects this content, the client software residing in the subscriber's computer commuriicates with the web server to display that content on the subscriber's computer. IP Video Service provided over AT&T's platform performs in a similar manner. The set top boxes used with AT&T's IP Video Service contain client software that interacts with servers residing in the network. In this case the client, or end user on the system, requests content froin servers that reside in AT&T's network and the client software residing in the set top box displays that content on a video display device. 1 1 It should be noted that AT&T's IP Video Service does not access content from the public Internet today. For security reasons the content selection is limited to content that is contained within a "waIled'garden" in AT&T's network. Thns, while the design of AT&T's system is a client-server architecture, it does not literaI1y àccess the public Interriet. B-1