How ATM networks meet professional broadcast demands

Through the combination of digital TV and digital networking technologies, the transport of professional broadcast services is undergoing a tremendous evolution. After a move from analog to digital, specialized Leased lines are being replaced progressively by powerful,general purpose asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)-based networks. The most critical issue for the adoption of this new technology by the broadcast industry is the transport of live realtime broadcast services, for which the most serious constraints appear. The level of performance that caa be expected for this application is a key point for the end-user broadcaster. After reviewing various elements of the ATM technology, this paper focuses on performance aspects: the mechanisms put in place, leading to commitments by both the end-user broadcaster and the network operator to a given level of performance are explained; practical performance results are given; and examples of large-scale deployments are described.