Integrated Technologies Committee 2004
January 13, 2004
IHETS Board Room
PRESENT: Fred Nay, Ball State University; Chair of ITC, Michael Gay, Purdue University; Bob Jefferson, Indiana State University; Abu Moniruzzaman, Ivy Tech; Pat Smoker, Purdue University; Sean Wilkerson, Vincennes University; Barrie Zimmerman, WTIU/IU; Tim Fisher, Max Gordon, Betty Hart, Dave Kaufman, George Khazal, Richard Miles, Tim Ping, Ed Stockey, Sarah Toney, Lynn Ward, IHETS staff.
The meeting was called to order at l:30 p.m.
IDEAS Program Update
Richard Miles reported with an update on the IDEAS Program and stated that it has been live for l week and on the air 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. WFYI is taking the service 24 hours a day and broadcasting it on their digital transmitter as their 3 rd channel, their primary channel is for high definition, the 2 nd channel is a copy of their analog and 3 rd channel is us. This should generate in the metropolitan area of Indianapolis cable carrier on Insight, Comcast and Bright house. They will be notified via registered letter that the site is now operational.
Bloomington should be on by the end of the month and plan to use the service overnight on a cable channel in the Bloomington area with all educational material. Vincennes is using us on their overnight service on a standard analog channel. Evansville and Bloomington is using us on their cable educational channel from midnight to 6 and that's distributed around the state on overnight on satellite. WFYI will have a direct microwave link so that we can have that service going 24 hours.
I'm happy to report that quality of service is good and we have encountered no problems with the server. Muncie is not on the air due to transmitter problems, Merrillville and South Bend have technical issues, Fort Wayne has been quiet, they haven't said yes but they haven't said no. Miles expressed his appreciation to the IHETS staff for all their assistance with a special thanks extended to George Khazal.
Nay asked Miles to describe the technology they are using for the delivery, Miles responded that they are taking the source tapes from the schools with PBS programs and encoding them as a Windows Media 9 file and within the Windows Media 9 server playback is a play list that you can select which files you want to run and in what order, then we are streaming it across the building to ourselves and converting it to an NTSC signal and micro waving it to WFYI and taking the NTSC signal and put it up on satellite.
The website is scheduled to be live at the end of the month. Scott shared that a partial listing can be found in the program guide.
Zimmerman shared that all the broadcasters were required to convert to digital broadcasting and the IPBS group in Indiana was fortunate enough to be funded by the
Legislature and make the critical parts of the conversion. The fact that that was done and the stations agreed to the multicast channels for an educational function, thus this lead to the partnership of IPBS and IHETS.
Master Control Operations
Zimmerman stated that we need to reestablish communication procedures and contact information between the stations and IHETS. This will be a positive move for us and when we begin to market and promote the service as more and more sites convert to digital we will have an impressive product. Stockey commented that Kaufman has written internal procedures for the VNOC and we need to get this information circulated to the stations.
Support
Tim Ping stated that as we approach the budget process every year that we are too far in
to the budgetary process at IHETS and within the institutions before we actually begin to engage one another as to how we are going to use the monies that IHETS has available. I would like to come away from today's meeting with at least a commitment for a firm meeting date and time. Ball State and Ivy Tech have expressed an interest in participating in these meetings. IHETS would be willing to host these meetings and make them available via audio and video.
Ping will send out a packet of information to all the ITC members with information on the number of circuits, and breakdown of the support money. The next meeting is scheduled for January 20 th at IHETS and the outcome of this meeting a recommendation will go forward to the management committee for approval. Ping reiterated that this is your opportunity to participate in the process
Abu asked if the price of an incremental DS3 has gone down and the response is yes, and now we have to decide collectively what dollars we have at IHETS and how we should spend that money whether we do multiple DS3, multiple Tl's or a combination of the two. Scott suggested that Sarah Toney may want to contact the folks at the Independent Colleges
Ward asked if it would be possible to work out an algorithm that we could use and stated that this would be a way we could divide up the money possibly price per mega bite.
IHETS Director of Operations Search Update
Nay reported that the search committee met this morning and made a recommendation and submitted the name to Dave King. A decision should be made this week.
IP/Video Update
