Digital Entertainment and Higher Education

Created by Gregory H. Smith (George Fox University) on January 5, 2006

Are you amazed at how fast the Digital Entertainment landscape is changing and how much it is could influence Higher Education? A year ago I’m interested in exploring video streaming in order to solve needs such as making our chapel video accessible or looking for some options for providing entertainment to our students since we don’t have acceptable TV access. Today I am amazed at the affordability and flexibility for doing about anything you want with video as long as your network infrastructure can support it.

Take IPTV for example, last year I almost allowed Comcast to wire my residence halls with coax in order to setup a cable TV service priced per semester per door. Today I can distribute cable TV via our campus network and the big question is what type of pricing structure should be created. We give every undergraduate student a laptop more then capable of serving as a TV, but TV is not that important to them. So what is it worth? This could be a lot more complicated then the legislation forcing the cable providers to offer a family viewing option.

Maybe Google is going to become my video provider, we will know a lot more by tomorrow after Google offers a keynote at the CES. Maybe the Telcos will be my provider, they talk the talk, but they are clueless about the walk. Maybe the entertainment providers such as Comcast or Time Warner will lead the way. Maybe I build my own cable TV headend. Confuse all of this with options to take care of my voice and data needs and it just really amazes me at where we are at and where we will go.

So how does this influence Higher Education? I have to force myself to keep the proper perspective about these decisions. I believe that the critical concern relates to how I build my WAN so that I can leverage these digital services to promote various hybrid course delivery models. However, serving the expanded needs and desires of alumni and parents along with a constant concern about courting donors must be taken into account. This covers a much larger spectrum now when you consider production and delivery of digital resources with the scale pushing high definition video and continual concern for security. My Internet Service Provider relationships have to take into account options for Point-2-Point tunnels. Internal and external access to my network creates significant bandwidth decisions.

Anyways, just thought I would throw this out on the Educause Blog. I think comments would be of great interest to all.

IPTV

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		Digital Entertainment and Higher Education Created by Gregory H. Smith (George Fox University) on January 5, 2006 Are you amazed at how fast the Digital Entertainment landscape is changing and how much it is could influence Higher Education? A year ago I’m interested in exploring video streaming in order to solve needs such as making our chapel video accessible or looking for some options for providing entertainment to our students since we don’t have acceptable TV access. Today I am amazed at the affordability and flexibility for doing about anything you want with video as long as your network infrastructure can support it. Take IPTV for example, last year I almost allowed Comcast to wire my residence halls with coax in order to setup a cable TV service priced per semester per door. Today I can distribute cable TV via our campus network and the big question is what type of pricing structure should be created. We give every undergraduate student a laptop more then capable of serving as a TV, but TV is not that important to them. So what is it worth? This could be a lot more complicated then the legislation forcing the cable providers to offer a family viewing option. Maybe Google is going to become my video provider, we will know a lot more by tomorrow after Google offers a keynote at the CES. Maybe the Telcos will be my provider, they talk the talk, but they are clueless about the walk. Maybe the entertainment providers such as Comcast or Time Warner will lead the way. Maybe I build my own cable TV headend. Confuse all of this with options to take care of my voice and data needs and it just really amazes me at where we are at and where we will go. So how does this influence Higher Education? I have to force myself to keep the proper perspective about these decisions. I believe that the critical concern relates to how I build my WAN so that I can leverage these digital services to promote various hybrid course delivery models. However, serving the expanded needs and desires of alumni and parents along with a constant concern about courting donors must be taken into account. This covers a much larger spectrum now when you consider production and delivery of digital resources with the scale pushing high definition video and continual concern for security. My Internet Service Provider relationships have to take into account options for Point-2-Point tunnels. Internal and external access to my network creates significant bandwidth decisions. Anyways, just thought I would throw this out on the Educause Blog. I think comments would be of great interest to all. IPTV Greg's blog Login or register to post comments 4616 reads
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