RNP > RNP News > 2001 News

Video projects were the priority

In November 1999, RNP News announced the beginning of the operation of the ReMAV in Natal (NatalNet) and informed that the main application to be developed by the ReMAV would be "the support to the diffusion of videos on demand or produced live by the University Television (Televisão Universitária, TVU)." More than a year later, we interviewed the coordinator of NatalNet, Guido Lemos, in order to find out how much progress has been made in terms of video projects.

RNP - When the ReMAV in Natal was implanted, its main focus was the diffusion of videos through the net. How is the project now?

Guido Lemos - In terms of the diffusion of MPEG-2 videos made live or on demand, we have made a lot of progress. We implemented DynaVideo, a video distribution service which can be configurated dynamically in order to meet a certain demand. Part of DynaVideo's code was implemented in the form of mobile agents that can be strategically placed in the net so as to distribute the video in an optimized way. We have also implemented a video on demand server in Java using API JMF.

There was also a project involving teleeducation. It consisted of the live transmission of classes taught at Cefet's studio

That is right. It is called the Pro-Cefet. Last year's classes were recorded and are available to be accessed by using video on demand. Unfortunately, this year no new classes have been recorded or broadcast. Therefore, we were not able to transmit them live as we wished.

You gave great importance to the digitalization of University TV's archives. How much has the project advanced?

In this project, we have good prospects. During the last meeting of the Brazilian Association of Public TVs, I suggested that we extend this project to all the public TVs in Brazil. The proposal was approved in the meeting. We are working on a project to raise funds from the Information Society Program and to make it possible to connect the TVs to RNP's network.

Talking about TV, what about the interactive TV project?

We intend to produce the first programs still this year. I am purchasing a reference set-top box for our laboratory.

Is there anything else you would like to declare?

Yes. The great problem we are facing is the discontinued sponsorship for our research. The ReMAV project was over, and no other possibility of sponsorship was offered so that we could keep the staff that had been formed. I have lost most of my researchers. Out of the twenty or so people holding scholarships, only four are left, and they are being paid by scholarships given by the University TV (TV Universitária).

[RNP, 05.18.2001]