Video Over IP, Second Edition: IPTV, Internet Video, H.264, P2P, Web TV, and Streaming: A Complete Guide to Understanding the Technology (Focal Press Media Technology Professional Series) [Paperback]

Wes Simpson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 14, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0240810848 | ISBN-13: 978-0240810843 | Edition: 2

Video Over IP gives you everything you need to know to choose from among the many ways of transferring your video over a network. The information is presented in an easy to read format, with comparison charts provided to help you understand the benefits and drawbacks of different technologies for a variety of practical applications. This new edition is expanded to fully cover HD and wireless technologies and new case studies.

Whether your background is video, networking, broadcast, or telecommunications, you will benefit from the breadth of coverage that this book provides. Real-life application examples give readers successful examples of a variety of Video over IP networks that are up and running today.

*This edition is expanded to include HD, Wireless, and IPTV technologies
*Understand video transport over IP networks - learn how to take advantage of technologies like MPEG, multicasting, RTP, and streaming
*Provides clear, easy to comprehend explanations of both video and networking technologies

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I find this book among the better ones, for its systematic approach and clarity of the text...The "Video over IP" book is highly recommended for all practising broadcast engineers."- EBU Techincal Review

?...here is a guide that gives you everything you need to know to find the best solution for your application.? ? SCTE, Dec. 2005

"Film and videomakers, networking professionals and corporate executives looking to take advantage of Web-based teleconferencing will all benefit from this revised edition of Simpson's tome, which brings his previous work up to date for an age of increased broadband usage and digital filmmaking tools and distribution. The seemingly endless variety of approaches and compression formats makes transferring video over a network seem nearly unfathomable at first, but Video Over IP is a comprehensive guide that makes video transport understandable without ignoring its complexity."- Jim Hemphill, American Cinematographer Magazine

About the Author

Wes Simpson is President of Telecom Product Consulting, an independent consulting firm that focuses on video and telecommunications products. He has more than 25 years experience in the design, development and marketing of products for telecommunication applications. He is a frequent speaker at industry events such as IBC, NAB and VidTrans and is author of the book Video Over IP. Wes was a founding member of the Video Services Forum.

Product Details

• Paperback: 504 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 2 edition (August 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240810848
• ISBN-13: 978-0240810843
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wes Simpson has been acting as an interpreter between technical experts and typical users for his entire career. He began as an engineer who needed to understand what customers wanted, and then moved into product management and marketing consulting to help guide new product development. Wes was a founder of the Video Services Forum, an influential trade group. He is also a columnist for TV Technology magazine. In addition to his books, Wes has created whitepapers for several companies and has truly enjoyed developing and delivering presentations to audiences around the globe.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Broad Coverage / Introduction, July 8, 2009

By 

Franco Arda (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Video Over IP, Second Edition: IPTV, Internet Video, H.264, P2P, Web TV, and Streaming: A Complete Guide to Understanding the Technology (Focal Press Media Technology Professional Series) (Paperback)

A well written book and great introduction into digital/audio broadcast incl. Video Conference and compression techniques (incl. H.264). Level: beginner / intermediate. The writing styled is clear and non-technical readers should understand it quickly.

But what's being technical? Some would argue that understanding the different levels of H.264 is technical (not covered in detail). Or understanding 'calculating network bandwidth' (covered on 2 pages). It's certainly not a book for techies in the field. I would consider a hard-core technical book like 'Peer-to-Peer Video Streaming'.

The only topic that to me was not properly covered is P2P. It was expecting more on this especially since P2P is mentioned on the subtitle. But that's a small detail of an otherwise great book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Easy reading, no beef, April 28, 2009

By 

Moore Paul Patrick "ppmoore" (Antwerpen Belgium) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Video Over IP, Second Edition: IPTV, Internet Video, H.264, P2P, Web TV, and Streaming: A Complete Guide to Understanding the Technology (Focal Press Media Technology Professional Series) (Paperback)

This is very well written book. For an beginner in the digital video/audio broadcast field like me, the book provides a good overview of the various video and audio standards as used by broadcasters and telecomms and internet service providers. The writing style used is very clear and the diagrams used also support the text.

The downside of the book is that it is not detailed enough me (my background is in computers/telecomms). For example, RTP, the protocol used at the hard of digital media streaming, merits only three pages. I have the impression that the book's audience is too broad - the book attempts to address users, broadcasters, and telecomms engineers. There is no detailed explanation of how the networking protocols work. The video/audio protocols are explained in some detail, but in the case of the network protocol already mentioned, RTP, no details are given, and no reference for further study is given.

In summary, the book is good as an easy introductory read, computer professionals especially will be want to look elswewhere.

4.0 out of 5 stars great book, April 15, 2011

By 

HJ - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Video Over IP, Second Edition: IPTV, Internet Video, H.264, P2P, Web TV, and Streaming: A Complete Guide to Understanding the Technology (Focal Press Media Technology Professional Series) (Paperback)

it covers a very wide scope and great book for someone who is new to the video/IP area and likes to have an overall picture of the technology. Well written, and easy to read.