Delivery Systems evaluation

Evaluation of delivery systems currently available in Australia for on-line delivery of multimedia content.

Multimedia content delivered on-line requires reasonably high data rates, but can be delivered at slower speed and later accessed if necessary - the typical `download' or proxy scenario.

The most highly publicised network at present for multimedia delivery is the `internet' or web. Accessing this network can be done via many methods and speeds - ranging from slow analog dial-up modems (as used at home), through ISDN, Cable modems and then increasing up to the currently very expensive (experimental) ATM (ISDN Broadband) network.

Networking costs increase dramatically with speed and range. Telecommunications companies like Telstra offers various forms of access and core technologies, with product names like Fastnet, Flexnet, Frame Relay. Basic Rate ISDN is at the low end of the leased data network spectrum. Currently there are experimental ATM backbones in place that offer much faster networking (34Mbit/s ATM) but the final cost to users is unknown at the current time.