I’m probably oversimplifying their offerings by titling this entry as simply ‘video distribution’, but these vendors are worth a mention nonetheless:
VBrick presented their IP video solution. They have presented to my region of school districts as well. I think we’ll see the CIO role begin to encompass television and video delivery (if it isn’t already for your district). The VBrick platform allows for scheduled delivery of video content and provides its own portal for delivery and searching for content. You can use the solution to capture content in multiple formats, store the content on a server for that purpose and play the video either on the desktop or on a separate dedicated display.
We also learned about Mediacast via a local reseller. This seemed to be a competitor to VBrick in many ways. With both solutions, you can encode selected channels from your cable provider. You can copy other media formats (VHS, DVD, etc) into the solution and manage copyrights more effectively by only allowing a licensed number of concurrent copies to play. With the right modules and equipment (like an “OnLocation cart“, one could conduct and stream a live broadcast in HD.
Portions of these solutions (encoders, master control units, etc) are eligible for E-Rate discounts under the Internal Connections category. These solutions aren’t for everyone, but these types of solutions may become a requirement as the instructional use of video from a variety of sources continues to grow.