R&D Spirits
Toward Innovation in Broadcasting throughIP Technology
Mitsuru Maruyama
Senior Research Engineer, Supervisor, Group Leader
Parallel Distributed Media Systems Research GroupMedia Innovation Laboratory
NTT Network Innovation Laboratories

Internet protocol (IP) technology is expected to generate much innovation in the world of
broadcasting. One example is NTT’s Internet video studio system called “i-Visto” that cantransmit uncompressed HDTV (high-definition television) at broadband speeds of 1.5 Gbit/s.
How will i-Visto and its peripheral systems cause broadcasting studios to evolve? Will innovative systems such as these influence fields outside broadcasting? We put these questions tosenior research engineer, supervisor, Mitsuru Maruyama, a group leader in NTT Network Innovation Laboratories.

Application of IP to uncompressed HDTV
for the broadcasting field—Dr. Maruyama, could you outline your current
R&D work for us?
We are developing an Internet-based HDTV (highdefinition television) video studio system called iVisto (Internet video studio system for HDTV production) as part of our research into high-speed protocol processing technology. The i-Visto system wasdesigned to enable IP technology to be applied tobroadcast stations and other video-production studios. Its outstanding feature is the ability to handle
uncompressed HDTV at 1.5 Gbit/s (Fig. 1). Existingtransmission systems for broadcast use are based onelectrical signals and coaxial cables, which limit
transmission distance to 100 m. The i-Visto system,in contrast, can send signals to the other side of theworld over an IP network. It also uses packet/multiplexing technology, which enables it to synchronize
and send multiple video and audio signals along a single fiber in compressed or uncompressed format,
thereby negating the need for fixed, large-capacity
circuits. And as a service that only IP can provide, i6Visto enables realtime distributed control of video
streaming using the IP switching network. The iVisto system is also based on personal computers(PCs), which enables considerable cost savings.
At the same time, we are developing a streaming
server to support uncompressed HDTV. Based on a
PC cluster, this server can store and deliver ten 1.5Gbit/s broadband video streams. Servers that candirectly handle uncompressed broadband video inthis manner have yet to appear elsewhere in theworld.
—What are some of the key technical points of thisresearch?
In the past, high-speed transmission at the 1.5Gbit/s level was difficult to implement due to performance limitations in central processing units (CPUs)and bus bandwidth. We were able to perform highspeed protocol processing in 2001 through the use oflong 64-KB packets in MAPOS (multiple access protocol over SONET/SDH*1), an NTT technology. This
*1 SONET/SDH: both synchronous optical network and synchronous digital hierarchy

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R&D Spirits

Transmits/stores/delivers uncompressed HDTV streams in real time (press release Oct. 2001)
Easy integration with common IP-based systems such as WWW, database, computing resources
Low-delay (less than the time taken to display one HDTV video frame)
PC-based cost-effective system
Many field tests in cooperation with broadcasting stations (NAB and JGN II)
i-Visto media converter
i-Visto camera

V

HDT

V

SDT

HD-SDI
HDTV equipment

IP network

i-VistoeXmediaserverSD-SDI
SDTV equipment

i-Visto gateway XG
i-Visto product lineup

HDTV monitor

i-Vistomanager

SDTV: standard-definition television

Fig. 1. Overview of i-Visto.

is probably the most significant point in this research.
Another important point is NTT’s in-house development of a streaming-oriented video interface card
applying telecommunication-card technology. We
developed this card because no video interface
boards specifically for transmission purposes existed,and every time we used a commercially available
board we always got a big processing delay no matter
how hard we tried. To get what we needed, we developed this card from scratch, and as a result, we weresuccessful in reducing the delay from around fiveframes to less than one frame.
In addition, the system that we developed was
designed for broadcasting purposes from the outset.
Our group has even been using it on a daily basis as avideoconferencing system connecting NTT’s
Musashino and Yokosuka R&D sites. This system
has none of the delay common in existing videoconferencing systems and provides exceptionally smoothconferencing, even allowing the mutual interruptions
that occur naturally in conversation. The video itself
is also much better. Facial expressions of people atthe other end are easy to make out and even text written on a white board is clear. All this contributes to ahigh-reality experience. Because of these great features, I sometimes feel that the system is more suitable for casual but highly interactive communication
Vol. 4 No. 4 Apr. 2006

like brainstorming rather than formal communication
as in meetings and presentations.
—What problems are you dealing with?
Well, since the i-Visto system is already in its
implementation stage, the current problems are towork out the details and produce a product suitable
for the open market. This task will be taken up mainly by NTT Network Service Systems Laboratories,
whose mission within NTT is to turn the fruits of
R&D into practical, working products. As a result,
our group is now taking up “computing” as a new target in this field. In short, now that we have completed our work in transmission and storage, we would
like to try our hands at achieving “stream computing*2” over an IP network. One other problem is thetrend toward even higher resolution. In this regard,
we are moving forward with research on video transmission at four times the definition of HDTV in collaboration with another group in NTT Laboratories(Fig. 2).

*2 Stream computing: distributed processing environment for
streaming media

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R&D Spirits

Jan. 2006: “i-Visto 4K gateway clusters” capable of handling a 6-Gbit/s uncompressed super-high-definition (SHD) stream(http://www.ntt.co.jp/news/news06/0601/060119.html)
The fastest uncompressed video transfer trial over an IP network except HD-SDI

4K-gateway (transmitter)

4K camera

4K-gateway (receiver)

4K projector

i-Vistoi-Visto6 Gbit/s
10GbE
switch10GbE
switchSynchronizationJGN II
i-Vistoi-VistoHD-SDI × 4

10GbE
i-Visto 4K gateway for SHD

HD-SDI: high-definition serial digital interface
4K: denotes an image with over 4000 pixels horizontally
10GbE: 10 Gigabit Ethernet

Fig. 2. JGN II Symposium in Sendai, Japan.

Making the world’s fastest PC-based systemwith an eye to international standardization—Dr. Maruyama, could you tell us about R&D trends inhigh-quality video transmission in Japan and overseas?
Well, other than NTT, research on transmitting
uncompressed data in a PC-based manner is now
being conducted at the University of Washington andthe University of Southern California (USC), but atpresent, I would have to say that our system is thefastest. The present situation, moreover, is such thatthe various research projects are going their own way,
but the Asia-Pacific Advanced Network (APAN), aninternational organization, may hold discussions atupcoming meetings on establishing mutual interconnection between the various systems. Details have
not yet been worked out, but it looks like some kindof standard is in the works.
—What kind of response have you received to yourresearch achievements to date?
Over the last few years, we conducted various trials
in Japan and elsewhere centered on broadcast stations
and received high praise wherever we went. At the
NAB2004 electronic media show, for example, we
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used i-Visto to establish a 15,000-km optical-fiberconnection between the Las Vegas Convention Center and a broadcast station in Tokyo and had TV
announcers at these sites converse with each other(Fig. 3). It is generally said that delay must notexceed 100 milliseconds if professional announcers
at two sites are to have a natural, interactive dialog,
but our system achieved a delay as low as 80 milliseconds. The participating announcers commented
that “it was like the other person was right next tome.”
Back in Japan, we conducted a 10-Gbit/s network
experiment between five points for the InterBEE2004
exhibition. And in 2005, we connected a broadcast
station in Osaka with an exhibition hall at Aichi Expo2005 in Nagoya and broadcast television programs to
the hall every day for about half a year. In this trial,
we also multiplexed camera control signals with theprogram signals and never lost a packet, demonstrating that the system is suitable for professional use.
—Are you engaged in any collaboration with othercompanies or research institutions?
We have often collaborated with broadcast stations
to hold trials as I just mentioned, and in the world of
academia, we are working on a joint project with ProNTT Technical Review

R&D Spirits

Apr. 2004: Interactive HDTV communication between U.S. and Japan

Gateways

Gateways
SwitchSwitchPacific OC-48c lineTokyo

Las Vegas• One uncompressed HDTV and two SDTV signals weretransferred in two directions over a pacific OC-48c line.
• Transmission delay of less than three frames was achieved.
Very natural interactive communication was achieved.

Fig. 3. NAB 2004.

fessor Jun Murai of Keio University to research
applications for remote education. Professor Murai
was deeply impressed with the low delay of theremote lecture system that we provided at the JGN
II*3 Symposium in January 2005. In this way, lowdelay is coming to be recognized as an important
aspect of broadcast quality, and for this reason I think
our system will attract more attention, which will inturn lead to more collaboration.

chance that we’ll begin competing with a number ofcompanies, and for this reason, we have already submitted patent applications. At the same time, ourmain mission is to create new IP services that use theequipment that we develop. I believe that it is more
important for us to spread the use of uncompressed,
multiplexed transmission in society than to compete
in the development of hardware.

Better communication with better systems—On the other hand, are you faced with any competition at this time?
Product development that targets the multiplexed
transmission of uncompressed video data in a PCbased system has just begun. The commercializationof transmission equipment in our system, for example, began only in 2005, and the server has yet to be
put on the market. In addition, research sites that are
targeting the broadcast field are themselves few innumber, and I think it is safe to say that there is no
substantial competition at this time. As the market
begins to develop, however, I think there is a good

*3 JGN II: Japan Gigabit Network II operated by NICT

Vol. 4 No. 4 Apr. 2006

—What kind of research were you involved with inschool?
My major was applied electronic engineering. The
professor in charge of the research laboratory happened to be well versed in the UNIX operating system (OS), and his enthusiasm for programming
rubbed off on me. As part of my graduate thesis, I
actually created a realtime OS. And then, in the middle of the minicomputer age, I used that OS as a basis
for building from scratch a personal computer using
CP/M on my own. I was given the opportunity of presenting this computer at an academic society and thefavorable reception that I received was a truly great
experience for me at that time. Later, for my master’s
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R&D Spirits

thesis, I researched data flow here at the Musashino
R&D Center while I was visiting NTT Laboratories
along with several foreign students who were in thesame research laboratory at the university. It was during those visits that I was first exposed to the amazing facilities and research environment at NTT, and I
joined the company with that sense of awe.
—What research themes have you taken on at NTT
Laboratories?
Soon after entering the company, I was assigned tothe composite-switching research group, where I was
engaged in the R&D of protocol processing for ATMbased high-definition videotex system and video-ondemand systems for more than 10 years (ATM: asynchronous transfer mode). After that, I moved over towhat was then NTT Software Laboratories, and sincethen, I have been involved in the research of ultrahigh-speed computer networks (MAPOS), i-Vistosystems, and multi-agent systems. I have been here atMusashino the whole time. However, I have experienced organizational restructuring several times, andI have been involved with both core technology andapplication development, but it did, I admit, broaden
my R&D experience.
—How did your current research begin?
With conventional video broadcast systems, broadcast content was delivered to customers’ homes incompressed form, even though that video content wasusually handled in uncompressed form within the studio. Audio and video were also handled separately,
and as for switching, all video programs had to be
stored at one place and centrally controlled. As aresult, the assistant director at a broadcasting sitewould always have a good number of coaxial cables
on hand and would forever be rearranging them as
needed. If IP could be introduced, it was thought,
then surely work of this sort could be done in a more
efficient and economical manner. This type of thinking opened the door to my current research.
—What has been your main pursuit in your R&D
work up to now?
My prime pursuit has been speed. Earlier I mentioned protocol processing in MAPOS. Here too, theemphasis is on ultrahigh-speed switching technology,
and in my current research, the problem of how to go
about achieving a high-presence or high-reality feel10

ing is none other than the problem of how to increase
processing speed and reduce delay. Why this obsession with speed? Because eliminating time lag is one
sure way of broadening the scope of communication.
In brainstorming, for example, where the atmosphereof the meeting and verbal exchanges are important,smooth interaction and realtime interpretation andtranslation should be able to overcome both languageand distance barriers and facilitate immediate decision making. In this way, my pursuit of speed should
not be confused with simply a desire to create something that is faster than anything that has comebefore. What has motivated me in my R&D work is
to help provide a better means of communication
through speed!
—What are your current objectives?
Since I obtained my doctorate through my researchon high-speed protocol processing, one of my current
objectives is to find out just how fast protocol processing can be taken. In particular, I would like to takeprotocol processing—which is more than simply amatter of transmission—from its current level of 10
Gbit/s to the 100-Gbit/s or even 1-Tbit/s level. Another of my objectives is to take up the subject of intelligence in the network. Some members in our group are
currently researching an inter-AS (autonomous system) routing error diagnosis system called ENCORE.
Today’s Internet is not capable of managing inter-ASrouting information, but ENCORE can automaticallycheck and guarantee the flow of routing informationby placing agents throughout the network. And still
another objective is to combine high speed and intelligence in the network. We call this a “thinking network” that can automatically detect, diagnose, andrepair faults and congestion in high-speed, broadband
streaming communications.

Enthusiasm for one’s work is the best
motivation—Dr. Maruyama, what do you envision for the near
future?
To begin with, I would like to see the concepts ofstream computing and a thinking network used toachieve a network backbone that can provide highspeed streaming services with no interruptions at all.
Bringing research on this to the deployment stage
within about five years is therefore one of my shortterm objectives. And within ten years or so, I would
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like to see all broadcast stations connected to the IP
network. I can imagine, for example, the transfer ofvideo data from a news-gathering site to the i-Vistosystem via a wireless connection. If that can beachieved, I think the face of broadcasting will change
significantly. And once it has been achieved, it would
be natural to extend such a system for mass use. Here,the 1.5-Gbit/s band that is currently being used in one
clump could be divided up by a user to deliver personalized streaming content. One example would becommunicating with grandparents in the country by
high-reality audio and video streaming while also
editing and sending a video of their grandchild in realtime for their enjoyment.
I would like to have a good eye for the future withrespect to our R&D efforts. But R&D in a corporate
setting demands that feedback on achievements becontinuously obtained lest we depart from the flow of
the current era and get left behind. For this reason,
our approach is to release products for every R&D
milestone that we reach with the idea of advancing
closer to our final objective while receiving feedback
on developed technology. The i-Visto system is one
such milestone.

Nowadays, a lot of emphasis is being placed on efficiency in the R&D process, but thinking only of efficiency is hardly conducive to cultivating researchersthat can discern the true nature of things. In thisregard, I am grateful for the understanding that NTT
Laboratories has of the research process, and at thesame time, I think that our research tradition must be
passed on to the younger generation of researchers.
—Dr. Maruyama, what would you like to say to young
researchers?
Please find a research area that you can pursue withgreat enthusiasm. With research like that, you will
apply the abilities that you have to the fullest, andthose that you don’t have you will supplement
through study. That is how you will improve yourresearch skills. And to maintain your identity as a
researcher, you should not worry about your status
within the organization or aim for high remuneration,
but should instead engage in research that you yourself enjoy and that enables you to improve your abilities to the utmost.

—What would be your ultimate theme as a researcher?
I would love to construct a stream-oriented network
processor. The handling of streaming data is entirely
different from conventional data processing, whichmeans that an entirely new form of architecture isneeded. I don’t even think that I could apply the concept of data flow that I myself researched earlier. Of
course, software too will be needed, which meansthat a new compiler will have to be developed.
Whether I can actually do this I’m not sure, but given
the opportunity, I’d definitely like to try.
—What is it like working at NTT Laboratories for you
personally?
NTT Network Innovation Laboratories that I currently belong to also conducts core technology development, and it allows new ideas to be actively tested.
As for research style, it’s a place with much freedom.
In our group, for example, we advocate an “atelier” orworkshop approach and construct much of our hardware ourselves. Of course, it might be much simpler
to depend on manufacturers for this equipment, but
we would miss the chance to gain new know-how.
Attempting to build equipment on our own also deepens our understanding of any problems that arise.
Vol. 4 No. 4 Apr. 2006

Interviewee profile■ Career highlights
Mitsuru Maruyama received the B.E. and M.E.
degrees in electrical engineering and the Ph.D. degree
in computer science from the University of ElectroCommunications in 1983, 1985, and 1999, respectively. He joined NTT Laboratories in 1985 and has been
engaged in R&D of a high-definition videotex system,
video-on-demand systems, and an IP-based realtime
video transmission and archiving system. He is aGroup Leader in NTT Innovation Laboratories, where
he is currently studying fast-protocol processing system architectures and multi-agent systems. He is amember of the IEEE Computer Society and Communications Society, the Association for Computing
Machinery, the Institute of Electronics, Information
and Communication Engineers of Japan, and theInformation Processing Society of Japan.

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