Open Student Television Network

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Open Student Television Network
Type Internet Protocol (IP) television network (IPTV)
Country United States
Availability United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom
Founded 2005
by CampusEAI Consortium
Owner CampusEAI Consortium
Key people Arun Kumar, CEO
Rich Griffin, Executive Vice President
Paul Forsgren, Operations Manager
Launch date February 28, 2005
Website
OSTN.tv

The Open Student Television Network, also known as OSTN, is a national student television network, head-quartered in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.

OSTN was founded in the fall of 2004 and launched its high-bitrate IPTV stream on February 28, 2005.

The OSTN is an initiative of the CampusEAI Consortium, an international university consortium that includes institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, McGill University, The University of Exeter, Washington State University, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, and Foothill-De Anza Community College District.

OSTN is a pioneer in the development of IPTV video distribution systems, and delivers its program streams to affiliates via the Internet2 data network, in contrast to traditional broadcast television satellite or fibre-optic distribution methods. The use of Internet2 and similar ultra-broadband data networks allows OSTN to deliver broadcast-quality video to its member schools without the use of costly dedicated transmission equipment. OSTN's IPTV distribution system allows viewers to see OSTN on both traditional television sets, as the network is often available on a college's campus cable television system, as well as via their computers, via a cross-platform video player with a common interface on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux/Unix systems.

In addition to its IPTV over Internet2 broadcast streams, OSTN is available as a featured channel on the Joost platform, allowing OSTN content to be viewed outside of the college campus for the first time. OSTN content is also featured on MyspaceTV, and OSTN News content is available via the Associated Press worldwide network of online video distribution.

Contents

[edit] History of OSTN

In the fall of 2004, a group of student television station General Managers and senior managers met in Cleveland, Ohio, to discuss the single most vexing problem facing student television stations: attempting to program and manage a 24/7 television schedule on a limited budget and with limited production resources. Assisted by technology staff from Case Western Reserve University, the students were able to reach a consensus on the need for a national student television network, in order to facilitate sharing and distribution of student content on a worldwide basis. Students representing three television stations were present at this initial meeting: Ohio State's Buckeye TV, Carnegie-Mellon University, and Case Western Reserve University's IgniteTV, in addition to several members of Case Western Reserve and CampusEAI staff.

From this initial meeting, the need for and interest in a national television network for students was realized, and plans were put into action to make such a network possible. In order to facilitate continuity of network operations from to year, the decision was made to invest in central network management, who would be guided in their decision makings on the long-term direction of the network by student steering committees as well as a faculty/staff advisory committee. To provide distribution to the broadest audience while keeping central operating costs down, an IPTV-based playout and distribution system was implemented.

Over the next several years, member schools were signed on to carry the network on both campus cable systems as well as via IPTV deployments on college and university web pages. In the fall of 2007 OSTN selected a robust, scalable, reliable, and cross-platform IPTV distribution system, replacing an earlier system utilizing Windows Media Server, which allowed OSTN to reach a wider audience. An enterprise-level broadcast scheduling solution was implemented, allowing OSTN to schedule particular shows and series for the first time. In October 2007, OSTN's CEO and Founder, Prashant Chopra was arrested for pedophilia (soliciting a 12 year old girl). His father, Arun Kumar, took over operations. Since the arrest, OSTN has lost all of its managers who built the company including a university attrition rate of over 50%.

Tech whiz arrested in child sex sting A rising star in Cleveland's World Wide Web galaxy faces up to 42 years in prison if convicted of charges accusing him of using his computer savvy to angle for sex with a child.

A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Prashant Chopra, 29, Friday on charges of importuning, attempted rape, attempted kidnapping and other counts.

Chopra thought he had arranged a liaison on the West Side with a 12-year-old girl, said Assistant County Prosecutor Brendan Sheehan. But the "girl" Chopra was conversing with on line was a law-enforcement officer, authorities said.

Agents arrested Chopra when he arrived at the rendezvous in his black 2006 Mercedes-Benz, Sheehan said. Chopra, who lives in a $1.1 million Cleveland Heights mansion, is jailed awaiting arraignment next week.

According to media and Web biographies, Chopra is an Internet-technology consultant and entrepreneur at a Cleveland-based global nonprofit called the CampusEAI Consortium. It helps universities, governments and businesses incorporate the latest Internet business technologies.

Chopra also helped develop the Open Student Television Network, a Cleveland-based entity that webcasts college-student-produced programs globally. His on-line biographies also cite Chopra for helping Case Western Reserve University modernize its computer infrastructure.

No prison time for Internet whiz Prashant Chopra in child-sex case CLEVELAND—Prashant Chopra, 30, could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for using the Internet to arrange to meet a 12-year-old girl for sex.

But Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Stuart Friedman chose to give Chopra five years of probation instead.

Chopra agreed to a plea bargain in August and was convicted of abduction and three counts of importuning.

Chopra thought he had arranged a liaison on the West Side with the girl, prosecutors said. But the "girl" was a law-enforcement officer working with the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Chopra was arrested when he arrived at the rendezvous. He forfeited a 2006 Mercedes Benz, which he drove to the meeting, and computers as part of the plea deal.

Chopra has been in counseling for his sexual deviancy in Atlanta. The doctor who has been treating him testified via video link that Chopra has recovered and will not be a threat to re-offend if he stays in treatment.

Chopra lives in a $1.1 million Cleveland Heights mansion. He is an Internet technology consultant and entrepreneur at a Cleveland-based global nonprofit called the CampusEAI Consortium. It helps universities, governments and businesses incorporate the latest Internet technologies.

Chopra also helped develop the Open Student Television Network that webcasts college student-produced programs globally. His online biographies say he helped Case Western Reserve University modernize its computer infrastructure.

Last year, a Lake County man was sentenced to 18 months in prison when he arranged a liaison with a 12-year-old girl who was a police officer.

[edit] CampusEAI / OSTN Network Executive Committee

As an initiative of the CampusEAI consortium, OSTN is governed by the consortium's executive committee:

[edit] OSTN Management and Staff

In addition to CampusEAI staff, OSTN employs a wide variety of experienced professionals who serve as the network's central operational and executive management:

  • Arun Kumar, President & Chief Executive Officer
  • Ken MacPherson, Chief Technology Officer
  • Rich Griffin, Executive Vice President and Director of Technology
  • Paul Forsgren, Operations Manager and Chief Engineer
  • Aashutosh "Aash" Bhardvaj, Sr. Account Manager- Membership Development and Distribution

[edit] OSTN Advisory Committee

The OSTN Advisory Committee consists of leaders in educational broadcast video space. The Advisory Committee serves as a resource to and helps guide the Student Steering Committee in issues related to programming and technology. The OSTN Advisory Committee currently consists of the following members:

  • Laurel Fruth: Faculty Advisor, UNLV-TV, Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies
  • Don Tillman : Executive Director, Trojanvision , University of Southern California
  • Randy Winchester : Cable Television Project Leader, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Hans Kuhn: Academic User Services, University of Oregon

[edit] Member Universities and Stations

Select Content Providers of the OSTN include:

[edit] OSTN Programming

OSTN programming reflects the wide variety and high quality of programming produced by students around the world every day, and includes student-submitted content as well as original programming for the college audience. Content genres include:

  • News
  • Sitcoms
  • Drama
  • Film
  • Theatrical
  • Sports
  • Interview
  • Talk Show
  • Morning Shows
  • Spanish Language Content
  • United Kingdom-specific Content

[edit] OSTN Distribution

OSTN utilizes a non-traditional method of content and signal distribution, the Internet2 high speed academic network. Whereas a traditional television network sends its programming to affiliates via satellite feeds, OSTN uses an extremely high bandwidth connection via the Internet2 network to directly feed affiliates via standard LAN/WAN connections. Rather than require student television affiliates to purchase and maintain costly microwave, satellite, or dedicated fibre-optic transmission equipment, OSTN allows student stations and member institutions to receive the OSTN channel via existing high-speed IP-based network equipment.

The OSTN stream was initially a 1.6 megabit Windows Media stream, available live 24/7 over Internet2 to all member institutions. Windows Media encoding permitted a true NTSC quality stream of video to be transmitted at a relatively low bitrate. However, the WMV version of OSTN suffered from reliability issues, and was replaced in the fall of 2007 by a highly robust, scalable, and enterprise-grade IPTV distribution system. The current iteration of OSTN is a 2.0-4.0 MPEG-2 program stream, available via the Internet2 network. OSTN's new distribution system will allow the network to eventually offer itself as a 1.5-2.0 megabit H.264 program stream, and will be scalable to future implementations of an OSTN HD offering.

OSTN is delivered to consumers via two methods: over IP to the desktop computer via a web port and via traditional "legacy" CATV systems. When injected onto a legacy CATV system or onto a student television channel, OSTN utilizes a high-quality set top box converter device outputting analog NTSC or component video, which is then either mixed with local student TV programming (a network-affiliate model, such as Buckeye TV) or directly inserted onto the CATV line-up as its own separate channel.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Student_Television_Network"
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