Getting reacquainted with the new TV

While at net@edu and CAMP this week, I got reacquainted with a couple of relatively new efforts for IPTV and learned of a new one.

During a session about rich-media in the classroom, Tim Lorang from the University of Washington stood-in for Amy Phillipson and gave a thorough overview of what ResearchChannel.org is all about. I hadn't been there in awhile and I was surprised by the richness of their "catalogue" now. Penn State is a contributing member if you were wondering. And I think their web site is slick - but then again these are the same folks who help make KEXP (my favorite radio station) happen.

Jeff had made me aware of Joost, and I heard people talking it up again at net@edu. Joost is an IP based alternative to television that is getting lots of buzz, in great part because Joost is founded by the same guys who started Skype. Nice track record, huh?

The effort I hadn't heard of before is called Inuk. They are providing VoIP, internet connectivity and multicast television (with an eye on hi-def) to students at universities in the UK over their research and education network, JANET. This would be equivalent to running that service over what Internet2 now calls NewNet (used to be called Abilene).