Mush! GCI Harnesses RGB for Iditarod Streaming

Alaskan cable op General Communication Inc. will use RGB Networks' TransAct Transcoder to stream live coverage of the annual Iditarod dog-sled race to its subscribers' PCs with the same quality it delivers to TVs. This year's race begins on March 5.At its central headend in Anchorage, GCI is using RGB's TransAct to transcode video of the Iditarod in real-time from MPEG-2 to the MPEG-4/H.264 for streaming to PCs over the Internet. GCI is also creating multiple individual streams at different screen resolutions and bit rates to accommodate the wide variety of PCs and broadband speeds used by GCI's subscribers. Finally, GCI is packaging the individual streams into the Microsoft Smooth Streaming video delivery application.The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers more than 1,000 miles of Alaska and can take as long as 15 days to complete. The race has been held since 1973.