[OPLINTECH] OPLIN lines and streaming HD content....

[Shane I. Hoffman]

I was just reading Laura Solomon's latest "What does this mean to me..." entry on Hulu - http://www.oplin.org/meanlaura/archives/181 - and began wondering just what DOES this mean to me.  I had originally planned to just comment on the posting, but thought I'd like to throw it out here to see what others are thinking.

With OPLIN monitoring T-1 lines and offering free upgrades to fiber(where available) per the conditions in previous messages, how will this affect the bottom line for other services?  Is it possible that a spur in streaming video could spike those upgrades and impact other services...financially speaking?  With the economic downturn, and lots of people cancelling luxuries at home such as for pay television services and/or broadband,I think there's a real chance for a greater number of libraries to end up eligible for the upgrades.  I understand that with the filtering grants and hardware, we can block those sites and save bandwidth, but I would think that would be a last resort move when people are coming to the library expressly for luxuries they've had to deny themselves out of necessity.

Speaking based on my own experience, we've already doubled our bandwidth at our main site this year and are starting to max out more regularly at our branch.  We don't have a very many people watching much more than a series of low quality YouTube videos and some online gamers at the moment.  If we get a dozen people watching HDTV...could be a problem.  I was wondering what other libraries are doing or are planning.

I have been debating whether or not to try packet shaping.  Maybe we'll just dedicate a couple of terminals for people to use their Netflix subscriptions on :)

PS...

If you should upgrade your bandwidth...be sure to turn off any test throttling you may have done first.  Not that I spent a week cutting my upgraded service in half or anything...no...I certainly did not do that.

 Shane Ian Hoffman
IT Coordinator
Pickaway County District Public Libraries
1160 North Court Street
Circleville, OH  43113
phone - 740.477.1644 ext. 232
fax - 740.474.2855
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