Using Cat6 for Television

It’s hard to guess at what the future holds in terms of data transmission. Obviously with fiber optics being the fastest as of late, wired systems are still proving to be the top of the line for faster internet speeds and better video quality.

Enter Eastern Washington University and their latest residence hall; a Cat 6 system that has been designed to be future-proof for modifications down the road. Every student room has multiple connections for data and television. The student lounges also have a number of visual connections and presentation areas.

The infrastructure also supports a full camera surveillance system and a robust wireless network for wireless devices. What makes this particular system so interesting is that all the visual signals are transmitted via Cat 6. This system is unique in that it supports IPTV, a new standard that has yet to fully catch on.

IPTV gives viewers the option to seek out individual RSS Video feeds or other syndicated video formats. Think of Internet Protocol as a “language” that devices use to communicate over a computer network. IP is not the same thing as the Internet. Rather, it’s the same language used by the Internet. IP technology allows information to be sent and received over any broadband or network connection.

When all of your devices and services — now including your TV — speak the same language, they are able to easily work together in new ways. Program your DVR from your PC or wireless phone… Display personalized content and applications from the Internet on your TV…Even view your home phone’s incoming call log on your TV screen.

With all the talk of wireless, it seems this college has put their resources firmly in the cabled network camp. This is not surprising given the transfer speeds. For now, it seems Eastern Washington University is planning for anything and that’s always a good bet.