Two years ago, NUAMPS began transitioning from standard definition video to high definition video acquisition in order to keep up with media trends, improve programming quality, and expand distribution techniques. Distribution through video streaming is becoming a key method of disseminating content as academic and cultural institutions see the proliferation of web-based distributed learning methods and remote scholarly collaboration environments. However, streaming often means that content producers must sacrifice video quality, a move that runs counter to acquisition technology improvements.
In 2006 NUAMPS began experimenting with streaming HD video to test the prospects of future media dissemination for scholarly and cultural purposes. Initial tests produced a 9Mbps stream of 1080i HD quality video. Accessed by viewers across the mainland U.S. as well as by users in Hawaii and Puerto Rico, the project proved successful. NUAMPS will soon begin testing a 25Mbps stream.