SOURCES SOUGHT
58 -- Shipboard Information, Training, and Entertainment System (SITES)
- Notice Date
- 7/9/2004
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334220
— Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Other Defense Agencies, OSD - Public Affairs for Internal Communication, Defense Media Center, 1363 Z Street, Building 2730, March ARB, CA, 92518-2017
- ZIP Code
- 92518-2017
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-NMC
- Response Due
- 8/31/2004
- Archive Date
- 9/15/2004
- Point of Contact
- James Costantino, Contract Specialist, Phone 909-413-2235, Fax 909-413-2432, - Artimae Shepherd, Contracting Officer, Phone 909-413-2303, Fax 909-413-2432,
- E-Mail Address
-
costajm@dodmedia.osd.mil, shepha@dodmedia.osd.mil
- Description
- The Government is seeking potential sources with the capability to provide technologies that will directly replace 8-millimeter (mm) videotape duplication, playback and other processes in use today in Shipboard Information, Training, and Entertainment (SITE) systems. SITE systems are installed aboard U.S. Navy ships and submarines and some Military Sealift Command (MSC) vessels. Technologies must provide state-of-the-art solution(s) capable of 10 or more years of service life for the functions of content encoding and encryption; media duplication and distribution; and key management, decryption, and content playback. It is essential that all solutions share a common security platform that includes at a minimum AES-128 encryption, decryption and key management functions. A prospective vendor?s conference will be held on 22 July 2004 during which the Government will present its concept for the use of hard disk drives (HDD), standard digital versatile disk (DVD), and encrypted-DVD (eDVD) to distribute television content to ships at sea and in port around the world. The Government will also present its concept for a centralized duplication facility to service the entire U.S. Navy Fleet and its desire to migrate to a shipboard video server, file-based architecture. This is not a request for competitive proposals or quotations.The state-of-the-art has advanced considerably since the original SITE system design and the Government is now faced with a videotape format that is practically extinct. The Government intends to install video server technology aboard ship to replace 8-mm videotape legacy hardware, and use HDDs to provide ships with an initial (approximate) 600-hour library of non time-sensitive programming. This library will supplement satellite delivered television programming already in place and fully operational to nearly 75-percent of the Fleet. Once the library is installed ships will receive a monthly refresh packages, also on HDD, consisting of approximately 100 hours of replacement television programming. The Government intends to outfit its existing videotape duplication facilities with DVD duplication systems to provide ?special,? time-sensitive programming to ships within a specific region on unencrypted DVDs.The Government intends to utilize eDVD technology to distribute encrypted commercial movies to ships. Two delivery methods are being considered: (1) encrypted movie files will be written to HDD and delivered to ships for uploading into video servers and network storage on most SITE systems. The Government is considering whether to also provide ships with eDVD media for backup and long term storage of encrypted movie content; or (2) Movies will be provided to ships on eDVD media only. Regardless of delivery method, the Government intends to utilize eDVDs in two applications ? in a stand-alone player and as a source media for video servers. A playback appliance, such as an eDVD player, is envisioned to support the stand-alone application. The Government intends the eDVD player to fit both tabletop and equipment rack mounting scenarios, and that it be capable of operating on universal, worldwide A.C. power. The Government envisions that video servers be equipped with hardware and software capable of extracting the encrypted movie files from the eDVD media for storage on local (within the server) HDD. It follows that the video server must also be equipped with the necessary hardware and software to decrypt the movie file, but only at the time of playback (MPEG decode). File decryption must be a closed process and the video server must not allow access or storage of any decrypted files. Video server and encryption/decryption vendors are highly encouraged to form a teaming relationship in order to facilitate this requirement. The Government is interested in those vendors that have a key management system or program that is capable of affecting control over the authorization of eDVD players and decryption-capable video servers.The Government plans to design its next generation SITE system with a minimum of four server-based playback channels. Video servers must include automated playback control and onboard, internal storage capacities that will provide for a minimum of four days of unattended playback for each of the four channels. The Government envisions a Gigabit Ethernet network in its next generation SITE systems to facilitate the use of networked file storage. Approximately 4.5 terabytes (TB) of usable network storage will be required to store the estimated 800 full-length movies in an encrypted form, the television library described above and its refresh shipments, and the remaining capacity will be used to store local shipboard production and training material. The Government intends for all content to be encoded at an average of 4.0 Megabits per second using MPEG-2 main profile at main level compression with the maximum encode rate being 6.0 Mbps.The Government desires a fully automated workflow for both duplication and shipboard playback functions. It is desired that a centralized system be devised to allow multiple duplication facilities to master and distribute the same product to all ships worldwide. A playlist file (created by the centralized system) is envisioned to contain sufficient data to allow a simple automation system -- included with one or more video servers -- to automatically play back four channels of programming aboard ship without the need for human intervention over a period of not less than four days.The Government is interested in off-the-shelf technologies only that can provide a significant improvement in the density of programming hours per unit of media presently available with videotape; technologies that are capable of automation yet can also be fully manipulated by shipboard operators; technologies that will facilitate ?faster than real time? transfer of programming between integral parts of a playback architecture; and technologies that are scalable in terms of numbers of playback channels, drives, or both, and in terms of quality of playback (probably controlled during the encoding process). The Government is interested in technologies that offer access to open architecture computer operating and file systems, computer network systems and that are compliant with commercial broadcast standards such as MPEG-2 or later.Because of the tight integration required between video servers, eDVD components, and the required encryption and decryption technologies, the Government will host a prospective vendors conference on 22 July 2004. The purpose of this conference is to provide a forum for the Government to present and for prospective vendors to question matters of workflow, encryption technology, key management, and any other technical, operational, or system architecture considerations. The conference will be held at the Defense Media Center, 1363 Z Street, Building 2730, March Air Reserve Base, CA 92518. While the conference is open to any interested party, pre-registration is highly suggested. The Government recognizes that multiple vendors may be required to work closely together in order to meet all requirements. This conference is an opportunity for these relationships to be initialized and established. A draft performance work statement (PWS) will be made available on or about July 15, 2004. If you or your organization are involved in the areas of television program encoding, encryption, file storage, decoding, decrypting, key management, and playback technologies or otherwise believe that you have capabilities that can potentially benefit the SITE program, the Government is requesting such information. Please mail, e-mail, or fax your response to this Request for Information/Sources Sought Notice to the address listed below by not later than August 31, 2004.Responses must include:1. Point of contact (company name, POC name, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail) who is familiar with your company?s activities.2. Provide a brief description of your past, present, and future capabilities, activities, and programs related to broadcast automation and control systems, encoding and storage technologies, encryption and content security technologies, and decoding and playback technologies.3. Provide information on your company?s past experience with deployment and implementation of technologies, lessons learned, merits and shortfalls, and unmet needs.4. Indicate potential interest in being considered in the Government?s assessment of technologies as described.Depending on the responses, the Government may narrow the scope of focus and release modifications to this RFI/SSN. The Government intends to conduct an assessment of all technologies within the narrowed scope if necessary. All assessments will include three parts:(1) a functional assessment based on materials submitted and presentations by vendors;(2) a technical assessment lasting approximately five (5) working days based on a live demonstration of video playback technologies using programming material supplied by the Government, and hands-on experience by potential SITE system operators; and (3) a technical and cost assessment by the Government based on data provided by the vendor. Please send your responses to Mr. Jim Kuhrt by e-mail to kuhrt@mediacen.navy.mil, by fax to (202) 433-6412, or by mail to Naval Media Center, Broadcasting Department, Attn: Mr. Jim Kuhrt, 2713 Mitscher Road, S.W., Anacostia Annex, DC 20373. The Government may respond with a questionnaire to ascertain additional information about your technology(ies), and information from the questionnaire would be used during the various assessments described above. This is an open and participative process. Should you determine that sharing of some information is not desired, please clearly mark or indicate the specific portions, and we will make every effort to protect that data and honor your request. Please respond by August 31, 2004. Thank you for your interest and participation. http://www.mediacen.navy.mil Naval Media Center kuhrt@mediacen.navy.mil Naval Media Center, Engineering Department N/A Naval Media CenterEngineering Department2713 Mitscher Road, S.W.Washington, DC 20373 United States
- Record
- SN00618417-W 20040711/040709212739 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |