multicast backbone

(MBONE) A virtual network on top of the Internet which

supports routing of IP multicast packets, intended for

multimedia transmission. MBONE gives public access desktopvideo communications. The quality is poor with only 3-5

frames per second instead of the 30 frames per second of

commercial television. Its advantage is that it avoids all

telecommunications costs normally associated with

teleconferencing. An interesting innovation is the use of

MBONE for audio communications and an electronic "whiteboard"

where the computer screen becomes a shared workspace where two

physically remote parties can draw on and edit shared

documents in real-time.

(1994-10-27)