TVover.net

NVALEO Selects Verismo's Internet TV Platform

TVover.net — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:52:42 GMT

Verismo Networks and NVALEO are bringing the future of business training and distance learning to today's living room. Powered by Verismo's award-winning Internet TV platform, the NVALEO Enrichment System offers training videos for personal and professional development, wealth creation, investing, entrepreneurship, marketing, and more.

NVALEO empowers people to learn from some of the world's greatest minds, with instant access to a wide range of self-enrichment content in the comfort of their homes. Business and training events are brought directly to the television -- so people can continue to learn and develop without spending time and money on travel and conferences. And unlike static DVD-based training, NVALEO can continually update its library with hours of topical and varied live and on-demand content.

NVALEO customers receive a palm-sized set-top box that connects to their television and lets them easily browse for self-enrichment content over their broadband connection. The set-top box "NVALEO HD" is based on Verismo's cutting-edge VuNow Internet TV platform that brings millions of online videos to the TV without the need for a computer.

Beyond self enrichment training content, the Verismo solution lets NVALEO customers watch a wide range of entertaining Internet videos directly on their TV. The platform offers the widest selection of online content for the TV including videos from YouTube™, videos from popular web sites, live TV channels, movies, as well as access to personal media (such as video, music, and photos) from the home network or USB-enabled storage devices.

Verismo offers an open platform that enables OEM partners to rapidly bring to market differentiated versions of its Internet TV platform, including private labeling, hardware licensing for high-volume manufacturing, and the embedding of Verismo technology into consumer appliances.

Joost to Provide White Label Online Video Platforms

TVover.net — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:49:07 GMT

Joost to focus on providing white label online video platforms for media companies, including cable and satellite providers, broadcasters and video aggregators. This technology and service offering will support content owners' efforts to build comprehensive branded environments online.

Media companies around the world are embracing internet-based video portals as a key path to distribute their premium video, but building a world-class video portal is increasingly difficult and expensive. Joost will focus on this issue and provide the market with a cost-effective, end-to-end solution for media companies to publish video under their own brands.

As a part of this new direction, Joost will reorganize and restructure its business. A core team in New York and London will work on providing these solutions, as well as operating and supporting Joost.com and its associated video applications. Joost also will wind down operations in its Leiden development center.

Matt Zelesko, currently SVP of Engineering at Joost, will take over as CEO while continuing to lead the engineering organization. Stacey Seltzer, currently SVP of international business development and content acquisition at Joost, will run the business operations. Mike Volpi has stepped down as CEO of Joost but will remain actively involved as Chairman of the Board.

Joost plans to make its white label video platform commercially available to media companies around the world. This offering will provide a solution for companies looking to build a branded experience for their content on their own site as well as other sites and platforms in their distribution networks.

TelcoTV 2009 Collaboration

TVover.net — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:31:57 GMT

Those attending this year's 8th annual TelcoTV conference and exposition, and delegates at EXPO, NECA's signature training event in Orlando, Fla., get the opportunity to double up on their conference trip thanks to a partnership between NECA and TelcoTV 2009 show organizers. When registering for either event, delegates are offered the option to obtain a special rate day-pass to the other event's exposition floor, making the most of the fact that TelcoTV (November 10-12, 2009) and EXPO (November 8-12, 2009) are taking place concurrently and are conveniently located within a few minutes distance of each other in Orlando. This presents a significant opportunity to forge links between major carriers and rural communications providers, and for NECA members to explore the benefits of media, entertainment, and telecom convergence.

NECA is the administrator of the FCC's interstate access charge pooling system. Based in Whippany, N.J., NECA is a not-for-profit association of over 1,400 incumbent local exchange carriers across the United States and its territories. EXPO is NECA's signature training event for members and features a vendor showcase offering a premier opportunity for vendors to meet with and market to the rural telecommunications industry. Telcos from across the United States and its territories attend EXPO to visit with vendors in the telecommunications, cable, Internet, and IPTV businesses. They also attend classes to increase their knowledge of the industry and to become aware of the increasing options for communications providers. NECA EXPO will be held from November 8-12 at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., and just a few miles from TelcoTV. Seats for the EXPO sessions are already filling fast.

TelcoTV 2009 provides a comprehensive overview of the changing telecom video landscape, with presentations delivering meaningful insight into, and analysis of, the evolving world of entertainment convergence, plus more than 150 exhibitors showcasing the latest solutions and products for the IPTV and video markets. It is a joint production of Light Reading and NTCA. This year's event will be held November 10-12, 2009 at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla.

Report: IPTV in Asia/Pacific - Profit Picture Fuzzy, but Momentum Building

TVover.net — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:53:16 GMT

Despite the massive investments necessary in Asia/Pacific's IPTV market, both in technology and content procurement, telecom operators must invest to gain subscriber market share according to a new report from Pyramid Research, the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network.

IPTV in Asia/Pacific: Profit Picture Fuzzy, but Momentum Building analyzes the challenges facing IPTV providers and looks at the key drivers behind service rollouts in Asia/Pacific. The 13-page report includes two case studies focusing on Hong Kong and South Korea, providing insights into the different strategies used by operators in each market to gain a foothold in the highly competitive broadcasting space. Media Forecasts are also available for 14 markets in Asia/Pacific and provide competitive intelligence on the pay-TV and mobile TV dynamics, market share information at both the technology and operator levels, and five-year adoption and revenue projections.

Although Asia/Pacific has the distinction of having the most successful IPTV operators globally, and rollouts continue throughout the region, operators continue to face challenges in three key areas: regulatory constraints, content, and technology costs, notes Charles Moon, analysts at Pyramid Research and author of the report. "Typically, regulatory issues come first, then the mammoth challenge of valuing and procuring content along with technology issues - both of which can affect subscriber take-up and bottom lines," says Moon.

IPTV in Asia/Pacific: Profit Picture Fuzzy, but Momentum Building is part of Pyramid Research's Asia/Pacific Telecom Insider report series. Telecom Insiders are packed with trend analysis, industry best practices, market sizing and forecasting, competitor analysis, and case studies, providing you information you can leverage to make better business decisions.

UTStarcom Named Leader in China, India IPTV Markets

TVover.net — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:29:11 GMT

UTStarcom named the leading IPTV provider in Asia in Multimedia Research Group's latest Global IPTV Market Leaders Report. The in-depth analysis tracks the top 100 IPTV vendors in 24 regional sub-segments. UTStarcom's strategic IPTV deployments and strong subscriber gains drove the company's rise to the top in the Access, VOD, Set-top-Boxes, Middleware and Content Protection categories.

UTStarcom pioneered IPTV in China when it introduced its RollingStream end-to-end IPTV system in 2005. As of March 2009, UTStarcom's RollingStream supported more than 1.32 million live IPTV subscribers globally. In 2008, UTStarcom partnered with Guangxi Telecom Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Telecom, to deploy the first IPTV-based digital signage solution in 14 Guangxi cities. UTStarcom was also among the first to deliver the Olympic Games via IPTV to China viewers during summer 2008. This April, the company was selected as the only technology supplier for the first mobile television system across Hainan province, driven by China Telecom's Hainan branch.

UTStarcom is also a recognized IPTV leader throughout the Indian subcontinent. The company partnered with Aksh Optifibre Ltd. in 2007 to deliver the first commercial IPTV service in Delhi through Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. With UTStarcom's continued partnership, Aksh set an agreement with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to offer its iControl IPTV service in 20 cities across India and additionally in Mumbai with MTNL. UTStarcom also has a long-standing relationship with Bharti Airtel in Delhi NCR. Additionally, UTStarcom's RollingStream platform is being used by Sri Lanka Telecom to deliver IPTV services in the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

KIT digital and Akamai Enter Into Strategic Alliance

TVover.net — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:31:46 GMT

KIT digital and Akamai have joined forces to deliver IP video across multiple mediums, including online, mobile networks and IPTV-enabled set-top boxes. The companies have signed a new strategic agreement that calls for them to build upon a long-standing vendor relationship and engage in collaborative sales and marketing efforts on a global basis. This is a unique initiative for both companies and reflects their shared vision for the future of the IP-video market.

According to the terms of the agreement:

KIT digital will package and resell Akamai solutions with its KIT VX Video Management Platform. This will enable video delivery via online, mobile networks and IPTV-enabled set-top boxes on a more integrated and cost-effective basis.
For streaming and video-on-demand services, jointly served enterprise clients will receive maximally efficient storage and bandwidth.
Akamai will collaborate with KIT digital to jointly market the KIT VX Video Management Platform to key Akamai enterprise customers.

Akamai's globally distributed computing platform powers 15-20 percent of all Web traffic, optimizing the transfer of information and increasing complex media performance. While Akamai has been KIT digital's preferred streaming and storage partner for several years, this agreement allows for a more strategic offering of the companies' respective products and services, providing end customers with improved quality and a more cost-effective joint solution.

CloverLeaf's Interactive TV Services Launched on Minerva iTVManager Middleware by Two Telcos

TVover.net — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:12:14 GMT

CloverLeaf and Minerva Networks announce that Pineland Telephone Cooperative in Georgia and WT Services in Texas have launched CloverLeaf's interactive television services on IPTV systems supported on Minerva iTVManager middleware.

CloverLeaf's interactive IPTV services, which are delivered to the television and navigated with a remote control, include DotDaily, a localized news & information TV service (often known as a walled garden) providing national and local content on demand to IPTV subscribers, and Funspot, a suite of casual arcade, casino and puzzle games.

Minerva's iTVManager is a comprehensive software platform for the delivery of next-generation IP-connected television services, including HDTV, PVR, whole-home digital video recording, PPV and VOD. The Minerva platform also offers a robust set of APIs that enable third-party developers to integrate and deploy the latest communications and entertainment applications.

Corpus Christi Customers Get AT&T U-verse

TVover.net — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:30:20 GMT

Corpus Christi residents now have a new choice for their television and communications services, powered by the most advanced technology. AT&T announces the launch of AT&T U-verse services in parts of Corpus Christi beginning Monday, June 29.

Texas was the first state where AT&T U-verse services were deployed, thanks to progressive legislation passed in September 2005 by the Texas Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Perry. This legislation provides an environment that encourages new video providers, such as AT&T, to invest in Texas to compete against the incumbent cable providers and build the advanced broadband networks that will create jobs and fuel economic growth.

Truveo Relaunches Sites for 17 Countries with Improved Tools

TVover.net — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:02:37 GMT

Truveo announced a major update to its website that makes it easier than ever to find video on the Web. The new site with localized versions available for 16 other countries. Truveo is the second largest video search engine worldwide, with 25.6 million unique visitors, and the second largest in the U.S., with 5.1 million unique visitors.

The latest release of Truveo.com provides:

The most comprehensive global video index: With more than 350 million online videos from thousands of sources across the Web.
Quicker and easier discovery of online video content: Offering a cleaner, redesigned homepage with improved search, browsing functionality and upgraded loading times.
More personalized control over search: Navigation that lets users browse their searches by channel, category, show, popularity and most followed on Twitter. Users can also easily filter results to find videos on their favorite websites and channels.
The broadest coverage of videos: Providing a greater emphasis on helping users easily find the professional videos they want, whether it’s popular TV shows, music videos, sports highlights, news or more. A new page dedicated to TV show listings found on the Web lets users browse for shows alphabetically or by network.
Extended share features: New tools let users save and send their favorite videos and search terms to friends and share them on Bebo, Facebook, MySpace and StumbleUpon.

In addition, all the Truveo sites use localized ranking algorithms to deliver the most relevant results to each country’s Truveo users. For example, a search on Truveo’s France portal, will be more likely to turn up French language videos from French media companies.

Truveo also announced a partnership with Univision Interactive Media, the number one most visited Spanish-language website among U.S. Hispanics, which provides integrated access to Truveo’s leading video search engine. As part of the partnership, visitors to Univision.com, will soon be able to use an enriched video search functionality, powered by Truveo’s video search API, to search and browse the most comprehensive global index of videos. With nearly 76 million unique visitors a month across the Truveo network that powers video search on some of the most popular destinations on the Web, Truveo is a leader in video search.

In Europe, Truveo has partnered with Tiscali Italia, which provides integrated access to Truveo’s leading video search engine. As part of the partnership, visitors to the site are able to use an enriched video search functionality, powered by Truveo’s video search API to search and browse the most comprehensive global index of videos. Truveo's search APIs enable website owners to build applications with powerful video search and discovery features that build on Truveo’s leading video search technology and extensive index of over 350 million2 videos.

SBS Selects Adobe to Deliver Tour de France Live on the Web

TVover.net — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:47:55 GMT

Adobe announces that leading Australian public broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service will stream the 96th annual Tour de France live online using Adobe Flash technology, the No. 1 platform for delivering video on the Web. Cycling fans throughout Australia will be able to watch the most prestigious and well-known bicycling event in the world. The race begins on July 4 and continues through July 27, 2009 with 21 stages, covering a total distance of 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles).

SBS chose the Adobe Flash Platform to stream the race live in high-definition video, and will offer instant messaging capabilities for viewer interaction, text and audio race commentary, and real-time rider tracking complete with elevations, routes, and rider positions.

Enabling a seamless, instant-on Web experience

Adobe Flash Media Server software is powering the live video streaming for the event, delivered by Adobe Flash Video Streaming Service partner Akamai. Utilizing Adobe’s server software, SBS can deploy consistent, high-quality video as a truly seamless, instant-on Web video experience across all major platforms and browsers.

The Adobe Flash Platform is a complete system of integrated tools, frameworks, clients and servers for the development of Web applications, content and video that runs consistently across operating systems and devices. Adobe Flash Player is on over 98 percent of connected computers and delivers approximately 80 percent of Web video worldwide. Major broadcasters and media companies including MLB.com, CCTV International Networks and DirecTV, are already using the Adobe Flash Platform for streaming live events and the platform powers social networks sites YouTube and MySpace.

Belgacom TV Expands IPTV Service with 250,000 New Customers

TVover.net — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:11:26 GMT

Belgacom TV added 250,000 new customers since January 2008, representing an increase of 45 percent over 2007. The company’s success is driven by the implementation of an end-to-end IPTV platform from Nokia Siemens Networks that introduced HDTV, VoD, PVR and interactive services for both new and existing Belgacom TV subscribers.

The figures mean that, in under four years, Belgacom has captured a 30 percent share of Belgium’s digital TV market.

Nokia Siemens Networks IPTV platform provides an intuitive user interface with advanced features. In addition to this base client platform, Belgacom also uses Nokia Siemens Networks’ Infopages feature to differentiate its content by creating unique, web-like, interactive applications including an easy access VoD catalogue, online shopping and instant voting.

Nokia Siemens Networks has also integrated Cisco’s HD IPTV set-tops to support entertainment experience-enhancing features like HDTV, PVR and VoD services at the end-user premises. Cisco global shipments of HD IPTV set-tops have reached over 3 million units to date.

Nokia Siemens Networks has also provided Belgacom with software maintenance services, a key element of high quality network operations given the large amount of software used in such networks and their increasing complexity.

Tennis Channel Teams Up with NeuLion to Deliver Dedicated Sports Network via the Internet

TVover.net — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:02:38 GMT

NeuLion and Tennis Channel announce the launch of a new online video portal dedicated to Tennis Channel content. The portal, Tennis Channel TV, gives fans an opportunity to tune into their favorite multimedia content, live matches and on-demand programs online.

The network goes beyond the courtside seats to give viewers an all-access tournament pass, with inside looks, behind-the-scenes coverage and a never-before-seen television perspective.

Tennis Channel TV is the only 24-hour, multimedia destination dedicated to the professional sport and passionate tennis lifestyle. Powered by leading sports technology company NeuLion, Tennis Channel TV is an all-in-one online media solution for tennis fans that expands the reach of Tennis Channel programming to online viewers. Content includes VOD channels, highlights, interviews and archives -- all in high digital quality.

Tennis Channel TV was made available on May 24th live from Paris for the French Open with live streaming to U.S. based fans. With the Wimbledon Tournament now underway, Tennis Channel TV streams VOD, interviews, highlights and other primetime coverage online. The event this year has set new records for ticket sales on both of its first two days despite a downturn in the economy, according to the Canadian Press.

The video player allows fans viewing of up to five courts simultaneously, live games, archive matches from earlier in the tournament, highlights, interviews, live chat with fellow fans, search feature and more. NeuLion technology also supports advertising insertions and pre-roll ads help monetize the Tennis Channel TV website. Sponsors include Capital One among others.

Tennis Channel TV coverage includes the U.S. Open, Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.

Ericsson Powers IPTV for Ucom in Armenia

TVover.net — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:06:48 GMT

Ericsson is bringing high-quality, interactive TV to viewers in Armenia through a deal with operator Ucom. Ericsson will deliver its IPTV solution including GPON technology in the first contract of its kind.

IPTV allows viewers to experience the same type of interactivity on their televisions as they are used to on their PCs, with personalized features such as chat, e-voting, web TV and access to social media networks. The IPTV solution for Ucom will also give viewers access to a flexible, customized portal that offers a wide range of broadcast channels, video on demand, an electronic program guide and personal video-recording capabilities.

The IPTV services will be delivered via the latest fiber-access technology, known as Gigabit Passive Optical Network, supplied by Ericsson. GPON allows the consumer to watch several HDTV channels, download large files from the internet and place voice calls simultaneously without service disruptions. Rollout will start in July 2009.

Ericsson's IPTV solution for Ucom includes IPTV middleware; a content-distribution platform; the customized consumer portal and GPON technology. The agreement also includes systems integration of operational management tools and consultancy services.

Ericsson's GPON fiber-access solution, EDA 1500, provides the highest bandwidth capacity on the market and supports a wide range of applications and services, in particular bandwidth-demanding services such as unicast and broadcast video and TV.

Espial MediaBase Achieves New Benchmarks for VOD, Timeshift TV and Network DVR Performance

TVover.net — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:57:23 GMT

Espial announces the release of the Espial MediaBase version 9.0 VOD platform. Building on proven capabilities serving millions of live IPTV and cable subscribers, Espial MediaBase 9.0 achieves breakthrough performance and extends support for cable operators.

Key new features and benefits of Espial MediaBase include:

Exceptional performance on next-generation, commercial-off-the-shelf hardware
Large operators can deliver up to 1,000 captures, 150 TB of storage and 265 Gbps video streaming from a single rack
Smaller operators can achieve streaming throughput from 400 Mbps up to 37.5 Gbps with up to 100 captures on a single server
Demonstrated high volume streaming and captures through rigorous stress tests that support 30,000 time-shift TV, Network DVR, Remote Storage-DVR and VOD sessions per hour on a simulated large system deployment
Packet loss recovery for excellent video quality over networks with high packet loss

Unified services platform

Single platform supports simultaneous VOD, NPVR, RS-DVR, and Timeshift-TV services (Start-Over, Catch-up, Replay and Delayed TV)

Cable back-office support

Compliance with ISA/NGOD standards
Integration with latest version of the OpenStream Digital Services Platform from TANDBERG Television, part of the Ericsson group

Espial has achieved a 400% performance increase with up to 37.5 Gbps streaming from a single next-generation HP or IBM server with Intel Xeon 5500 series processors and 10 Gbps Network Interface Cards. Operators can do more with less using the dramatic performance and efficiency increases from the latest multi-core Intel processors. They can improve vital day-to-day operations with better performance while using less power and space, getting higher server utilization and the flexibility to quickly deploy new services.

Avail Media Signs 34 Former IP Prime Affiliates

TVover.net — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:49:39 GMT

Avail Media has signed on an additional 25 former SES Americom IP Prime customers, bringing the total to 34. West Kentucky Telephone is among the former IP Prime customers that have signed an agreement with Avail Media's video services solution since SES Americom announced that it would stop offering the IP Prime service. The installation of the Avail video service is in progress. With the addition of these new customers, Avail Media now has a significant share of the customers that once used the IP Prime service.

Avail Media partners with best-in-class members of the IPTV ecosystem including equipment providers, resellers, and content owners in order to deliver value to its customers. Avail Media's partners include sales channel partners, resellers, and systems integrators such as BBT, CSI Digital, Evolution Broadband, Falcon IP/Complete, Fidelity Communications, Motorola, and Nortel; and business consulting groups, such as Jason Anderson Consulting. Avail Media works with its ecosystem partners to develop customized solutions, ensuring minimal infrastructure changes and reasonable fees to support both existing and future affiliates.

Avail Media and TVN Entertainment now provide services to nearly every television provider in North America. In addition to the extensive Hollywood movie studios, cable networks and independent content producers, joint customers can also enjoy the ability to offer linear programming from national broadcasters and even more localized, genre-specific, ethnic/international, and long-tail content.

FLO TV, Epix, and TV.com to Keynote at Streaming Media West 2009

TVover.net — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:14:00 GMT

FLO TV, Epix, and TV.com are leading this year's Streaming Media West Conference keynote lineup. Streaming Media West (November 17-19, San Jose, Calif.) is the annual online video industry conference and exhibition in San Jose, Calif. Streaming Media West is chaired by renowned blogger and EVP of Streamingmedia.com Dan Rayburn and produced by publisher Information Today, Inc. Emil Rensing, Chief Digital Office, Studio 3 Partners/EPIX, Bill Stone, President, FLO TV, and Anthony Soohoo, SVP, GM, Entertainment and Lifestyle, CBS Interactive will all be delivering keynotes at Streaming Media West.

In addition to these exceptional speakers, Streaming Media West is also announcing the launch of a brand new summit, which will be co-located in San Jose this year. The Online Video Platform Summit was conceived by Streaming Media show management to reach the growing audience of video publishers, from corporate to independent, who need to know the key differences between the dozens of platforms out there and how to choose between them. Brightcove is the Exclusive Diamond Sponsor of this summit, and Kaltura, Kyte and VMIX have recently joined as Platinum Sponsors. The summit is November 18-19.

Streamingmedia.com has also published a unique list of online video platforms and comparisons of their offerings. It is available in PDF form at http://www.streamingmedia.com/pdf/OnlineVideoPlatforms.pdf.

Registration and complete program information will be available in July on www.streamingmedia.com/west. Keynoters and presenters may also be available for interview.

Report: Cashing in on IPTV

TVover.net — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:59:47 GMT

The market growth for IPTV is crucially dependent on the economic viability of business models. This is shown in “IPTV 2014. Business models and prognoses for IPTV platforms in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland”, the latest study by Berlin-based consulting company Goldmedia.

Today, IPTV platforms are primarily operated by the large national broadband providers such as Deutsche Telekom (Germany), Swisscom (Switzerland), and Telekom Austria. The construction and operation of an independent IPTV platform is economically viable only for telecom companies with at least 2.5 million broadband customers.

Revenues from TV services alone do not make IPTV an attractive business model for telecommunications providers. Even for the large network operators, IPTV makes economic sense only after the effects of subscriber churn and growth of customer base are taken into account.

A high degree of quality is decisive for IPTV’s success. Technical start-up difficulties and problems with the service can quickly diminish quality and lead to increased customer loss. Without customer growth and acquisition of new customers, IPTV will remain a subsidised undertaking, even among the large telecommunications companies (see chart).

IPTV can also be profitable for smaller companies if they market pre-existing offerings. This so-called “reselling model” is feasible for companies with only 250,000 broadband customers. To present, however, such offerings have spread only minimally in the GSA region (Germany, Switzerland, and Austria). Relevant examples can be found only in Switzerland. They are possible here because of compatible terms of copyright.

“Whether the investment in IPTV is worthwhile for a provider also depends on the overall strategy of the company“, says Goldmedia consultant and IPTV expert Mathias Birkel. “The development of the networks necessary for IPTV demands a high level of investment. At present, few services require such a large bandwidth (16 Mbit/s) as IPTV does. That will change in the future, though. If a company plans long-term implementation of services with high bandwidths, the costs of network development for IPTV are diminished and compensated for over time. Moreover, high bandwidths are an important differentiating feature in competition today.”

Key Findings:

New Goldmedia study on the profitability of IPTV business models in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
With at least 2.5m initial broadband subscribers: break even of independent IPTV platform after 5 years
Economic success through reduction of subscriber churn and customer growth
Alternative business models for small telecommunications providers

TiVo and Quantcast Partner to Bring Single-Source Audience Analysis Across TV and Internet

TVover.net — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:48:53 GMT

TiVo and Quantcast announce they have partnered to provide advertisers and media companies with the most comprehensive cross platform audience analysis solution available for evaluating the correlation between television viewership and online activity. The announcement was made during the Advertising Research Foundation's Audience Measurement 4.0 conference in New York, which runs from June 23-24.

The primary differentiator of the new cross-platform solution is the size of the available TiVo/Quantcast sample, 35,000 households total. An innovative combination of data from TiVo's Power||Watch ratings panel and Quantcast's unique direct measurement offering will allow better evaluation of advertising effectiveness, cross platform media consumption, and programming affinity by producing TV and online media consumption and activity reports on an unprecedented level. TiVo's Power||Watch ratings service delivers second-by-second program and commercial ratings data with demographic segmentations for 35,000 TiVo households who have volunteered to take part in a "passive" consumer panel. Quantcast solutions are already widely adopted in the marketplace to interpret audiences for over 10 million web destinations and enable media companies and marketers to directly measure activity across brand websites and online advertising campaigns. By creating an anonymously joined sample, TiVo and Quantcast will revolutionize cross-platform audience analysis by providing marketers with the ability to control and self-define the actions against which to evaluate media consumption, and a sample large enough to deliver actionable insights.

Key features include:

For Advertisers:

Overlap Analysis: combined versus independent reach/frequency/ of television and Internet advertising
Downstream Behavior: how does television and web ad exposure influence downstream Internet behavior (i.e. "were people who viewed my TV ad more likely to visit my website?")

For Media Companies:

Overlap Analysis: consumption of video content, TV-only versus Web-only versus combined
Downstream Behavior: how does television viewing influence/predict Internet video viewing behavior, and vice-versa

The single-source cross platform media analysis solution is expected to launch this summer.

Report: Hybrid STB Forecast Reveals How Operators Are ''Jump-Starting'' IPTV Services

TVover.net — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:23:04 GMT

A new global report from MRG shows how hybrid IPTV STBs are helping IPTV Operators "jump-start" early service deployment or extend the reach of their existing video IP Networks. By merging existing digital video broadcast programming with IPTV services, Operators are finding they can significantly slash CapEx and lead-time costs from typical IPTV deployment costs. In 2008, there were already 14.4 million installed hybrid STB units worldwide, with estimated growth to 22.3 million in 2012.

The report explores how hybrid IPTV STBs can receive broadcast digital channels from Satellite, Terrestrial or Cable -- plus from a managed IPTV (on-demand) service. By using existing broadcast sources in addition to on-demand IPTV service, the content acquisition and early network infrastructure requirements are simplified significantly. "Use of hybrids can solve some serious problems presented by technical restrictions or lack of content," says MRG Analyst, Huw Price-Stephens, MRG Analyst. "They can also create new and bigger problems unless acquired with an effective exit strategy, which does not require swapping out the STBs."

In addition to the forecast, the report explores and ranks the ten major market and operational drivers of hybrid STB usage in various countries, including drivers related to Core and Access Network issues, HD Access, Content Acquisition, Risk Reduction, Time-to-Market, Regulatory and other issues, each examined with a strength/weakness analysis of the solutions.

The report also offers a "faster-growth scenario," which shows growth with an earlier economic recovery in 2009 -- including North America, Asia, Europe and ROW (Rest of World).

EchoStar's ViP-TV Coming to Georgia IPTV Provider

TVover.net — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:08:39 GMT

EchoStar Satellite Services announces an agreement to deliver its ViP-TV video transport service to Ringgold Telephone Company, a provider of converged communications to more than 11,000 access lines in northern Georgia. Ringgold will receive transport of up to 42 popular high definition TV channels to its IP headend.

RTC provides digital interactive video service NexTV to its subscribers along with telephone and Internet access, all via a broadband connection. The ViP-TV delivered IP channels will be available immediately to RTC subscribers. With the additions, RTC now offers a total of 48 high-definition channels.

EchoStar's ViP-TV transport service is capable of delivering a secure, MPEG-4 encoded IP stream of approximately 275 popular, broadcast-quality TV and music channels from a satellite located at 85 degrees W.L. ViP-TV can also provide satellite-delivered local TV channel aggregation in a telco's designated market area in both high definition and standard definition (where available).

AT&T Extends Contract with Alcatel-Lucent for AT&T U-verse IPTV Services

TVover.net — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:01:35 GMT

AT&T has extended Alcatel-Lucent's contract for end-to-end multivendor network integration for AT&T U-verse. The AT&T U-verse portfolio brings together U-verse TV, U-verse High Speed Internet and U-verse Voice services all delivered over AT&T's advanced Internet Protocol network using Alcatel-Lucent's Triple Play Service Delivery Architecture. AT&T U-verse services are now offered in 93 markets in 19 states, with more than 1.3 million U-verse TV customers.

Under the agreement announced today, Alcatel-Lucent will continue to provide end-to-end multivendor network integration for AT&T U-verse, including Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV software platform.

Alcatel-Lucent's end-to-end multivendor network systems integration includes solution program management, third-party management, network engineering, solution testing/validation and deployment services.

Roomlinx Approved Supplier of Interactive TV to Intercontinental Hotels Group

TVover.net — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:58:01 GMT

IBM to include Roomlinx as the in-room entertainment provider for IBM’s "Hotel-in-a-Box" solution. Roomlinx also announced it is an approved supplier of Interactive TV for InterContinental Hotels Group. HIB is a Hospitality Industry pioneering approach designed in conjunction with IHG that combines leading technology companies, working as a team, to deliver a unified, holistic operational and guest services solution with the trusted and proven commitment of IBM Corporation.

IHG recognizes that guests desire more than a simple TV programming experience in their rooms and worked with IBM to provide a new and differentiated assortment of IPTV services and HD content offerings currently lacking from legacy suppliers. Roomlinx was evaluated and certified as a company that fit into the HIB package due to its breadth of features, customization capabilities and scalability. Roomlinx can install their Interactive TV product into any size hotel, which is a new concept for the Hospitality Industry.

Belkin Selects Gigle's Gigabit Powerline Networking Adapters

TVover.net — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:52:00 GMT

Gigle Semiconductor unveils the world's fastest and most reliable entertainment-grade networking IC, and announced that lead customer Belkin has selected the device for use in the company's recently announced Gigabit Powerline Networking Adapters. Belkin is using Gigle's GGL541 IC and mediaxtream technology to give users an ultrafast HD entertainment network through a home's existing electrical wiring.

Now shipping in volume, Gigle Semiconductor's entertainment-grade GGL541 networking chip enables Belkin's Gigabit Powerline Adapters to provide a secure, stable networking signal anywhere in the home - even for areas that are hard to reach by wireless connections. Gigle's GGL541 dual-channel home networking IC combines HomePlug AV on powerline with a second channel that simultaneously delivers Gigle's mediaxtream technology on powerline, coaxial cable or phone line at physical-layer rates up to 1000Mbps. On-chip intelligence either aggregates the channels for higher performance, or uses them to form a self-configuring xtendnet mesh network that re-times and re-generates signals, and incrementally enhances whole-house network performance, coverage, stability and reliability as new adapters are added to the network. The GGL541 chip maintains high data throughput even under extreme noise conditions commonly found in powerline, phoneline and coaxial cables.

Belkin's Gigabit Powerline Networking Adapters, which are available now in the U.S. and due to be released in Europe in August, take advantage of Gigle's GGL541 with mediaxtream technology to deliver high speeds, low latencies, and consistent connections. While the current fastest Powerline technology runs at 200Mbps, Gigabit Powerline delivers performance up to 1000Mbps data rates.

NXTV Launches Scalable IP Over Coax Solution

TVover.net — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:04:15 GMT

NXTV has begun deploying its IP over Coax solution to the market. The cost effective platform will provide hotels with cable only infrastructure the ability to offer IP entertainment services to their guests.

This new technology allows NXTV, a subsidiary of NXSystems, LLC, to offer a transport-agnostic solution to the hospitality industry, enabling a hotel to seamlessly offer a unified set of applications over any kind of infrastructure. Hotels can now offer an ever growing array of competitive services to meet the increasing demands and expectations of their guests, without having to worry about the cost of infrastructure upgrade. At HITEC 2009, NXTV will also be introducing a host of new services including the PVR and Internet based services, all of which can be delivered over the hotels cable infrastructure.

Open IPTV Forum Adds Four New Members: British Telecom, Pirelli, Netgem and ITRI

TVover.net — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:23:16 GMT

The membership of the Open IPTV Forum has been recently reinforced by the addition of four significant new members. British Telecom, Pirelli, Netgem and ITRI have joined the effort to develop open, end-to-end specifications for IPTV; based on existing technologies and open standards.

British Telecom, BT operates an IPTV service that combines Digital Terrestrial Television with IP delivered On Demand Content. The service is available to customers of BT Retail Broadband throughout the UK. The last announced figure was over 400,000 customers.

Pirelli Broadband Solutions develops products that enable the delivery of innovative services to the broadband connected homes and offices. Incorporated in 2005, Pirelli Broadband Solutions has become in a few years the partner supplier of leading Service Providers and Telecom Operators, delivering over 10 million custom CPEs. Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Pirelli Broadband Solutions builds on a portfolio comprising residential and small business access gateways, IPTV and hybrid set-top boxes, home networking adapters, remote management systems, fixed-mobile convergence solutions and open middlewares.

Netgem provides Set Top Boxes and Software to develop innovative Television services, combining the best of broadcast and IP worlds. Netgem based solutions are scalable and can be quickly deployed in a cost effective manner with very limited network investment while delivering breakthrough customer experience even in low bandwidth areas. Headquartered in Paris and listed on the Nyse Euronext market, Netgem has already and installed base of more than 1.5 million High Definition Hybrid DVB-T&C/IP Set top boxes delivered in the last 4 years to Telcos such as SFR/Neuf in France or Elisa in Finland.

Industrial Technology Research Institute, a national research organization that provides technology & solutions to strengthen the technological competitiveness of Taiwan. The headquarter is located in Taiwan and ITRI’s overseas offices in the United States, Japan, Russia and Germany works closely with the Taiwan head quarter. Our focus on Information and Communications, Electronics and Optoelectronics, Advanced manufacturing and systems, Nanotechnology Material and Chemical, Biomedical Technology, Energy and Environment will lay down the foundation for innovative research in the future and transform domestic industry into global bedrock for technological innovation.

Yun Chao Hu, Chair of the Open IPTV Forum, commented; “Once again the forum has demonstrated its global & pan-industry leadership by bringing in Home Device Vendor Pirelli, Italy, Technology Provider Netgem, France as well as Network Operator BT, UK and Research Institute ITRI, Taiwan. We are delighted to welcome these additional members!

TelstraClear Partners with Top Developers for PVR

TVover.net — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:16:09 GMT

TelstraClear has contracted two leading developers to deliver a next generation PVR for its cable television customers. IPTV solutions provider Digisoft and content security specialist Verimatrix will jointly develop a hybrid HD DVB-C set-top box with PVR, IPTV and supporting services that will be unmatched in New Zealand.

The PVR will be future-proofed to deliver advanced interactive options. Digisoft's Digihost Service Delivery Platform and advanced Java middleware solution means TelstraClear is geared for feature-rich, revenue generating HD services in the future.

The solution is fully integrated with the Verimatrix Video Content Authority System for DVB, which enables TelstraClear to combine its broadcast network with interactive IP delivery using a single robust content security architecture. Verimatrix's software-based content security solution provides an attractive option for traditional broadcast operators that lack a direct return path -- all from a single head-end.

Verimatrix Selected to Secure CANTV Pay-TV Service in Venezuela

TVover.net — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:11:46 GMT

Verimatrix announces CANTV as the latest Americas customer to select the Verimatrix Video Content Authority System for IPTV. Through a reseller partnership with ZTE, VCAS for IPTV has been integrated with ZTE's ZXBIV IPTV Eyewill solution for the CANTV deployment. In this initial deployment phase, CANTV plans to offer IPTV services with 140 channels to 67,000 subscribers, which is considered the largest IPTV project in South America. The Venezuelan state-owned operator CANTV is targeting 1.26 million IPTV customers within the next six years.

CANTV's service will feature VOD, live TV pause, personal video recorder capabilities and time-shifted TV and is expected to launch at the end of 2009. VCAS for IPTV will provide software-based protection for broadcast and VOD content delivered over the operator's managed IP-based network. Through the use of mature, proven two-way Internet security protocols, a Public Key Infrastructure public/private key pair system and X.509 digital certificates, VCAS for IPTV eliminates the vulnerabilities related to smart card-based architectures. A downloadable security system is not only more secure, it enables less expensive set-top box or client device hardware and renewable security software can be updated as required to combat piracy attacks.

Report: Hybrid IPTV Set-Top Boxes - Global Market Forecast & Strategy Critique: 2009-2012

TVover.net — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:51:52 GMT

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Hybrid IPTV Set-top Boxes — Global Market Forecast & Strategy Critique: 2009-2012" report to their offering. The purpose of this report is to identify the different hybrid STB products being used in the global IPTV and Cable market, assess the business models available to Service Providers, and to analyze the business models and market drivers behind the entire hybrid sector. The report also analyzes market size and growth for 2008-2012 for hybrid STBs by region and type; and measures the quality of the hybrid service business models. By doing strength/weakness analysis on the various hybrid business models, the report allows SPs to objectively measure which plan can work best for them; and allows vendors to understand the strategic environment in which each configuration of hybrid STB works best.

Market STB data includes global analysis of Cable and IPTV operations using hybrid STBs, plus a county and regional break-out by broadcast type (QAM, DTH, DTT).

This report, drawn predominantly from the perspective of the STB vendors and IPTV Service Providers ("SPs" or "Operators"), consolidates opinion regarding the current prevalence of (and future prospects for) the use of hybrid STBs in the delivery of IPTV services.

In addition to highlighting where there is consensus among the STB community, the report also discovers where there is significant variation in opinion, and strongly-held minority opinions which represent an interesting counterpoint to the majority view. These minority views are presented also, in order to fully inform any potential debate a vendor or Operator may have when considering a hybrid strategy.

Three different hybrid STB types (Satellite, Off-Air and QAM [Cable or IPTV]) are examined worldwide, and two different hybrid strengths are examined: "high-end" and "low-end" hybrid STBs; also, three different configurations are analyzed.

Included is the results of a summary of industry reports on the relative importance of each of the 10 market drivers (motivations) for using hybrid STBs instead of traditional (Cable or IPTV) STBs.

Global IPTV Forecast Advises Watchful Optimism for 2009

Broadband the New Necessity

TVover.net — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:31:55 GMT

Broadband has become a necessity for people around the planet –despite the economic downturn. That’s the message delivered in Singapore today by Broadband Forum Chief Operating Officer Robin Mersh.

Mr Mersh was giving a keynote address at the giant CommunicAsia conference and exhibition in Singapore, where more than 2,000 exhibitors were gathered to discuss and debate the latest issues surrounding telecommunications and broadcast technology.

“Broadband is no longer a luxury in the home – it is a necessity – and we are seeing that despite everything going on in their lives, people are depending on their broadband,” he said.

“This is an extremely positive sign for the industry, although we must not be complacent and the next quarter’s market penetration figures will give us further evidence, or otherwise, of the rise of the broadband phenomenon.”

Mr Mersh backed his view by highlighting the latest statistics for broadband and IPTV which were published earlier in the week. He pointed out that 20 countries had grown their broadband by ten per cent or more, with India and China particularly showing potential. IPTV’s growth to 24 million lines was also helping broadband reach the next level.

He explained that while new technologies were coming onstream to support broadband, DSL remained stable and ADSL2+ had in fact seen the highest technology increase of all the access options.

Broadband lines in the world are now approaching 430 million. India experienced the biggest growth percentage at 13.4, while China added 4.8 million lines, to top more than 88 million lines.

Mr Mersh told the audience of top ranking telecommunications figures from across Asia that for fast broadband rollout and effective network management, operators needed three things – a single architecture across all transport options, a single WAN management protocol and common Quality of Experience measurement specifications.

“The consumer doesn’t care how the service is delivered – they just want to know it’s dependable and that they can buy their service with confidence,” said Mr Mersh.

He explained that the Forum – which has around 200 of the world’s top operators and equipment and chipset vendors among its membership – focused its work on three main areas. The first was the network, which included core, access aggregation and last mile options. The second was management specifications, which focussed on operational excellence, and the final area was remote management of the user, which spanned from digital homes, offices and cell towers.

He also called for standards bodies to follow their initiative in co-operating among themselves and highlighted the work the Forum recently completed in cooperation with 3GPP and the Femto Forum, which resulted in the first industry standard for Femto Access Point management.