IPTV Technology

IPTV relegates 3D as Panasonic launches Smart Viera platform on 26 new TVs

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:08:00 +0000

SYDNEY, NSW: IPTV has now fully eclipsed 3D as Panasonic’s key television technology, with all 26 new models in the Panasonic range containing some form of internet connectivity. By contrast, only 16 of the panels announced today; across LCD, LED LED and plasma; contain 3D.

At the top of the range, Panasonic has announced its new Smart Viera brand platform. There are two versions available, the premium Viera Connect and the paired down Easy IPTV.

Through Viera Connect, users can watch catch-up TV through ABC iView and Yahoo!7 Plus7, internet radio, social media (Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, amongst others), Skype, interactive games and fitness programs. There’s also PVR recording to hard drives via USB, Wi-Fi readiness (with an included adaptor) and DLNA.

On Easy IPTV, users get access to ShoutCast internet radio and Facebook.

There’s also an app store of sorts called Viera Connect Market, from which users can purchase programs from third party developers. SD card and USB flash drive playback is again included, now with the expanded playback of DivX HD and MKV files.

The Viera Connect platform will be available on the VT30, GT30 and ST30 range of 3D Full HD plasmas. Easy IPTV will be on the U30 (Full HD) and X30 (HD) range of 2D plasmas. Not all RRPs were announced at today’s launch, though we do know that Panasonic’s HD plasma range will start at $849, Full HD 2D will start at $1,099 and 3D Full HD will start at $1,599. Release dates are staggered between now and August.

In the LCD market, Panasonic has Viera Connect on its DT30 (3D) and E30 (2D) series of Full HD LED models. Prices range from RRP $1,099 to $1,799 across four models available this month and next.

Easy IPTV is on the E3 series of Full HD LEDs and the U30 series of HD traditional LCD TVs. Prices range from RRP $799 to $1,199.

IPTV via Web-connected TVs?

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 14:13:00 +0000

CNet : So far, most HDTV makers are offering only video-on-demand (VOD) and miscellaneous Web services like YouTube and Tweeter through their Web-connected TVs. I had this random thought bubble of Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) much like Singapore's SingTel mio TV, debuting on these panels after yesterday's StarHub Cable TV event. After all, IPTV is delivered through the Internet, which is the same backbone for these online services. There've also been rumors about mio TV for the Xbox 360 for the longest time that I can remember, so it is technically feasible to implement such a solution to a certain extent.

Would this feature be a compelling consideration in your HDTV purchase?

TM Targets UniFi To Be In 750,000 Premises By Year-End

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 13:32:00 +0000

KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 (Bernama) -- Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) aims to have UniFi, its newly-launched high-speed broadband (HSBB) services, in 750,000 premises by year-end and 1.3 million premises by end of 2012.

Group chief executive officer Datuk Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa said on Thursday that the service would be rolled out in phases with HSBB expected to cover 92 per cent of the Klang Valley by 2011.

Zamzamzairani also said that revenue from HSBB would start coming in the second half of this year, although it would not be significant.

"This type of gestation period is normal for a telco," he told reporters after a media briefing on the UniFi products here.

For residential commercial packages, the 5Mbps package is priced at RM149, the 10Mbps package at RM199 and the 20Mbps package at RM249.

The packages include a 22-channel IPTV service, free calls to TM numbers and free broadband equipment worth RM800.

"We will be improving the IPTV channels as we move along," Zamzamzairani said, adding that there were already two high-definition channels in the packages.

Comparing the prices between the 5Mbps package and the current Streamyx 4Mbps Combo Package, he said current that Streamyx subscribers would immediately be paying a lower fee at RM140 as compared to the usual RM160.

"We are undertaking a product rationalising exercise to relook our product and pricing options (for Streamyx) and will make the appropriate annoucements shortly," he added.

The business packages starts with the 5Mbps package priced at RM199, the 10Mbps package at RM599 and the 20Mbps package at RM899.

Although the packages do not include the IPTV service, they come with complimentary services like 10GB Web hosting with domain, 5GB E-Storage, and free broadband equipment worth RM800.

Zamzamzairani said there would be an initial promotion waiving charges for standard installations and activations worth RM300.

Another perk of the UniFi services was that subscribers could access all Streamyx hotzones, currently 2,500 of them, nationwide, he said.

-- BERNAMA

IPTV Subscriptions to Reach 68 Million by End of 2014

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 00:46:00 +0000

According to forecasts from analyst firm Strategy Analytics, IPTV (News - Alert) subscriptions are poised to grow from more than 30 million in 2010 to 68 million by the end of 2014. The firm reported that Asia Pacific and Western Europe will lead in deployments. At a time, when industry leaders prepare to attend the IPTV World Forum in London this week, the findings have been announced.

“One constant theme we’ve seen in our multi-country survey work is a low perceived value-for-money among pay-tv subscribers,” said David Mercer, vice president of the Strategy Analytics (News - Alert) Digital Consumer Practice. “Service providers need to concentrate on coherently explaining IPTV’s value proposition -- something that few have been able to successfully achieve so far.”

IPTV needs to go beyond simply competing at par with other pay-tv platforms, said Strategy Analytics.

“Telcos have a deeply-ingrained ‘monopoly mindset,’” Ben Piper, director of the Strategy Analytics Multiplay Market Dynamics service, noted. “IPTV represents the first time they have ever been second to market, and building to well-established consumer expectations is no easy task. IPTV needs to do more than replicate what the cable companies are offering. To be successful, it needs to surpass it.”

In related news, Broadcast International (News - Alert), Inc. has announced that Steve Jones will speak at the upcoming IPTV World Forum in London, England on March 23-25, 2010.

By Deepika Mala for TMCnet.

Commentary: IPTV and its Grip on Reality

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 14:45:00 +0000

This week I visited the IPTV World Forum in London. Having worked for the past 16 years with webcasting, streaming media, and IPTV technologies this event gave me an opportunity to catch up with the latest developments in the sector that identifies itself as IPTV. Call me cynical, but I was impressed by all the "wrong" things.

So the first thing that struck me as I arrived at the show was the size of the exhibition. It crossed my mind that the sector has enlarged significantly in the past 5 years. Indeed, I remember writing to the editor of Cable and Satellite TV (a publication by the IPTV forums’ organisers) in 2004 offering articles about IP connectivity for TVs; he politely refused the offer, citing that this was not relevant to his audience. It's interesting that now that publication is called Digital TV and its clearly the exploding area in his business.

The second thing that struck me about the show was the number of faces who have moved into IPTV from telecoms. The event was a heaving morass of suited ex-telecom workers in mass quantity. It's like a huge amount of folks who were selling B2B network services and technologies that failed have all moved over to IPTV. The same still-drunk-from-last-night-bullish-but-ignorant-sales-guys-in-suits who always need to "refer to a colleague" if you ask them any question about their technology are now surfing middle-management roles in IPTV ventures. They really do know nothing about their technologies, and sit on the bottom of the corporate pond as "box shifters," moving boxes they don’t understand, into the hands of buyers who don’t really know what they want. If I had a noise-reduction-filter for these idiots at the event it would have reduced the headcount by about 80%. It’s like "sales by press gang" and it doesn’t wash with me: I’m far too passionate about the technology to put up with all their bullsh*t and I carry a bag of acronyms which I throw at them to defend myself.

The next thing that I noted was that there was only a small handful of technology types exhibited: basically set-top boxes (and accessories such as remote controls) and middleware providers (which also generally crept over to head-end services).

There were no network service providers. There were no content providers, aggregators, advertising systems (of any real worth), subscriber systems, etc. There was one network technology—Edgeware, which was actually quite interesting and the exception to the whole day for me).

It should have been billed as the "Set Top Box Forum."

Worse, even small providers had stories of "800 client IPTV networks" and "millions of boxes sold," but when I asked for some examples of profitable, sizable deployments everyone got cagey and cited example networks in Nepal or the Congo. I don’t believe that they were real.

When you step back and look at the UK market there are three ways the mass market gets their TV now: Freeview (digital terrestrial with xDSL IP capability), Sky (DTH digital satellite with xDSL IP capability), and Virgin (cable with DOCSIS IP).

The other player, BT Vision, has so few subscribers that if you took £1 from every £15 monthly subscription to pay for staffing BT Vision you would have 2 full time staff. Think about that. BT Vision, it has to be noted, doesn’t believe in its own network for delivery of linear video either – it has a Freeview card built in. Hardly a vote of confidence in its own network, is it!?

Of these only Virgin, which has its own network and so their own QoS, is lined up to become a true IPTV player as it migrates to the IP way of doing things across the board.

So given that Sky and Virgin still supply their own STBs to subscribers, and Freeview is at least a year away from IP, I wonder who in the UK market would be interested in buying any set-top boxes for their subscribers. Let’s imagine that there is a crazy VC who wanted to set up an IPTV platform for the Isle of Wight. He wanted to buy a few thousand set-top boxes. He wants to deploy a network—and assuming the BT network isn’t good enough for BT Vision, he is unlikely to consider BT an option.

It would be likely that he does a deal with an unbundled DSL provider (one with their own kit in the local exchanges) such as Cable and Wireless. This would result in a "private network" to the home—one of the absolute pre-requisites for IPTV, and the key factor that differentiates if from internet TV or "over the top" (OTT) TV, as its now being called.

In pure "footprint terms," regardless of the other network options in the area, he would be selling against satellite-delivered Sky unless he is selling in to what Sky call "multi-tenant-occupancy" locations such as tower blocks. That’s some stiff competition, so he had better have some excellent deals on content to draw viewers away from the Sky offering.

Is he really likely to get any significant uptake? I don’t think so.

So I don’t currently believe in IPTV start-ups for consumer propositions where there are incumbent broadcasters. "Serious IPTV" should be viewed as a migration path for incumbent operators to migrate to in my opinion. The sale of new set-top boxes and middleware is to Sky, Virgin, and soon to Freeview. It is not to new network operators with no subscribers, no content, and no experience.

All those new set-top box companies that claim to have 800 IPTV networks as clients must be making that figure up. It just doesn’t bear any grip on reality. If that is the length of their client database I reckon more than 80% are simply labs, test groups, consultants, a few digital signage applications, and a sprinkling of small network operators such as hotels and businesses with specific applications. Not that these should be in any way discounted. However there is no way that the scale of that market is really big enough to justify so many set-top box manufacturers exhibiting at the show. It seems worryingly overinflated.

It really comes across as a market full of people who believe hype, and have suspended reality (probably down to a "creative" accounting level) to justify the spend on manufacture and device development.

Those of you who have been in the streaming and CDN space for a while will remember the satellite edgecasting networks (Enfocast, SkyCache, iBeam, etc.) from 2000/2001. Great products, great ideas, and so on; however, they seemed to blindly ignore the pending massive commoditisation and price drop in the established fixed line market that eventually came and flash-flooded their businesses away.

At the end of the day Pace, Huawei, Phillips, and a small number of other big players completely control the market. Small players like Amino may get some traction in more niche product areas like hotels and halls of residence applications, but they are going to surprise me if we see Virgin or Sky switch to their devices and away from the big names.

As soon as the "big guys" see a trend in their customers (and the relationships with these customers are virtually joint-venture level) they adapt, and there is no room for a smaller player to ramp up production and meet the demands that the major networks operators have.

Though I mention Amino, I thought it was interesting to note something in their tactics: These guys burst into the scene because theirs was the first high profile implementation of VC-1 (Microsoft’s early implementation of an MPEG-4) to be released "on-chip" in a set-top box. That simple thing, a little akin to Inlet's current closeness to Microsoft with Smooth Encoding, propelled Amino to the forefront of the industry in both the IPTV and streaming media worlds.

The differentiating VC-1 feature (which meant a simple Windows Media Server could be used as a head-end instead of extremely expensive alternatives) seems to have been forgotten, and not just by the market, but by the company itself. At the IPTV World Forum they didn’t even have the VC-1 enabled box on the stand. They were all about their PC-based boxes and their middleware. Just like everyone else at the show. Strange to forget or bury your unique selling proposition in such a fiercely competitive space.

Here’s another example that this audience will appreciate: Why is it that you can buy a basic Dell PC and an Osprey Card for under £1000 and build a perfectly reliable encoder for almost any format? That is a streaming media approach.

If you are an IPTV guy, you can buy a Tandberg chassis, with a convoluted hidden away XP Embedded PC and a proprietary and expensive video card to use as your encoder and it will cost you nearly £30k. The reliability is almost exactly the same. In fact, apart from the 1u Tandberg chassis,and the video card, the rest probably IS the same. £29k is a lot for a brand.

There is so little that makes sense in the IPTV market that I was really left puzzled as to why the conference was so busy and there seemed to be so much finance moving around in the sector. I fear it’s all too much and too quick, and when the hype subsides many of the groups who could have made better financial decisions and investments will recoil from the sector and the real opportunities with long term value will have been missed in the fool's gold rush.

In contrast, the (surprisingly when you think about it) more mature, slightly differentiated streaming media space is much more deliberating now. We had our fool's gold rush at the start of the millennium. Since then the internet video space has become much more focussed on selling infrastructure to sustainable clients—ones who themselves have viable, if not already working, business models.

Subscriber access is much easier in the streaming world where the user pays for their own access technology—the middleware of media players and operating systems—and the business models (subscription or ad-led) pay for CDN services and hosting. There are few huge capex risks that are needed. Last year was the year of "ecosystems" in streaming media. These ecosystems are nearly complete now, with correctly scaled models feeding thirsty markets. The consumers are fickle and want to move from platform to platform with ease—possibly many times in one use session. The PVR under the broadcast TV does a good job of capturing series to view on the "main screen" but if I want specific VOD or niche programming, well hell, that’s what the internet is for isn’t it? I don’t need to pay for a set-top box with less content on it than a single video web portal. I already have access to an infinite number of web portals on my laptop. Why oh why would I buy an IPTV service?

Why is it that business forget to ask, "who’s paying for all this at the end of the value chain?"

So while I have no doubt that the incumbent "big broadcasters" and subscriber services will move to IPTV to increase their profitability, and that small IPTV plays will continue to work in closed spaces like hospitals, halls of residence and, hotels, I think that the chances of users dropping their Sky subscriptions and turning off their laptops to take out a service from a small IPTV player are on par with hell freezing over.

I just can’t see it being scaled right at the moment and I hope for all the IPTV companies’ shareholders sake I’m horribly wrong!

By Dom Robinson for StreamingMedia

TM announces high speed broadband rates

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 14:42:00 +0000

KUALA LUMPUR: Telekom Malaysia (TM) has announced the packages and rates for its High Speed Broadband (HSBB) service called UniFi, promising to deliver a premium online experience at affordable prices.

In a statement, the company said UniFi delivers faster network access speed (port speed) for bandwith hungry applications and superior end-to-end performance. It comes with triple-play services of high-speed internet, video (IPTV and Video on Demand (VoD) and phone.

For residential customers, the packages and their respective monthly prices will be 5Mbps (RM149), 10Mbps (RM199) and 20Mbps (RM249).

UniFi subscribers will also enjoy 22 free linear TV channels and VoD titles refreshed every month as a value-added service. These channels are delivered via an 8Mbps connection exclusively and in addition to the the data speeds of 5, 10 and 20Mbps they subscribe to, the company said.

"With IPTV, customer can be in control of their TV as they watch the programmes according to their own schedules - no more fixed programme schedule to follow. IPTV also provides platform for interactive applications for customers to enjoy," TM added.

UniFi subscribers also pay no installation and activation charges for equipment such as their residential gateway unit, set top box and optical network unit, worth more than RM1,000. There is no deposit required as well.

New and existing 4Mbps Streamyx Combo and non-Combo customers will only pay RM140 per month effective immediately, regardless of their location. This is to encourage 4Mbps Streamyx subscribers located in areas where UniFi is available to upgrade to UniFi and for those outside to switch to the Blockbuster package, the company said.

For business customers, UniFi packages come with the same speeds but are packaged without the IPTV and VoD. The prices are RM199 (5Mbps), RM599 (10Mbps) and RM899 (20Mbps).

UniFi offers a compelling value proposition for businesses to exploit the full potential of already familiar enterprise-class communication tools such as hosted web-based group messaging, Customer Relationship Management, Enterprise Resource Planning and Supply Chain Management.

In the near future, UniFi subscribers will be able to enjoy a wide variety of third-party services and applications, including telecommuting, security and surveillance, interactive channels and gaming, and many more services which will be developed by TM's value-added service partners to enhance the ecosystem. This potential is limitless.

TM is also putting in place the necessary support infrastructure to ensure a superior customer experience. UniFi customers in the initial four areas of Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Bangsar can sign up at TM website, www.tm.com.my, or visit the selected six TMpoints within the four exchange areas. The selected TMpoints are in Taipan USJ, Damansara Utama, Menara TM, Bukit Mahkamah, Shah Alam and Bangsar. For enquiries or further details on UniFi, subscribers or potential subscribers can call 1 300 88 1222 or e-mail enquiry@unifi.com

IPTV Zone at IBC2010 to Showcase New Technologies Driving the Explosive Growth in IPTV

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:01:00 +0000

The demand for IPTV has shown explosive growth over the last 12 months. Recent research by MRG, Inc predicts that the number of IPTV subscribers worldwide will continue to grow at 31% per year to reach 83 million by 2013, creating a $38 billion marketplace for services alone.

This revolution in the delivery of broadcast content is creating vast opportunities for application developers, content providers and technology companies alike. The IBC2010 IPTV Zone will bring together many organisations and technologies emerging as major forces in this new market and provide the opportunity for them to showcase their capabilities at the heart of the broadcast industry's leading international conference and exhibition.

Now in its fourth year, the IBC2010 IPTV Zone has been expanded to form a hub for a new area and visitor attraction showcasing advances in connected consumer devices and exploring their impact on content creation and distribution.

The IBC2010 IPTV Zone will be accompanied by the IBC2010 IPTV Zone Business Briefings to which attendance is free. These briefings will examine some of the issues and opportunities arising from this revolution in broadcast content delivery in further detail and are intended to reinforce and complement the established peer reviewed, paid-delegate IBC Conference. Amongst the subjects addressed at this year’s Business Briefings will be the impact of new technologies on traditional revenue streams and the emergence of new business models and funding mechanisms.

The IPTV Zone at IBC2010 is being jointly developed and marketed by IBC, IT Europa and BPL. The IBC2010 exhibition takes place from 10th - 14th September 2010 at the RAI, Amsterdam.

Credit to TVOver.net

Sony uses IPTV to lure buyers

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:22:00 +0000

YESTERDAY'S launch of Sony's new range of Bravia televisions neatly summed up a marketing puzzle facing the consumer electronics and entertainment group: how to sell 2D TVs in a year in which all the hype is about 3D.

Sony Australia is hoping part of the answer is Bravia Internet Video, a content platform that will deliver 15 new internet protocol TV channels over a household broadband connection direct to the TV set. It will be available on 21 of 26 new Bravia models from next month and marketed under the slogan "TV on your terms". Models that play 3D will not be available until July.

Sony Australia chief Carl Rose said the launch was a "defining moment" for Sony, which will become the first TV manufacturer to launch IPTV content in

Australia. Local video-on-demand channels from Billabong, Yahoo7 and SBS will join global brands including video-sharing site YouTube, how-to channel eHow, and golfing brand Golflink on the Bravia Internet Video platform.

Several brands associated with global magazine publisher Conde Nast, including tech publisher Wired, fashion brand Style.com and food channel Epicurious, are also available as video channels.

In the same presentation, the company said the full 3D experience in the home (including 3D movies or games, a 3D player, a 3D TV set and the 3D glasses to see it) would not be available until July.

Sony consumer products executive Toby Barbour said there was not enough 3D content today to drive 3D TV sales.

"July is the right time for the 3D experience from the word go," he said yesterday.

Meanwhile, TV manufacturers are expected to turn to the FIFA World Cup in June to help drive sales in the first half of the year.

Sony's Bravia platform will enable viewers to watch highlights packages of games they may have missed on SBS's IPTV channel instead of on a computer.

Yahoo internet widgets, which allow information such as sharemarket prices, sports scores and weather, will also be available on several Bravia models.

Credit to TheAustralian.com.au

Sony's IPTV puts Catch Up TV on the big screen

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:15:00 +0000

Sony's IPTV deal with Network Seven's Plus7 marks the next major step in the way Australians watch television.

As I said last week, I'm very impressed with Plus7 and it puts Nine and Ten's efforts to shame. I ended up calling on Plus7 this week after my TiVo skipped a beat and for some reason failed to record Lost on 7TWO. I'm taking the "28 day 7TWO Lost challenge", to see if I can tolerate time-shifting free-to-air rather than using the BT channel.

I realised about 10.30pm Wednesday that the TiVo had failed to record Lost at 8.30pm and I was about to head over to Isohunt when I thought it might be worth checking Plus7. There was Lost, ready to play. I used my Media Centre to watch it full screen on my 46-inch Bravia and the picture was shabby but watchable - certainly not as crisp or smooth as a decent BitTorrent download. Plus7 drops in one advertisement at every ad break that can't be skipped, which is annoying but bearable if you mute the sound. I'd much rather do that than pay Apple $2.99 an episode from the iTunes store.

Of course Plus7 is designed for watching on a computer, not a big television. Sony's "Bravia Internet Video" IPTV service looked much sharper on the big Bravias at this week's launch in Sydney, all but indistinguishable from an SD broadcast. I'm guessing it's encoded at a higher rate than the clips on the Plus7 website.

Shows from SBS are also available via Sony's IPTV service and negotiations are underway with the ABC's iView - which would be brilliant. The Freeview consortium is also working on its equivalent to iView, which hopefully will come to the Bravia Internet Video service as well. Sony is even working on a Movie on Demand service, which would be the icing on the cake.

Bravia Internet Video will also come to the PlayStation 3 and Sony Blu-ray players later this year - which is great news for people who don't want to buy a new television just to access what is clearly Australia's best free IPTV service. It's just one more excuse to buy a PlayStation 3, and I might finally cave in later this year (just don't tell my friend Al, a diehard PS3-fanboy, or I'll never hear the end of it).

The truth is that your average person doesn't want a computer in their lounge room, no matter what the entertainment benefits. As Sony makes IPTV available directly from its televisions, Blu-ray players and games consoles I'm certain IPTV will see mainstream adoption in Australia - perhaps turning people away from piracy. Sony and Seven have thrown down the gauntlet, let's see how the other networks and manufacturers respond.

Credit to Adam Turner, Hidrapinion

Year One Anniversary of IPTV Commercialization

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:00:00 +0000

On Dec 12, the one-year anniversary of the launch of Internet Protocol television (IPTV), which has been hailed as the driver of interactive services and a next-generation growth engine, was celebrated with fanfare. The number of subscribers to IPTV services provided by KT, SK Broadband and LG Telecom topped 1.5 million.

At the celebration of the one-year anniversary of IPTV, held at COEX in Samsung-dong, the Korea Communications Commission and Korea Digital Media Industry Association declared December 12 to be IPTV Day. Industry insiders celebrated the fact that the number of IPTV subscribers reached 1.5 million in such a short period of time, in the face of strong competition from the cable TV market that boasts 15 million subscribers.

Some, however, beg to differ, pointing out the worse than expected performance of IPTV as the number of IPTV subscribers fell far short of the initial target range of 2.5 to 3 million. The Korea Communications Commission has urged operators to come up with active marketing strategies with the aim of boosting the number of IPTV subscribers beyond 2 million.

Credit to Korea IT Times

….while World’s IPTV forecasts issued

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:00:00 +0000

The latest IPTV forecasts from MRG have just been published. MRG’s numbers include a forecast for IPTV subscribers, service revenues, and system revenues from 2009 to 2013. By and large last year’s predicted numbers have already been achieved.

Because the 2009 subscriber total exceeded the last forecast by 2 million, the new forecast* indicates that global IPTV subscribers will grow from 28 million in 2009 to 83 million in 2013, a compound annual growth rate of 31%. The European region will continue to lead in IPTV deployments in 2013 with a 48% share, followed by Asia, North America and Rest of World.

“Now that the economy seems to be improving, and Service Providers are still reporting solid growth, this latest edition has adjusted the forecast accordingly,” stated Jose Alvear, MRG IPTV Analyst. “This was done in response to the better-than-expected growth exhibited by the major Service Providers around the world in 2009.”

Total service revenue for 2013 is projected at US$38 billion, also up sharply from the last forecast. MRG’s new report includes added information on strategies and new services being added to IPTV offerings. “Consumers are beginning to understand the advantages of IPTV,” says Gary Schultz, MRG President. “Simultaneously, IPTV operators are facing more competition, driving rapid investment in both infrastructure and new services.”

The four regions analyzed include a breakdown of capital spending, service revenue, and DSL & IPTV subscribers; and seven discrete IPTV system sectors, including Access Systems, Video Headends, Video-on-Demand, Set-top Boxes, Middleware, Content Protection/Digital Rights Management, and System Integration/Professional Services.

Credit to RapidTVNews

AT&T adds more HD channels nationwide to its U-verse IPTV service

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:10:00 +0000

Subscribers to AT&T’s U-verse TV service got an additional 5 HD channels today, bringing the number of high-definition channels from the service to at least 115 in every U.S. market. New international channels were also added to U-verse, including Filipino and Cantonese programming.

The new HD channels include Cartoon Network HD, MSNBC HD, TV One HD, and TBN HD (Dec. 15). The fifth addition is available to HD Premium package customers who will now get WFN: World Fishing Network HD.

AT&T has also added VivaTV Plus as part of the Filipino Package — providing movies, concerts and TV shows in Filipino. For Cantonese viewers, TVBe provides news from Hong Kong, entertainment news, and additional Cantonese-focused programming for $17 a month. Both of those channels are available only in standard-definition.

AT&T added over 60 HD channels this year, keeping them up to speed with Verizon’s FiOS TV and surpassing cable TV HD channel counts in most markets they serve.

The company also reached a milestone 2 million U-verse TV subscribers as of last Wednesday, half of them added within 2009.

Credit to hdreport

AT&T Tops 1.8 Million IPTV Customers

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:39:00 +0000

AT&T added 240,000 more U-verse TV subscribers to its service in the third quarter, to stand at 1.816 million at the end of September. Although the telco continued to produce strong wireless gains it also shed 803,000 residential phone lines in the period.

Chief financial officer Rick Lindner, on AT&T's earnings call Thursday, said he expects revenue from U-verse services to exceed $2 billion this year. As the legacy services decline, he said, AT&T is taking cost out of those lines of business while increasing margins on new products.

For the IPTV service, AT&T's penetration of eligible living units was more than 12%. In areas marketed to for 24 months or more, overall penetration now exceeds 20%, according to the company.

AT&T's wireless segment continued to surge, with a 2.0 million net increase in total wireless subscribers - the highest third-quarter net gain in the company's history -- to reach 81.6 million. That included 3.2 million iPhone activations in the quarter, the highest to date.

Meanwhile, residential phone lines ended the quarter at 25.2 million, down 11.8% from a year ago, as revenue in the wireline segment fell 7.1% to $16.3 billion.

"The pattern is getting grindingly familiar. Wireless results were good... wireline results, not so much," Sanford Bernstein senior analyst Craig Moffett wrote in a research note. "And like so much of corporate America in this recession, solid earnings were the result of better-than-expected cost management against a deteriorating top line."

U-verse services are now available to more than 20 million living units. The telco said that U-verse TV's broadband attach rate continues to run "well above" 90% , and that its U-verse Voice attach rate continues to run above 60%. More than three-fourths of U-verse TV subscribers have a triple- or quad-play option from AT&T. The telco had 735,000 U-verse Voice subscribers at the end of the quarter, up from 104,000 in the year-ago period.

In the third quarter, AT&T's more advanced U-verse DSL broadband service had a net gain of 252,000 subscribers, which offset a decline in traditional DSL connections for a 90,000 net gain in wireline broadband connections. The telco had 13.55 million DSL subscribers as of the end of September,compared with 13.45 million three months prior.

AT&T lost 15,000 satellite subscribers in the period, ending the quarter with 2.195 million. The telco dropped its reseller deal with Dish Network as of January and now offers DirecTV service in areas where it has not deployed U-verse. AT&T's total video subscribers, which combine the company's U-verse and bundled satellite customers, were 4.0 million at the end of the third quarter, representing 14.9% of households served.

Overall, AT&T's third-quarter revenue was $30.86 billion, compared with $31.34 billion in the year-earlier quarter. Net income was $3.19 billion, down 1.2% year over year.

Credit to Multichannel.com

BitBand Technologies Forecasts IPTV Trends

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 04:08:00 +0000

The power of producing and distributing content no longer belongs solely to studios and technology vendors it has shifted to the consumer and consumer communities that produce, utilize and interact with the large volumes of content available today.

Analysts predict around 50 million IPTV subscribers worldwide by 2010. As viewing habits evolve from a passive consumption of TV to an interactive user experience, IPTV service providers need to quickly recognize and exploit the market opportunities that lie ahead.

BitBand’s IPTV technology serves more than 40 commercial IPTV deployments worldwide, including such pioneering IPTV deployments as Tele2 in Holland, ON Telecoms in Greece, FASTWEB in Italy and Connexion in the U.S., among others. BitBand partners with system integrators and suppliers of other components in the IPTV value chain to provide operators with a complete end-to-end solution.

BitBand expects to see the following key trends in IPTV in 2008:

Eastern Europe as an emerging market. With quad and triple-play heavily embraced by new players implementing technology and business lessons learned in Western Europe, carriers and service providers in the region will take advantage of the industry’s accumulated expertise and skip efforts to modernize legacy equipment or infrastructures suitable for IPTV delivery.
HDTV is on the rise and shifting from early adopters to mainstream viewers, creating strong demand for the highest level of subscriber quality of experience. Technology has to be developed to ensure the QOE levels that now become mandatory.
Networking in the home. Technology advancements in consumer premises equipment and the IPTV supply chain in general will enable increased connectivity between the various components in the home, targeting the enhanced digital lifestyle with such services as instant messaging and progressive download. Through a combination of the service provider and home networks, a small server residing in the house will provide content services to a variety of devices within or around the premises, over a variety of wired and wireless networks.
Niche content is king and long-tail content is becoming a reality. Service providers will be required to make accessible huge volumes of content, while employing intuitive and simple access methods. The full content life cycle will need to be managed in a flexible way, making room for innovative CDN platforms -- a key factor in the success of IPTV services.
Support for multiple viewing platforms. Consumer mobility drives the need to support a variety of end devices (terminals) to which the content is fed. Users’ viewing experiences should be automatically adapted for the different devices and networks so that the best experience on each device is guaranteed. Remaining issues to be resolved include the size of video data and content rights.
New entrants create segmented markets. More alternative service providers are offering IPTV services, opening up the market and driving growth and competition. Traditional communications players will be forced to present a differentiated offer, either through the introduction of new value-added services or competitively priced entertainment packages.
User-generated content. TV “of the people, for the people” will continue to grow in popularity. Users are driving content and will want to incorporate that content as part of their traditional TV experience.
TV and Internet will continue to merge. The drive to turn the TV into an Internet-capable device is likely to continue, despite the failure of many prior attempts. The key drivers to success are simplicity of access and emphasis on the group experience of TV consumption.
Advertising will drive revenue. Targeted advertising is another phenomenon making its way from the Internet to the IPTV experience, providing another tool for revenue generation and subscriber retention.
The shift to On-Demand. The trend of increased migration of TV consumption from linear to non-linear TV (TV On-Demand) will pick up pace, driven by innovative new ways of serving TV in a time-shifted manner and excess bandwidth available in the Next Generation networks. We expect significant increase in concurrent viewers of such services.
Beijing 2008. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be the dominant driver for IPTV expansion and adoption across China. Beijing’s efforts to leverage this event for the world stage, coupled with the desire of service providers across the globe to deliver Olympic events to subscribers in all forms and on all devices will prompt service innovation, technology development and regulation flexibility, speeding up the pace of change and stimulating even more progress in the IPTV space.

Source : TVOver.net

WiMAX Gains Serious Momentum as Trials Lead to Deployments

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 03:59:00 +0000

The global telecommunications industry is on the cusp of major change, and operators are approaching critical decisions about their 4G strategies, as mobile WiMAX (802.16e) starts to move from trials and pilots to the first real-world WiMAX network deployments.

As described in a new study from ABI Research, mobile operators and other service providers are planning mobile WiMAX networks all over the world, mainly in the 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands. “The mobile wireless industry is in a state of major change as mobile operators decide which IP-OFDMA path they will take for their 4G networks,” says principal mobile broadband analyst Philip Solis. “The new and unproven (on a large commercial scale) mobile WiMAX has positioned itself against the potential Goliath that LTE (Long Term Evolution) is expected to become.”

The research forecasts substantial numbers of WiMAX subscribers worldwide: more than 95 million using CPE devices by 2012, and almost 200 million using mobile devices, with some overlap between the two groups.

Solis points out that while WiMAX equipment interoperability certification timelines have slipped somewhat, and LTE benefits from having evolved out of the widely-deployed GSM technology, WiMAX has at least a two year head start in reaching the market.

The major semiconductor and equipment makers, with the exception of Qualcomm and Ericsson, are staking out their positions for this emerging sector, while operators’ enthusiasm, led by Sprint’s and Clearwire’s firm commitments in the United States, is rising sharply. Vodafone is looking to WiMAX for some of its newer markets such as the Middle East and Eastern Europe; BT and Telecom Italia Mobile are also showing interest. And ABI Research understands that another as yet unnamed “major European mobile operator” is “seriously considering WiMAX.”

Meanwhile, amid this increasing momentum, chipset companies are positioning themselves to support a wide variety of device types beyond the traditional handsets and laptops, including UMPCs, mobile Internet devices, and consumer electronics products such as portable game devices, portable media players, and imaging devices.

The new ABI Research study, “WiMAX Market Analysis and Forecasts”, examines major drivers and barriers for WiMAX and compares it to 3G and other 4G technologies. The report contains forecasts for 802.16-2004 and 802.16e-2005. It forms part of four ABI Research Services: Digital Media, Mobile Content, Mobile Devices, and Mobile Operators.

Source : TVOver.net

YouTube announces the YouTube Nonprofit Program

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:48:00 +0000

Hundreds of nonprofits currently leverage YouTube to raise awareness of their causes. Today at the Clinton Global Initiative, YouTube announced the YouTube Nonprofit Program, a way to make it even easier for people to find, watch and engage with nonprofit video content on the site.

YouTube's 2007/2008 Clinton Global Initiative commitment enables nonprofit organizations (in the U.S. those with 501c3 tax filing status) that register for the program to receive a free nonprofit specific YouTube channel where they can upload footage of their work, public service announcements, calls to action and more. The channel will also allow them to collect donations with no processing costs using the newly launched Google Checkout for Non-Profits. YouTube's global platform enables nonprofits to deliver their message, showcase their impact and needs, and encourage supporters to take action.
"Video, unlike any other medium, allows nonprofits to give a tangible demonstration of their efforts, connect with people and exponentially widen their reach," said Douglas Staples, Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing & Communications from the March of Dimes. "We are excited to be an initial participant in the program. We'll use our YouTube channel to reach out to an audience of all ages and engage them in our mission, which is to give every baby a healthy start, and we encourage other nonprofits to do the same."

YouTube Nonprofit Program participants will receive:

A premium channel on YouTube that serves as a nonprofit's hub for their uploaded videos. Through the channel, people can connect with a nonprofit via messages, subscriptions, comments and more. Nonprofits will also receive enhanced channel branding features and increased upload capacity.
Designation as a "Nonprofit" on YouTube that clearly identifies organizations as a nonprofit for YouTube community.
The ability to embed a Google Checkout donation button on their channel and video watch pages, allowing people to quickly and securely make a contribution directly from YouTube. Starting today, nonprofits who offer Google Checkout for Non-Profits as a donation option -- whether through YouTube or on their own sites -- will receive 100 percent of donated funds, as Google has committed to processing all donations for free through at least the end of 2008.
In the coming months, nonprofit channels will have a centralized area on YouTube, making them and their videos more easily discoverable.

"When YouTube was founded we dreamed that people would someday leverage the site to make the world a better place," said YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley. "It is an honor to have great organizations and individuals utilizing the YouTube to raise awareness of noble causes and we are thrilled to offer a program that helps them thrive and inspire change."

At launch there will be a thirteen organizations participating in the YouTube Nonprofit Program including:

24 Hours for Darfur * American Cancer Society * Autism Speaks * 92nd Street Y * Asia Society * Strong American Schools' ED in '08 * Friends of the Earth * International Rescue Committee * March of Dimes * YouthNoise * The ONE Campaign * The Clinton Global Initiative * World Vision Australia

Application Process

Nonprofits can apply for a nonprofit channel type by going to youtube.com/nonprofits and filling out a short application, which will be processed by our grants team. This page will also contain information on how to take advantage of this new channel type, as well as some tips for how to use YouTube effectively for advocacy and fundraising.

Credit to TVOver.net

Talking Point: IP-based Television at the crossroads

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:42:00 +0000

IPTV News : In about 2002-2003 the availability of high speed broadband networking via ADSL combined with optimised MPEG-2 encoding and the reduction in costs brought about by the move to the single-chip solutions for Set-Top-Boxes (STBs) as pioneered by firms such as Amino with the AmiNET103 and AmiNET110 devices made for a step-change in the history of IP-based television service delivery. The first cross-roads had been reached; it became possible to deliver the required bandwidth at good quality and an affordable cost for the first time. IPTV moved from the lab to the customer; from science project to deployable business venture.
In the years since the number of deployments and their scale has exploded as telephone companies exploited the opportunity to roll out video based services in a wide variety of forms - multicast channel zapping, video on demand, pay per view, with many competing user interfaces and methods of delivery over the basic IP channel.

However, IP delivery is now at a very interesting stage - a second crossroads. Ahead of it down one path is High-Definition TV, which is sweeping through the market and seeing high adoption rates where it can be delivered. The latter qualification though is important. Satellite and Cable providers are blessed with enough bandwidth, and tricks like statistical multiplexing of channels that, in combination with the advances in coding efficiency with MPEG-4 AVC, mean that they are now easily able to deliver HD quality TV to the consumer. IP networks based of Fibre (or perhaps other technologies such as VDSL where range is not a problem) can compete effectively against this, and IP STBs such as the advanced AmiNET130 are delivering MPEG-4 AVC HD content at the consumer premises. Yet there remains a substantial copper-based, ADSL broadband network community out there, for whom the data-rates demanded to put several TVs all running full quality 1920x1080i pixel High Definition TV, perhaps with PVR boxes that record one channel while streaming and displaying another, is well out of reach. Typically these networks are able to deliver 8 megabits per second. To fulfil the multi-room, PVR demands of a home with perhaps two HD TVs one can easily show that at least 25 megabits will be demanded, and perhaps more. This effectively means that operators with these networks have some issues ahead.

But, there is another path open, this lies in the direction of open-access Internet delivered content, offered up from web sites - thousands of them. The future here is foretold in the story of music downloads - iTunes, Napster and so forth - and the simple explosive growth that these exhibited. It became practical to stream or download music once modems were replaced with broadband even in its fairly early forms. 256K bits per second is enough to stream excellent quality compressed audio - four times too much for a V90 modem, but easily done with the first broadband systems. As soon as it was possible, the supernova like explosion was triggered. Video is next. Data rates for video are, now, with MPEG-4 AVC and the Microsoft competitor codecs, such that pretty decent results are possible at below 1 megabit. YouTube and its competitors are the first result, with user-generated content, although the quality of much of it is dubious. Ahead lies a world of professionally produced content published via the web directly by a range of content owners, aggregators and individual organisations with specialist interests. Niche sports, hobbies, ethnic programming and a range of things we have not even thought of yet will appear as "web channels" on the net. Initially the consumer has to access this from the PC, but this will migrate into delivery via the TV set - and this requires a very low cost unit with attractive living room quality styling, and a neat, simple user interface. Amino has anticipated this and developed the AmiNET124 and the second generation AmiNET125 products targeting this future.

Back to the crossroads. Is the future to be found along the High-road to HDTV with 25+ Megabit service delivery? Or should we look for it along the low-road....of myriad web-channels and streaming in the 1 to 2 megabit range.

Perhaps the answer is to be found in that famous Scottish ballad:

“You take the high road, and I'll take the low-road..... and I'll be in Scotland before ye!”

Credit to IPTV News

IPTV in Asia Subscriber Rates Reach 2.7 Million

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:17:00 +0000

Research and Markets announces the addition of IPTV in Asia: Carriers Start the Battle to their offering. With a warm up period over the past few years, Asia/Pacific IPTV subscriber numbers have increased quickly. There were 2.7 million subscribers by the end of 2006, an 87.4% growth rate from 2005.

The Asia/Pacific IPTV market's development has remained diversified. Mature markets include Japan and Hong Kong, with approximately 60% of the total subscribers in 2006. They are expected to continuously take the lead in the regional IPTV development process.

Together with the fast expanding broadband infrastructure and decreases in service price, an expanding middle class is transforming China into the future IPTV dragon. Taiwan and Singapore have a relatively higher penetration of broadband and are pioneers in technology adoptions. For South Korea, the government regulatory issues are expected to be solved soon.

Australia and New Zealand are lagging behind other developed markets, with conservative attitudes from major telecom operators and low general public interest. Other markets like India, Malaysia, and Thailand, together with China, are fueling the growth of the Asia/Pacific IPTV market. Indonesia and the Philippines are expected to provide little uptake due to their weak infrastructures. It is expected that by 2009, IPTV will be present in all of the markets in the region.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that IP-based HDTV is on its way to the Asia/Pacific, with both Hong Kong PCCW and Singapore Singtel expected to start offering IP-based HDTV in 2007.

Credit to tvover.net

IPTV Revenue $26 Billion by 2011

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:06:00 +0000

Telcos increasingly are looking to IPTV offerings to augment their declining voice communications revenue, causing the market for IPTV video services to rise by a factor of nearly 34 from 2006 to 2011, iSuppli predicts. The market for IPTV video services will rise to $26.3 billion in 2011, up from $779.2 million in 2006. This figure does not include advertising and value-added TV services.

Telcos view IPTV as an opportunity to recapture the revenue generated by many of the Internet-based services that have bypassed them by traveling through their broadband pipes. However, IPTV will deliver significantly more than just video services, offering access to digital music, on-demand gaming, data services, home security, and other items. These value-added offerings will boost the global IPTV video revenue stream by more than $1 billion by 2010.

While this represents huge growth, IPTV still will have significant room for expansion in the years following 2011.

iSuppli also found that:

Many IPTV deployment strategies are focused on next-generation video services. Because of this, competition for services is likely to focus on features and benefits, rather than price. Features such as high-definition programming, digital video recording service, and remote access are the main features that telcos are focusing on to gain a competitive advantage. Pay-per-view and video on demand service will combine to generate nearly $300 million in revenue in 2007.
Advertising promises to be another significant revenue source to augment IPTV video. iSuppli believes IPTV operators have an opportunity to deliver unique value to advertisers through behavioral targeting and interactivity. This will drive IPTV-based advertising revenue to surpass $1 billion annually in 2010.
In 2011, China will lead the world in IPTV subscribers. The massive size of the population, combined with the government's technology emphasis for the 2008 Olympics, are the principal reasons for the growth. Revenue, however, will be driven by the United States. North America will account for more than $10 billion in IPTV subscription revenue by 2011.

iSuppli's report, "IPTV Content & Services 2007: Telecom Companies Turn up the Heat," provides an analysis of IPTV and reviews the various tiers of service. The report then takes a look at the telco-delivered IPTV market from a value chain perspective including content providers, service providers, broadband portals and aggregators, Internet VoD, Internet TV and "over-the-top" offerings, platforms, BSS and OSS, and CE equipment and technology. The customer premise equipment implications of IPTV are examined in terms of set-top boxes, modems, gateways, home networking, digital rights management and conditional access, middleware, and client software. Finally, the IPTV content and services market is forecasted by geographic region for the IPTV video services market (including VoD, DVR, and HD), advertising models in IPTV, value-added services, community and personalization, and by region.

Credit to tvover.net

Motorola Introduces Open Software Platform for IPTV STB's

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 15:43:00 +0000

Motorola introduces a set-top software solution using an open Internet Protocol platform on its VIP 1200 series set-top boxes. The KreaTV application platform uses the Linux Operating system to help support multiple entertainment and video service applications on Motorola's VIP set-top series, allowing service providers and other third parties to easily customize and deploy revenue-generating applications via development kits and custom training on the toolsets. Interactive features such as programming guides, viewer voting tools, and advanced gaming can be seamlessly integrated by the service provider using the open-platform system in conjunction with third-party middleware and software providers.

Operators in North America can leverage the flexibility of KreaTV software to help introduce features like multi-room DVR, video on-demand and interactive teleconferencing. The open KreaTV software solution is designed to meet carriers' needs and to help satisfy consumer IPTV demand in any market.

Motorola's 2006 acquisition of Kreatel Communications led to the addition of the open software platform on Motorola's popular VIP set-top series.

The Motorola VIP 1200 series with KreaTV is a compact, interactive IP set-top that supports high-definition and standard-definition high-quality digital video. The KreaTV open software platform is integrated with leading North American middleware and conditional access applications to help provide IPTV users with a rich and secure viewing experience.

Motorola is demonstrating the VIP 1200 with KreaTV software at this week's NXTcomm exhibition in Chicago. To date, Motorola has shipped more than one million IPTV set tops.

Credit to tvover.net

Motorola Introduces Open Software Platform for Its IPTV Set Tops in North America

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 15:30:00 +0000

Unleashing the potential of IPTV, Motorola today introduced a set-top software solution using an open Internet Protocol (IP) platform on its VIP 1200 series set-top boxes.

The KreaTV(TM) application platform uses the Linux Operating system to help support multiple entertainment and video service applications on Motorola's VIP set-top series, allowing service providers and other third parties to easily customize and deploy revenue-generating applications via development kits and custom training on the toolsets. Interactive features such as programming guides, viewer voting tools, and advanced gaming can be seamlessly integrated by the service provider using the open-platform system in conjunction with third-party middleware and software providers.

Operators in North America can leverage the flexibility of KreaTV(TM) software to help introduce features like multi-room DVR, video on-demand (VOD) and interactive teleconferencing. The open KreaTV(TM) software solution is designed to meet carriers' needs and to help satisfy consumer IPTV demand in any market.

Motorola's 2006 acquisition of Kreatel Communications led to the addition of the open software platform on Motorola's popular VIP set-top series.

"Motorola is building on our global IPTV leadership by extending the level of high-quality, on-demand and interactive services for consumers in North America on a proven hardware platform," said Doug Means, Motorola corporate vice president and general manager. "The KreaTV(TM) open-platform software gives service providers a choice in working with the best IPTV allies and application developers."

"As demand for IPTV services and set-tops continues to grow, service providers will be able to leverage an open system to bring together best-of-breed technologies and applications to deliver a truly next-generation experience to consumers," states Michelle Abraham, principal analyst, In-Stat.

The Motorola VIP 1200 series with KreaTV(TM) is a compact, interactive IP set-top that supports high-definition (HD) and standard-definition (SD) high-quality digital video. The KreaTV(TM) open software platform is integrated with leading North American middleware and conditional access applications to help provide IPTV users with a rich and secure viewing experience.

Motorola is demonstrating the VIP 1200 with KreaTV(TM) software at this week's NXTcomm exhibition in Chicago. To date, Motorola has shipped more than one million IPTV set tops.

About Motorola
Motorola (NYSE:MOT) is known around the world for innovation and leadership in wireless and broadband communications. Inspired by our vision of Seamless Mobility, the people of Motorola are committed to helping you get and stay connected simply and seamlessly to the people, information, and entertainment that you want and need. We do this by designing and delivering "must have" products, "must do" experiences and powerful networks -- along with a full complement of support services. A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US $42.9 billion in 2006. For more information about our company, our people and our innovations, please visit http://www.motorola.com/.

MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners.

Credit to thomasnet.com

Mobile Phones As Mass Media: The Upcoming Technonlogical Revolution - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 08:05:00 +0000

An evolving historic technological revolution is under way, which is creating new industries, new products, new services and, unmercifully redefining or even destroying others. It is more powerful, with greater reach and is growing faster than any other media-ecology.

It is the grass roots of the mobile mass media.

It is not as clear and coherent, with established well known global brands, as the older Internet is today, with its Google’s, Yahoo’s, YouTube’s and Second Life’s. But the foundations are now being laid for the future corporate giants for the 7th mass media to emerge.

Differing from the internet, mobile as the 7th mass media channel is similar to the five legacy mass media, economically viable with a stable business model from day one. Yet, differing from the legacy mass media, all of which are witnessing a decline in their audiences and revenues, mobile like the internet, is an interactive media enabling it to fully capitalize on social networking and digital communities.

But more importantly from a media audience point-of-view, there already are over twice as many mobile phones worldwide as there are personal computers, nearly twice as many mobiles as TV sets. The only mass media that is carried upon the owner at all times, mobile is also the first mass media where near 100% accuracy is feasible on measuring the audience.

In the following report originally published by Alan Moore, CEO of SMLXL, you will be able to read about the evolution mass media and the trends they established within our culture and our communication habits. Today I republish for you the first part of the white paper, which introduces the topic by rolling out the history of mass media and their characteristics.

Here more details: Read More
Credit to masternewmedia.org

IPTV vs. Internet Television: Key Differences

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 23:13:00 +0000

What is the difference between IPTV, the Internet Protocol-based TV paradigm heralded by major telecom providers and large media groups (Microsoft included) and the Internet Television painted by the Long Tail phenomenon, Ourmedia, the Internet Archive, Brightcove, and the availability of amazing new technology opportunities such as faster and faster net connections, free unlimited storage space, BitTorrent, MPEG4 and powerful low-cost hardware and software production tools?

Are they two opposite and diverging forces or are they the different aspects of the same media phenomenon portrayed in different ways?

If you ask these questions around today, few people will be able to answer in a clear and articulate way. Even those executives working for would-be IPTV ventures would give no credit whatsoever to the idea that an alternative way of leveraging Internet strengths for the commercial delivery of video content exists. Most of the time they see only theirs.

So, what are the key differences between these two radically different approaches to distributing video content via IP and which the related-issues that make them important to me and you?

The choice, for those who can see it, appears to be between a universe of highly diversified and dynamic independent production and one dominated by secure dedicated private delivery networks distributing more traditional types of video-based content largely provided by Hollywood and other established big media conglomerates.

IPTV is represented by a profile of closed, proprietary TV systems such as those present today on cable services but delivered via IP-based secure channels representing a sharp increase in control of content distribution.

Internet Television is instead an open evolving framework in which a very large number of small and medium-sized video producers contribute highly innovative niche content alongside with offerings from more traditional retail and distribution channels.

Nonetheless key differences, being able to appreciate the true nature of these two models remains a challenging task for the uninitiated reader unless she starts to look a little deeper into the differentiating details.

What is IPTV

IPTV is not TV that is broadcast over the Internet.

"IPTV is generally funded and supported by large telecom providers who have undertaken the mission of creating a competitive replacement product for digital cable and satellite services." (Jeremy Allaire)

"While the "IP" in its name stands for Internet Protocol, that doesn't mean people will log onto their favorite Web page to access television programming. The IP refers to a method of sending information over a secure, tightly managed network that results in a superior entertainment experience."
(Source: Businessweeek - "The real meaning of IPTV")

IPTV is particularly good for the established media content production business, including Hollywood and all of the major television distribution networks on satellite and cable. IPTV allows these organizations to have total control of the content distributed and to greatly reduce opportunities for theft and piracy, which last year cost the cable industry $4.76 billion in unrealized revenue.
(Source: Businessweeek - "The real meaning of IPTV").

The way IPTV television is being conceived integrates multiple ways to monitor and record user choices, preferences and selections over time therefore appearing as an ideal platform on which to add personalized e-commerce options and more targeted advertising.

IP-TV is a carrier-led and controlled platform. There is a physical carrier that has physical pipes and infrastructure that it operates and controls. The consumer interacts directly with that operator/carrier.
As such this is an end-to-end system or semi-closed network (infrastructure is all within the carrier environment, and cannot be normally accessed to the Internet as a whole. Further to this, the deployment infrastructure and devices to access it are all managed and operated by the IP-TV carrier).
IPTV is definitely a massive connectivity infrastructure upgrade to be deployed over a number of years, and which underlines major changes and upgrades to connectivity, transport and delivery devices both on the operator environment as well as on the consumer side.
IPTV approach is a fundamentally geographically-bound approach. This is mainly due to the fact that the deployment infrastructure is based in regions and in neighborhoods connected to consumer premises (users homes). User experience is also bound to their living rooms and set-top boxes. Local regulations and policies further influence and limit IP-TV to be a strongly geographically-bound model.
IPTV will offer essentially the same product and programming offered by digital cable and satellite providers. Similar on-demand and pay per view products probably with some extra integration with voice, and different pricing.

IPTV Issues

Will it be easy for the telecom companies to acquire, license and distribute existing commercial video content?

Can the telcos with little or no experience with the licensing of video content, hope to become smart players of this emerging industry?

For now this remains an open question:

"It won't be easy. Already, the entertainment industry is entwined in a web of complicated and often exclusive licensing deals, and getting the right content will be a challenge for the telcos."

This is what Bob Greene, senior vice president of advanced services for Starz Entertainment Group LLC told his audience a few days ago, at the 13th annual Symposium, “Next Generation Media Networks".

"Movies are typically licensed on an exclusive basis for about eight or nine years, says, after which licensing is finally opened up to general broadcast rights." Greene also said that breaking into these exclusive relationships is the biggest barrier to those who want to start delivering video content over IP.
(Source: Lightreading IPTV vs. Me Too TV )

Reed Hasting, founder and CEO of Netflix, adds that "the industry had reached a crucial juncture", and where what we are left with it's a choice between an open and highly diversified grassroots Internet-based TV panorama vs. a highly-commercial, secure and controlled multiplicity of private networks modeled after traditional cable and satellite TV operations governed by major world telcos.

Unfortunately what telcos are doing, is dumping large amounts of money into creating IP-based versions of existing cable and satellite offerings, without any understanding of what the new emerging paradigm of Internet of Video, has really to offer.

A great model for marketing video and television-type content through secure and protected IP telecom networks could be modeled after what successfully done by NTT DoCoMo in Japan, where the telecom giant takes a cut of the overall sales and subscriptions revenues in exchange for providing new content providers with tools and services to market their content on their distribution network.

What is Internet Television

So, what is then the alternative open internet of video that Jeremy Allaire of Brightcove evangelizes about?

Internet Television, is quite different in terms of the model for the consumer, the publisher and for the infrastructure used itself.
In the Internet of Video, as Jeremy Allaire calls it, or Internet Television approach, the model is open to any rights holder, as it is based on the same publishing model that exists on the Web: anyone can create an endpoint and publish that on a global basis.
Internet Television is open to any rights holder no matter whether this is an individual creating a video for a very small audience or a traditional publisher that offers linear cable channels.
The Internet Television approach the publisher has a direct communication channel to the consumer.

The content publisher is able to directly reach the consumers on the multiple devices independent of any specific carrier or operator. Internet Television is in fact an approach that also attempts to be as device independent as possible. Thanks to open standards and formats which have helped create this opportunity, Internet Television wants to be just as the web is today. Accessible from any type of computer and connection around the world..... and not physically tied to the user living room or set-top box.

Internet Television will be deeply integrated into the existing Internet user experience and into the mechanisms that users use to access services, discover resources and share experiences in the Internet world, in the near future will merge with the world of video and television services seamlessly.
Internet Television is an outgrowth, not an overhaul. Internet Television is able to ride on existing lowest common denominator infrastructure including broadband, ADSL, wi-fi, cable, satellite doesn't require new infrastructure to work or provide value to users.
Internet Television uses a global reach business model, where video and television services that are offered in one geography can be accessed from any other global geography (as long as content distribution rights are in place).
Internet Television promises access to many new products and much broader range of programming that we have been accustomed to retail video world and dramatically more control, as to when and where and how users can access that video/tv programming."

"An open platform gives content providers control over the brand and customer relationship," says Jeremy Allaire of BrightCove.

This, he feels, will create an explosion of niche content that people can access directly over open, IP-based systems. "Nearly every small niche can be economically supportable."

And also:

"Beyond looking at Internet Television as an ideal platform for marketing and distribution, it is interesting to think about how the Internet facilitates a distributed and collaborative environment for media production.

It won't surprise me to see new "media collectives" modeled after open source projects that form together to put forth a particular view point - be it for entertainment or informational programs.

Is this a missing piece to create a platform for citizen's media? "

But the question is: Which one would YOU want, and why?

Credit to MasterNewMedia.org
Technorati Tags: IPTV , IPTV Deployment , HDTV , Digital TV , Technology , Tech , Internet , Internet Television , Television

IPTV Deployment - IPTV changes the way consumers watch television

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 23:06:00 +0000

IPTV is a system of delivering television content to consumers over the infrastructure of the Internet. With the proliferation of broadband networks set up by telephone companies to offer broadband Internet to consumers, IPTV has overcome the problem of having limited bandwidth that was once a major barrier to deployment.

Currently there are two different ways consumers can get IPTV. They can buy a "set top box" which will convert a IPTV signal and play it on their television. The other option is to watch on a PC. Many IPTV service providers also offer voice and data capabilities with the IPTV service, making it a true "triple play" use of the broadband network. In the market of broadband applications IPTV is a major upset. With the advent of IPTV many cable television companies are being ousted from the market of providing low cost television, data and voice broadband applications to consumers.

Business applications are also in development. Services such as streaming video are widely available on IPTV due to the scalability of the medium. In Michigan the house of representatives uses IPTV to keep their employees. Two cameras in House chambers provide live coverage of floor debates and proceedings. This is one example of how IPTV can be applied in a work environment due to the flexibility and choices available in the many IPTV systems. The excitement that such a technology creates is immense for the possible applications of such a "do it yourself" television broadcasting system are endless.

The categories within IPTV are still gelling, but possibilities are still wide open as to which of the many versions of IPTV will become standard. Companies are in the initial struggle to become leaders of the market, but at this point it is anyone's game. There is no doubt that IPTV will be the next generation for television content, but it has yet to be determined which companies will be the benefactors of the innovations that are now taking place.

By Ian Elwood
Fresh IPTV News

Find more: IPTV , IPTV Deployment , HDTV , Digital TV , Technology , Tech

Interactive TV Services for IPTV

noreply@blogger.com (NaxeruL) — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 17:20:00 +0000

IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is a method of distributing television content over broadband that enables a more customised and interactive user experience. IPTV will mean a fundamental change in viewing habits. Viewers will be able to watch what they want, when they want to. Interactive TV services will be a key differentiator for the multitude of IPTV offerings that are emerging. Interactivity via a fast two-way connection will lift IPTV ahead of today’s television.

IPTV brings together the television, internet and telephone. Much like cable or satellite television, IPTV uses a set-top box (STB) that allows viewers to watch hundreds of channels and order movies through video-on-demand (VOD). IPTV uses broadband ADSL, the same technology that delivers high-speed Internet to the computer. This opens the door to much more interactivity and the potential for thousands, as opposed to hundreds, of channels.

Find What’s On

All IPTV services will offer basic interactivity to support navigation and search of the vast amounts of content. An electronic programme guide (EPG) will allow viewers to browse the linear and on-demand content that is available.

EPGs are likely to allow viewers to look at programme listings up to two weeks in advance, and also look back over programmes from the previous seven days broadcast schedule. A powerful search facility will allow viewers to look for programmes by title, genre and keywords. Filters will allow viewers to display lists of movies, music, pay-per-view events and high definition programmes.

The EPG will be customisable by viewers, who will be able to create their own line-up of favourite channels and content. As well as full-screen layouts, EPGs will have a mini-overlay mode which will allow the viewer to keep watching the current programme while browsing the schedule.

Personal Video Recorder

Many IPTV set top boxes will incorporate a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) that will allow programmes and interactive content to be recorded. Viewers will be able to watch one programme while recording another. They’ll also be able to use interactive services or video on demand while recording in the background. While watching linear TV programming, viewers will be able to pause and rewind live television.

The PVR will be programmed via the Electronic Programme Guide. Intelligent series linking will allow programme episodes to be recorded based on preferences; first-runs, repeats, or all occurrences. Programme and movie trailers will contain interactive links that can be selected to schedule a recording. Remote scheduling of recording will also be possible using a mobile phone or the web.

Enhanced TV

With IPTV, viewers will be able to watch a lot more television at the same time. Sports fans will be able to keep an eye on six games at once, on the same screen, or study one game from multiple camera angles. Viewer involvement will be encouraged through voting, competitions and messaging services.

Advertising

Interactive advertising will extend traditional linear advertising. It will allow advertisers to give product information in the form of an on-screen interactive brochure. This will re-enforce the brand messages and encourage viewer involvement with the product. It will also allow a direct element to be added to any TV campaign, with responses being captured from viewers.

Communication Services

The two-way nature of an IPTV connection makes it ideal for providing person-to-person communication services. Instant messaging services will allow viewers to ‘chat’ via text messages while continuing to watch TV. Video conferencing over television will allow virtual family gatherings when family members are spread across the world.

Services will be used both as stand-alone applications, and as add-ons to programming. Friends will be able to chat while watching a programme ‘together’ in different locations. Phone-in shows will be able to display callers, linked directly from their home.

Community Services

IPTV will provide many feeds of news, entertainment and information. Viewers will be able to personalise their ‘feed reader’ to match their particular interests. This will then collect up-to-date information such as news headlines, sports results, share prices and travel updates in a single place.

Dating services will allow subscribers to set up a profile and find compatible ‘matches’ to communicate with. Messages will be exchanged quickly, cheaply and safely, without the security concerns of meeting in the real world.

Betting & Gaming

IPTV will offer a range of betting and gaming on demand services. These will include sports betting services, where bets are placed on both live and virtual sports. The betting will be closely linked to the TV coverage, and will include in-running betting. There will also be a range of casino style games including roulette, blackjack, slots and poker. Some of these will be stand-alone games, others will be linked to programming with either live or virtual presenters.

Personal Content

IPTV will enable the secure sharing of video recordings, photos and music. Users with a home network will be able to share digital content with other devices such as PCs and portable media players. IPTV will be a key component in the connected home.

Users will also be able to share content with family and friends across the Internet. Effective digital content protection with consumer flexibility will be essential for such sharing to flourish. IPTV could even allow users to have their own television channel where they could share their views, photos and videos with the rest of the world as a video podcast.

Conclusion

Interactive television will provide genuinely useful applications that enhance the overall user experience of IPTV. Interactive services must be seen as part of the overall infrastructure of delivering television – not just a bolt on.

To get the right interactive services to meet consumer demands will require experimentation. Content providers, broadcasters and network owners need to develop, trial, refine and roll-out interactive services. A lot has been learnt over the past ten years about interactive TV. This knowledge can help inform the design of interactive services for IPTV.

John Withnell is Managing Director of Long Dog, a company that provides a one-stop-shop for project planning, design and build of interactive TV solutions. See http://www.longdog.tv/ for details.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Withnell
Technorati Tags : IPTV , HDTV , Digital TV , Television , Broadband