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IPTV
Internet Protocol Television describes a system where a digital television service is delivered to subscribing consumers using the Internet Protocol over a broadband connection. This service is often provided in conjunction with Video on Demand and may also include Internet services such as Web access and VOIP where it may be called Triple Play and is typically supplied by a broadband operator using the same infrastructure. Perhaps a simpler definition would be television content that, instead of being delivered through the traditional format, is received by the viewer through the technologies used for the World Wide Web. Interactive TV Interactive Television Interactive TV (iTV) is any television with what is called a “return path”. Information flows not only from broadcaster to viewer, but also back from viewer to broadcaster. Another feature common to all iTV systems is the ability to offer each TV set, or each viewer who uses that TV set, a different choice of content.There are different hardware configurations and it is possible to build a crude interactive service using analog systems. But the type of systems now being offered, that will dramatically change how viewers live, are digital – either cable or satellite.People are talking about interactive television for three main reasons:T-commerce: You will be able to buy a pizza without dialing a phone.Interactive Goodies: You will be able to pause live TV or record shows. You will be able to click on advertisements to “find out more”. Interactive Television Spies on Viewers With interactive television every click of your remote control goes into a database. This is called your TV set’s “click stream”, and it can be analyzed to create a surprisingly sophisticated picture of who you are and what motivates you (sometimes called “telegraphics”). Such profiles of households or individuals can then be used to target consumers with direct marketing techniques, through their television, in the mail or over the phone. Your television will be able to show you something, monitor how you respond, and then show you something else, working on you over time until it you exhibit the desired behavior.
Even if you never do order a pizza through your TV set or click or help your child play with an interactive commercial, your iTV set will be ‘interactive’ all the same. What matters is your “click stream” and the people you have never met who will soon be studying it. Such observation and manipulation is not marginal or accidental. From the beginning, it has been built into the designs of interactive systems and the revenue columns of these companies’ business plans.
White Dot Blows the Whistle White Dot has been investigating this new technology for three years. Our book Get A Life! (David Burke and Jean Lotus, Bloomsbury Publishing - 1998) first raised these issues of privacy and interactive television. Our second book, Spy TV (David Burke, Slab-O-Concrete - 2000) was written specifically to expose what the industry had in development, and where it plans to go.
Spy TV was written as a concise viewer’s guide to the hardware, the software, and the privacy issues of this new medium. Based on dozens of interviews with interactive television developers in Britain and America, Spy TV cuts through the hype of this “digital revolution” to found just who is being overthrown.
Internet TV
Internet Television (or Internet TV) is television distributed via the Internet.In the past, television was only distributed via cable, satellite, or terrestrial systems. Today - with the increase in Internet connection speeds, advancements in technology, the increase of total number of people online, and the decrease in connection costs - it has become increasingly common to find traditional television content accessible freely and legally over the Internet. In addition to this, new Internet-only television content has appeared which is not distributed via cable, satellite, or terrestrial systems.
Internet television comes in four basic forms:
TV channels and TV shows which exist only on the Internet
Traditional stations that simulcast live on the net Traditional stations making select content available on demand at their website (This is especially popular with news channels.) Traditional TV stations making extra content exclusively for their website One of the barriers to wider adoption of Internet television is streaming technology, which can be of poor quality and high cost to the providers. The BBC's Dirac project seeks to address this by creating a scalable, high-quality, free codec for streaming video content over the net.
As Internet television becomes more pervasive, efforts are being made to develop the transmission of existing pay-TV channels to regular TV sets over the net, while retaining control over how the media is used. Such control is required in order to protect exisiting subscription and pay-per-view business models.
Terminology "Internet Television" is often shortened to IPTV, though this is not entirely accurate. While delivery of both are via IP, the termination points differ; IPTV as it is today (fee-based) terminates to a set top box with the requisite access controls while Internet Television merely requires broadband/online access and a screen. An example of IPTV would be the now Broadband TV service in Hong Kong by PCCW.
On the other hand, there is also disagreement about using "IPTV" as a short-form for "Internet Television" (since an alternative definition and trademark already exists for the initialization). And in that case, IPTV in just a part of Internet Television.) Related terms include Vlogging and Vodcasting.
Internet TV Updates
Is Internet TV Coming of Age?
With video blogging becoming all the more popular and everyday users taking video production into their own hands, Internet TV is becoming all too much a reality. Just take a look at vast amount of content one can find via the Internet. You can watch bands of every genre, live sports events from cycling, surfing, sailing, football, and soccer to name a few, news from around the world, local events, and homemade videos. You have 10's of countries and languages to choose from.
An interesting aspect is that media giants aren't driving the Internet TV wave, but rather individuals from around the world. People are picking up the camera and forming small companies and finding new careers recording sports, bands, local events, etc. and offering the content up via the Internet. How long will it take until the media giants join the bandwagon?
Not all companies are taking a passive approach to Internet TV. Google and Yahoo are both beefing up there video search capability. America Online demonstrated the capabilities of Internet TV with their Live 8 broadcast. During that event, blogs across the Internet proclaimed that Internet TV left traditional TV in the dust. As one reporter wrote, "To put it bluntly, MTV sank, and AOL soared." While MTV is far from sinking, it strikes a point that Internet TV is quickly advancing towards mainstream.
IP Equipment
First HD Video Encoder Certified for Microsoft TV
Modulus Video, Inc., a leading provider of MPEG-4 AVC video compression systems, announced that its ME6000 is the first high definition (HD) MPEG-4 AVC video encoder to be certified for the Microsoft TV IPTV Edition software platform. Utilizing an advanced architecture that delivers HD at the lowest possible bit rates, the ME6000 is also the first HD AVC encoder to provide integrated support for Microsoft TV Picture-in-Picture (PIP) functionality. The ME6000 is currently being deployed by operators worldwide and will be on display at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention in Las Vegas, April 24-27, Booth SU250.
Microsoft director of worldwide partner development Phil Corman said, "We have been working closely with Modulus Video to bring high definition video to IPTV. The combination of Microsoft TV and the Modulus Video ME6000 brings the immersive quality of HD video and a compelling feature set including PIP functionality that is exactly what today's viewing audience expects."
In addition to efficiently encoding the main HD service, the ME6000 encoder also creates and encodes the low resolution PIP stream. Delivering the PIP stream directly from the encoder reduces cost and simplifies the system design required to deliver the advanced features offered by the Microsoft IPTV platform. The ME6000 also easily integrates with leading systems management products. Its Constrained Fidelity Constant Bit-Rate (CF-CBR) feature dynamically balances bandwidth usage between video and other network services to provide the best possible end user experience in the available network bandwidth.
Modulus Video chairman and CEO Bob Wilson noted, "As the first company to be working with MSTV on their HD solution, we have had tremendous interest from many Telcos around the world. Judging by the already high level of shipments to several of them, and the strong list of trials and evaluations underway, it is clear to us that HD is already an important part of the IPTV experience."
Modulus Video's ME6000 HD MPEG-4 AVC Encoder
The Modulus Video ME6000 is a real-time, High Definition AVC video encoder that utilizes extensive processing power to deliver the benefits of the AVC toolkit. The ME6000 is designed to deliver full resolution HD for the most demanding IPTV, satellite, and broadcast applications. Its comprehensive support for the most advanced AVC tools, plus capped variable bit rate (VBR) mode, ensures delivery of high-quality HD at the lowest possible bit rates. The ME6000 delivers its video stream using IP or optional ASI, making it easy to deploy into an existing video delivery infrastructure.
IP Networking
Telefonica Selects Alcatel for Broadband Network Transformation
Alcatel announced that it has been selected by Telefonica de Espana to provide access, aggregation and optical networking solutions, enabling Telefonica to offer high bandwidth interactive services to its consumer and corporate customers.
The integrated and flexible architecture will provide higher bandwidth capacity per subscriber with unique differentiated quality of services, enabling the simultaneous delivery of personalized multimedia services such as IPTV, video on demand and HDTV to residential customers and advanced virtual private network services for its corporate customers.
"We trust in the support of a strategic partner like Alcatel and its experience and leadership in the broadband market, to evolve our network towards the provision of innovative services that are demanded by our customers. Our objective is that they can all enjoy these high quality services," said Enrique Carrascal, Network General Manager of Telefonica de Espana.
Michel Rahier, President of Alcatel's fixed communications activities stated: "Telefonica is leveraging Alcatel's unparalleled experience in triple play deployments worldwide. Our network infrastructure, based on industry- leading solutions and unique end-to-end integration capacity, is reinforcing Telefonica's advanced communication and entertainment services. This success also strengthens our position of partner in such strategic network transformations."
For broadband access, Alcatel will provide its 7302 Intelligent Services Access Manager (ISAM) platform, the first high bandwidth IP access platform with xDSL interfaces ranging from ADSL 2+ to the latest VDSL2, and specifically designed to deliver a range of interactive services such as video on demand, IPTV, high-definition TV or high-speed Internet access to all users simultaneously. Telefonica will be able to offer any service from any equipment port, and will combine multiple real-time applications in the network with a guaranteed quality of service.
In the aggregation network, the Alcatel 7450 Ethernet Service Switch will enable Telefonica to offer corporate access services and virtual private networks based on MPLS, on a national level. The solution's unique hierarchical quality of service (H-QoS) capabilities mean that Telefonica can differentiate the traffic it carries, guaranteeing varying classes of service levels, and optimizing bandwidth. As well, the Alcatel 7450 supports multiple service types with tremendous scale and quality of service, which guarantees that stringent Service Level Agreements (SLAs) on business-critical data applications can be met.
For the transport network, Alcatel will provide its dense and coarse WDM optical networking equipment to deliver triple play services, Storage Area Network (SAN) extension and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. Based on its 1692 Metrospan Edge and 1696 Metrospan, the Alcatel WDM solution enables to multiply up to 32 times the capacity of the rings to transport all types of signals with guaranteed security and quality of service.
Alcatel is involved in more than 35 major triple play deployments and more than 40 network transformation projects worldwide and is the world leader in broadband access with more than 86 million DSL lines shipped worldwide. According to Synergy Research Group, Alcatel is #2 in the Services Edge Router category in Q1 2006, with a 18% market share and according to Ovum-RHK, Alcatel is the world leader in optical networking for the fifth year running with a 16% market share in 2005.
About Alcatel's user-centric triple play
To meet today's quest for increased personalized and interactive services, Alcatel helps worldwide operators transform their networks and deliver a new end-user experience. Alcatel's user-centric triple play builds on its leadership in broadband technology, IP networking, optics, new multimedia and video applications, as well as end-to-end services integration. End-users will enjoy unique, exciting services including video on demand, personal TV, community channels, online gaming and sharing of music, photos and home videos, all delivered simply and seamlessly via a range of devices and networks. Alcatel is currently involved in more that 35 triple play network projects worldwide including AT&T/SBC, BellSouth, France Telecom, Swisscom, Fastweb or Chunghwa Telecom.
IP Solutions
mPhase Technologies Announces Availability of its IPTV System With Integrated Software-Based Conditional Access
mPhase Technologies today announced general availability of an integrated conditional access feature to its flagship IPTV platform, the mPhase TV+ System, incorporating content and revenue protection software from Latens Systems, a leading provider of rights management and conditional access solutions. Latens' latest generation dynamic Conditional Access System (CAS) is a pure software security solution that protects operators' content and revenues.
"Conditional access in an all-software form is a cost-efficient and time saving feature for service providers," said Phil Thompson, mPhase Technologies executive vice president- Product Management. "The open architecture of the TV+ System is specifically designed to incorporate value-added capabilities like Latens CAS as part of our carrier-class turnkey offer to telecommunications operators looking to improve their return on investment in broadband technology with IPTV services."
The Latens CAS utilizes a downloadable software strategy, offering greater security levels at lower cost than that possible with proprietary smart cards or embedded set top box solutions. In addition, Latens' dynamic security increases an operator's flexibility and, because it is standards-compliant, the software does not lock the operator to a single set-top box (STB) hardware supplier.
"It's particularly pleasing to have mPhase as a partner, as it has the same philosophy and approach for how to best serve IPTV operators as ourselves," says Jeremy Thorp, CEO, Latens Systems. "A major part of this approach is the belief that it's crucial for the operator to be able to cost-effectively get 'under the hood' of the IPTV platform to continually enhance the IPTV consumer experience - this is exactly what Latens and mPhase are enabling through the Latens secured mPhase TV+ System."
With an integrated Latens CAS, the mPhase TV+ System offers IPTV service providers a scalable and flexible option for cost-effectively managing content authentication and quickly defining and provisioning packaged content offers. The key advantage is operational savings with Latens' all-software solution as compared with STB smart cards, which are costly to maintain in inventory and inefficient to replace. The Latens CAS features downloadable security modules that can be updated in minutes either to respond to hacking activity or to pre-empt hacking. This feature promotes fast recovery from security breaches and reduces revenue leakage.
"With digital piracy an ever present threat to popular commercial media, it is critical that we and our affiliates deploy only the most effective systems to protect and track content distributed across our networks," said Dom Stasi, TVN Chief Technology Officer. "Our evaluation of the Latens FCAS technology has shown it equal to the challenge. The seamless implementation of Latens FCAS by TVN's VOD affiliates ensures that they will continue acquiring premium content from TVN, and that our content will be secure."
IPTV Advertising Solutions
Packet Vision Launches at TelcoTV 2005 with Demo of Personalized IPTV Advertisements TelcoTV 2005 sees the official US launch of Packet Vision (Booth 418), developers of a new delivery platform that enables many highly-targeted IPTV advertisements to be shown simultaneously in one avail. Demographic groups, individual households – or even specific TV sets - can be targeted. The system also gathers information about viewers' reactions, enabling advertisers to see whether an ad was watched and to explore new, interactive forms of advertising like narratives, telescoping and web-based ads.
UK-based Packet Vision is the first company in the world to combine a media server, splicer, playout router and management system in a single 'pizza box' style enclosure that is purpose-built for IPTV. Until now, network providers wanting to deliver targeted advertisements have had to combine products from different manufacturers that have usually been designed for cable networks rather than IP. The process has typically been complicated, expensive and very difficult to scale.
'The addressability of IPTV makes it possible to achieve much more granular targeting than is possible with terrestrial, satellite or cable television,' says Packet Vision CEO, Patrick Christian. 'One ad slot can deliver hundreds of ads, each targeting a specific audience. Advertisers have long sought the Holy Grail of a one-to-one communications channel with TV viewers and IP certainly makes this possible. However, the delivery solutions available to date haven't been designed to cope with this level of granularity – or anything approaching it. Packet Vision has taken a fresh look at what is needed to deliver truly personalized advertising and has developed a scalable, cost-effective platform that for the first time will make one-to-one television advertising feasible.'
One slim-line 19" rack-mounted Packet Vision box – which will be launched in early 2006 – will support up to 200 IPTV subscribers/subscriber groups and up to 200 input channels. The device has been designed to be scalable so that network providers can start with one box and then add others when subscriber numbers grow or when increased granularity is required: moving towards the one-to-one scenario. There is also the big benefit that Packet Vision's product is sited within the network and no changes at all are needed to viewers' set-top boxes.
'Both advertisers and service providers see IPTV as a huge opportunity,' says Patrick Christian. 'Advertisers can target audiences much more precisely and get accurate feedback about how their commercials are being received – and not annoy viewers with off-target messages or showing the same ad too frequently. For IPTV service providers, who have traditionally been left out of the advertising value chain, addressable advertising is a valuable way of generating revenue which will become increasingly important as margins on basic TV services get squeezed by competition from the cable, satellite and terrestrial operators.'
Anette Schaefer, Director Broadband and Media, of Yankee Group Europe Middle East and Africa confirms that IPTV advertising will be a boon to service providers:
'Despite the uphill struggle to establish effective business models, IPTV operators will enjoy a real competitive advantage against cable and satellite TV in the long term. With a declining advertising market and an increasingly fragmented media environment, broadcasters must find new ways to reach more customers and satisfy advertisers' demand to build customer relationships. IPTV could become the gateway to interacting with viewers and building a much more valuable advertising platform than traditional TV alone can offer.'
At TelcoTV Packet Vision – which is already working closely with several key US companies – will demonstrate proof of concept of the product. Attendees can choose demographic groups for two 'audiences' and the product automatically and seamlessly inserts advertisements that are appropriate to the groups chosen into the next ad break.
IPTV Books
New Book to be Released in June: IP Television Basics
With "IP Television Basics", Lawrence Harte and Robert T. Flood add another book to their IPTV series. The book gives an introduction to IP television, how it operates, what services it can provide, why and how companies efficiently upgrade data networks for IPTV, develop new advanced television services, and expand their market through the use of global television channels by using IPTV equipment and software.
Compared to proprietary television systems and services, IPTV systems offer many low cost devices and software application development tools that allow companies to upgrade or replace existing systems with more cost effective and easy to use IPTV equipment. IPTV systems use standardized protocols, which gives end-users and system administrators more control as well as the possibility to develop advanced, traditionally unchangeable and limited communication services, such as personal media channels and television on demand. IPTV systems commonly use text-based protocols and therefore allow for relatively easy development and integration with information systems to produce new revenue producing services, such as electronic programming guides and interactive shopping channels.
Some of the most important topics featured are: Descriptions of the functional parts of IP television systems Fundamentals of how IP television works The VoIP terms and concepts used by IP television professionals What new services are possible through the use of IP Television How data networks can be upgraded to offer IP television capabilities Why it is easy to integrate IP television systems with information systems How to manage IP television systems Typical costs of IP television systems How IP television is evolving Other Issues impacting the deployment of IP Television The book will be available June 2005 and can be ordered online from Althos Publishing.
IPTV Events
Ericsson, Sony to Demonstrate Applications for Mobile and Home Network
During GLOBALCOMM 2006 June 4-7 in Chicago, Ericsson and Sony will jointly demonstrate the benefits of combining IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)-based personalized TV and Sony’s home network based on Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standards. The combination of technologies based on IMS and DLNA standards will enable end users to access their digital media anywhere, any time.
This joint demonstration at GLOBALCOMM will show how this combination of technologies empowers end users to use their mobile phones to communicate with their home environment.
At the demonstration, users will be able to wirelessly view digital photos stored in their mobile phones on a living room TV, to use a home gateway for instant messaging between mobile phones outside the home and a living room TV, and be able to access the content stored on their home PC via mobile phones.
Claes Ödman, Vice President, Multimedia Solutions, Ericsson, says: "Ericsson sees this demonstration with Sony as a precursor to a powerful new world of personalized and interactive TV. This illustrates the potential for enriched communication services, gained by combining IMS and DLNA technologies."
Keiji Kimura, Executive Vice President, Officer in charge of Technology Strategies, Sony Corporation, says: "We are very pleased to have this opportunity to demonstrate our technological collaboration with Ericsson. This shows the potential power of combining two crucial open standards, giving rise to new digital entertainment and communication applications."
The evolving IPTV service has end user advantages over digital broadcast TV services in terms of interactivity and personalization. The combination of IPTV and DLNA-based technologies offers an integration of content and communication services, as well as converged services across mobile terminals and home devices.
IPTV Headends
Tut Systems Ranked #1 in IPTV Headends
Tut Systems, Inc., an industry leader enabling the delivery of next-generation data and video services over broadband networks, today announced that Tut Systems was Ranked #1 by Multimedia Research Group, Inc. (MRG Inc.) among video headend vendors for IPTV channels deployed. Tut Systems was the only IPTV headend vendor earning a top ranking in more than one segment by taking top honors in the Global, North American and Rest of World markets.
The March 2006 'IPTV Tracking Service - Market Leaders Report' from MRG identified IPTV systems and software companies leading globally and in each of four IPTV geographic markets. The report measured market position using estimates of the number of IPTV channels being provided by the video headend companies' products. Tut Systems Ranked #1 globally and in 2 of the 4 geographic territories analyzed with more than 14,000 channels of video deployed over broadband networks -- more than three times the number of channels of its closest competitor on a global basis. The MRG report also detailed Tut Systems' strong growth prospects in the Asian market based on key deployments in that region.
"In our most current research conducted in the 1Q of 2006, Tut Systems again is the clear global leader for IPTV video headend systems in terms of channels installed today," said Program Director IP TV for MRG, Inc., Bob Larribeau. "Our numbers indicate that Tut Systems has more channels deployed globally than any other chassis-based or broadcast-oriented video vendor in the IPTV space."
"Tut Systems' carrier-class, video processing solutions were designed from the ground up for IPTV deployments and provide our customers with a superior level of quality at the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry," said Sal D'Auria, Chairman, President and CEO of Tut Systems. "Our continued leadership, as evidenced in the latest MRG report, is only accelerating as we've taken a leadership position in the MPEG-4 AVC compression market for IPTV providers."
IPTV Headlines
Microsoft's IPTV software platform...ready for primetime?
Television Weekly started the week out with a column stating that Microsoft's clients and competitors are having second thoughts about whether Microsoft's IPTV system will be up to par for their upcoming rollouts. "Everyone who said they were going with Microsoft [for IPTV] is either hedging when they are going to deliver the service or saying they are going to wait," said Brahm Eiley, president of Convergence Consulting Group in Toronto.
The next day Informitv informed us that, "Microsoft is ready to launch this," according to a representative of AT&T quoted by the publication. "We aren't talking to other vendors about backup plans." Based on what we gathered from Microsoft at the PVR conference in Munich, this appears to be the case.
Both articles are referenced below and be sure to check them out.
As some know, this is nothing new for Microsoft. The discussion around whether they are really ready or not goes back to the Swisscom delay.
Will the skepticism continue?
In other news: A la carte TV Programming continues to be discussed BT signed their first content deals for their future IPTV service And Verizon rolled out FiOS TV to a third city Here are some interesting reads...
Amsterdam Gets Active With FTTH
"Active Ethernet has won out over passive optical network (PON) technology in Amsterdam's fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) CityNet municipal network."
Pushy service on cable TV
"As a reporter who covered the cable industry from its beginning, I have railed against the fascistic business plan whereby subscribers must support channels they don't want or need. Allowing TV customers to make a la carte program choices -- as they might select a salad and appetizer for dinner from a restaurant menu -- seemed so much more consumer-civilized. Alas, the cable cabal has acted as the pushy waiter forcing us to order entrees when we're not hungry enough to eat. The industry has resisted letting customers make choices because the marketing strategy of channel bundling brings in more advertising. Programming buys are also more cost-effective."
SlingMedia's SlingRemote and SlingPlayer are coming to Windows Mobile the::unwired
"SlingMedia is currently working on Windows Mobile clients for your Pocket PC and Smartphone and Jeremy Toeman gave us at Möbius a live demonstration of the service in general as well as using an HTC Apache to stream the live TV over EVDO to his Pocket PC Phone Edition."
Bill Gates meets Anil Ambani, discusses IPTV
"Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates on Wednesday met Reliance Infocomm chief Anil Ambani and discussed cooperation between the two companies on next-generation Internet Protocol (IP)-based television services in India."
TV a la Carte
"The FCC wants pay-TV operators to let you choose your own channels instead of offering packages. Would that raise your bills?"
BellSouth Expects 12-24 Mbps for 50% of Households by 2007
"BellSouth expects to be able to offer 12 to 24 Mbps residential service in 50% of households it covers by year-end 2007. In its top 30 markets, BellSouth expects to offer this level of service in 70% of homes. The company estimates the cost for the upgrade at roughly $150 per household at current levels."
Cisco Everywhere: Meet SONA Light Reading - December 6, 2005 "Cisco Systems Inc. is diving deeper into applications territory, as the company today announced its latest "convergence" plan -- this time, moving more enterprise applications onto the network. To do this, though, Cisco may have to come dangerously close to tangling with its applications partners."
Microsoft IPTV delivery delays denied
"Both Microsoft and AT&T are denying any problems. "Microsoft is ready to launch this," according to a representative of AT&T quoted by the publication. "We aren't talking to other vendors about backup plans." However, AT&T is looking at vendors who could provide additional services, such as gaming and interactive features."
Delays In Microsoft IPTV Debut Alarming
"Fueled by two delays in deployment by two European telephone companies, speculation is swirling that Microsoft's software to manage telco entry into widely offered video services may be in trouble."
"At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, Microsoft's demonstration of TV services its software could deliver was seen by many observers to be cool, sexy and cutting-edge. But as the year draws to a close, Microsoft's clients and competitors are having second thoughts as to whether the technology powerhouse can pull off the magic for real in a relatively short time frame."
IPTV Management Solutions
Nakina Systems Launches IPTV Solution
Nakina Systems Inc. ("Nakina"), a provider of multi vendor security and element management solutions to network operators worldwide, today announced it has launched a comprehensive solution for the management of IPTV infrastructure. The solution covers management of network devices that range from core optical networks through to the next generation of broadband FTTx/GPON edge technologies needed for service activation.
According to Infonetics Research, worldwide IPTV service revenue will grow to more than $44 Billion by 2009, with the number of IPTV subscribers worldwide to exceed 53 million. Nakina's IPTV solution helps service providers enter this market far more rapidly by providing a consistent user interface and set of procedures that apply equally across all hardware systems in the network. Nakina's approach helps carriers overcome the problem of inadequate element management systems (EMSs) that sometimes accompany otherwise strong hardware solutions.
"Service providers are rushing to get their IPTV offerings to market, but their efforts are often hampered by EMS problems," said Mary O'Neill, vice president of market development at Nakina. "Another of their frustrations is not always being free to select the best hardware systems because some vendors haven't had time to build a proper EMS solution for their networking devices. Nakina helps bridge that gap by offering service providers an independent solution that manages all IPTV networking systems."
Nakina's strength in its early years as a management software vendor was in the optical arena, covering DWDM and SONET/SDH technologies. It has leveraged that strength for advantage in providing an end to end solution that now covers emerging technologies related to GPON/FTTx, with common user interfaces and procedures for all equipment.
"Hardware vendors are moving quickly to get their latest offerings to market, in some cases leveraging OEM agreements to do so," explains Jean Laliberte, director of business solutions at Nakina. "Keeping software release cycles aligned with those of the core product isn't always easy. Nakina's solution offers an alternative - one that levels the playing field in the large, multi billion dollar RFPs we're beginning to see issued by service providers."
Nakina will be showcasing its IPTV offering at TeleManagement World 2006 conference and exhibition in Nice, May 1518, as an integral member of the Swisscom IPTV Catalyst Project demonstration.
IPTV Middleware
NDS Selects Broadbus as First On-Demand Video Platform for Synamedia Metro
Broadbus Technologies, Inc., the leading provider of technology solutions for Television on Demand (TOD), and NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced that NDS has selected the Broadbus B-1 Video Server as the first on-demand video platform for the NDS Synamedia Metro IPTV middleware. Synamedia Metro is an integrated IPTV middleware solution that enables telecommunications providers and broadband operators to quickly and easily offer the power of IPTV to their subscribers. The NDS solution will incorporate the Broadbus B-1 Video Server, a 100% solid-state, carrier-class solution for the delivery of IPTV and on-demand video services.
"NDS developed Synamedia Metro to offer telecommunications providers a turnkey IPTV solution, including security, middleware and electronic program guide functions, that enables next generation experiences today," said Nigel Smith, vice president of the NDS Broadband Internet Group. "NDS believe that Broadbus' open design, scalability and reliability are a good fit for telco customers."
Synamedia Metro IPTV middleware allows IPTV operators to offer attractive Electronic Program Guides (EPG), interactive TV applications (iTV), Video on Demand (VOD), digital video recorder (DVR) or network DVR capabilities and interactive games, in either standard (SD) or high definition (HD), all of which are built using the NDS MediaHighway middleware application development tools (MHDK). Synamedia Metro also protects premium content and revenue streams through NDS VideoGuard, the most widely deployed, robust and secure encryption technology for content protection, revenue protection and rights management.
"We're very excited to be leveraging our extensive on-demand video experience to deliver a powerful IPTV offering with NDS," said Tom Kennedy, Sr. Director of Marketing at Broadbus. "By combining Broadbus' carrier-class architecture with NDS's market-leading middleware and security, service providers get a rock-solid foundation on which to build a reliable and scalable IPTV infrastructure."
The Broadbus B-1 Video Server is the only 100% solid-state, carrier-class solution for the delivery of on-demand video services. The platform's compact, switch-based architecture completely eliminates the use of mechanical hard drives for video streaming and ingest, instead leveraging the intelligent management of massive amounts of random-access memory. The result is unparalleled performance, reliability, scalability for VOD and advanced on-demand services at less than one-tenth the footprint and one-eighth the power requirements of traditional systems.
By integrating the Broadbus B-1 Video Server into a single solution, the NDS Synamedia Metro architecture enables telco operators to deploy a single integrated IPTV system and reduce the time-to-market for new services. The solution is also standards-based, allowing telcos to choose their system components according to their current infrastructure needs.
IPTV Regulation
U.S. House Panel Votes for Nationwide License to offer Video Service
The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee voted 27-4 in favor of allowing companies to apply for a national license to offer television service without winning the approval from local communities. The win comes as a victory for the largest phone companies such as AT&T and Verizon who have been seeking new legislation to accelerate their IPTV rollout and increase competition with the cable companies.
The Bells argue that negotiating for local franchise agreements slows their rollout tremendously and that new legislation needs to come into play.
Besides this legislation, Verizon, AT&T, and Bellsouth have been working in several states to receive state wide franchise agreements.
Meanwhile, other organizations such as Broadband Everywhere contest that the Bells are not hindered as much as they say by local franchise agreements and that if a national license becomes available, the Bells can cherry pick communities for service and discriminate against lower income areas.
Two amendments to the legislation were both voted down. In a vote of 8-23, legislation that would block Internet service providers from imposing charges for "bandwidth priority" failed. The other loss came when an amendement that would have created a requirement for services to extend into poorer communities was voted down 11-22.
The legislation is anticipated to reach the full committee in 2 and a half weeks for a vote.
IPTV Reports
Number of IPTV Subscribers in Korea Eexpected to Increase to 3 Million by 2012
Research and Markets has announced the addition of Challenges for Korean IPTV Industry to their offering.
This report analyzes and prospects the IPTV market in Korea. More specifically, the report covers the reasons for the IPTV service delay and estimates a possible market size after the service launch. In addition, it explores the status and the progress of carriers such as SKT, Hanaro Telecom and Powercomm in preparing IPTV service. Lastly, it prospects the possible effects that IPTV service brings to telecommunications and broadcasting industries. The development status of IPTV market in other countries is provided in the appendix.
Research Methodology For the report, the author collected and analyzed various materials released by telecommunications companies, device makers, related companies and the government. In addition, the report was reviewed through interviews with influential people in the related industries.
Fixed operators take the lead in preparing IPTV service in Korea like other countries, but due to unprepared institutional frameworks and controversy over fair regulations between cable TV operators and IPTV service providers, the commercial launch of the service has been delayed. Since Korean IPTV service is expected to be provided based on high-speed networks, 100Mbps FTTH, and the government-led BcN, the service is likely to have a strong market power in Korea. Telecommunication companies such as Korea Telecom (KT), Hanaro Telecom and Dacom are preparing IPTV service as a business model of BcN project and they already started a pilot service in the latter half of 2005.
KT is the most active player pioneering the domestic IPTV market. KT is preparing IPTV service as a strategic application of its home network business, simply beyond providing broadcasting service. Prior to the launch of IPTV service, KT implements the following three IPTV strategies; HomeN service, TV portal and IP media.
Supposed that IPTV commercial launch begins in 2006 in Korea, it is projected that the number of subscribers would reach 570,000 in 2006 and increase up to about 3 million by 2012. In addition, sales would record 160 billion KRW in 2006 and increase to 770 billion KRW by 2012.
IPTV Service Quality
Sunrise Telecom Announces Industry Leading FTTN Installation Test Set
With the goal of accelerating deployment of IPTV services delivered over Fiber to the Node (FTTN) systems, Sunrise Telecom Incorporated announced its newly developed Home Test Toolkit (HTT) test set, designed specifically to facilitate the deployment of next-generation triple play services.
"Sunrise Telecom's new HTT will make a substantial difference in our customer's ability to rapidly scale IPTV and other advanced services deployment," said Robert Heintz, Vice President of North American Sales for Sunrise Telecom. "We're excited that the HTT has already been selected by a Tier 1 telephone service provider because it significantly speeds up installation times and ensures that consumers receive the highest performing, most reliable IP services available."
The HTT provides customers with a test tool specifically tailored to mass market FTTN deployment. This innovative product, integrating an unprecedented range of the test functions needed for in-home testing, allows technicians to test key interfaces and signals at the customer location during installation. The HTT's ability to integrate into the customer's back office systems allows results from each installation to be recorded accurately for analysis and quality control.
The Home Test Toolkit The HTT is part of Sunrise Telecom's family of solutions. With more than ten integrated FTTN test functions, the HTT ensures timely delivery of IPTV and other network services. The unit provides automatic "go-no-go" test routines for VDSL, Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HPNA) networks, RF video, Ethernet, 802.11x wireless, copper loop fault identification, POTS (plain old telephone service) testing, and in-house wiring identification and testing. The HTT can upload detailed results of an installation test via Ethernet or wireless Bluetooth interfaces. The lightweight unit is powered by a rechargeable, field replaceable smart battery system, and easily clips to a technician's belt or drops into a tool bag.
IPTV Set-Top Boxes
ANT Specified by HanseNet for Alice IPTV Service
ANT plc, the market leading provider of software and solutions for the IPTV, hybrid TV and consumer electronics industries, announces that ANT Fresco has been selected for German telecommunications operator HanseNet’s DTT and IPTV hybrid deployment in Germany. The Fresco TV browser will be integrated into Advanced Digital Broadcast's ("ADB") ADB-3800TW High Definition-ready H.264 hybrid set-top box and ADB has licensed Fresco and Alcatel’s OMC software from ANT for this purpose.
This deployment with HanseNet's new Alice IPTV rollout marks ADB’s entry into the German market with ANT Fresco. ANT’s TV browser is already a proven solution in Telecom Italia’s Alice service in Italy.
Simon Woodward, President and CEO of ANT, said, "This hybrid DTT and IPTV deployment represents the next step for convergence of all forms of television delivery. We are delighted to be a part of this important IPTV rollout in Germany and to build upon our success in numerous IPTV systems worldwide. Our selection for this deployment demonstrates the market's confidence in ANT’s complete IPTV set top box solution and our strength and leadership in this market."
IPTV Standards
AT&T, BellSouth, Verizon, CEA Announce Principles on Device Attachment to IPTV
As telecommunications providers begin to launch video services for consumers nationwide, AT&T, BellSouth, Verizon and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) today announced a series of principles designed to ensure the commercial availability of devices that attach to Internet Protocol (IP)-enabled video networks. The companies joined CEA in unveiling the principles at a press conference held during CEA's "Entertainment Technology Policy Summit" running March 15-16 in Washington, D.C.
"IP-enabled video networks will provide consumers across the nation with a revolutionary new way to access their favorite video programs when and where they want," said CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. "In order to realize the full potential of this brave new world, consumers must be able to choose from the exciting array of innovative new devices being developed by consumer electronics manufacturers that attach to IP networks to receive video programming. We believe these principles will provide solid guidelines and help support an environment in which IP video can flourish."
"AT&T is pleased to enter this agreement that promises to establish a framework between the consumer electronics manufacturers and Internet Protocol or IP-enabled video service providers to enable the commercial availability of devices that consumers can use in their home to watch IP-enabled video services," said Dorothy Attwood, AT&T senior vice president, regulatory planning and policy. "We look forward to bringing a new entertainment experience to our customers by delivering programming that consumers want while protecting the rights of our partners in the content community."
"As BellSouth continues to investigate IPTV, we are excited to endorse these principles," said Jonathan Banks, vice president, Executive and Federal Regulatory Affairs for BellSouth. "They lay the groundwork for consumer electronics companies to both innovate and bring equipment to consumers that will increase the value of the IPTV experience."
"This is a key step toward assuring consumers that the electronic devices they buy will work seamlessly with advanced, IP-enabled services now being designed and deployed, stated Susanne Guyer, senior vice president of Federal Regulatory Affairs for Verizon. "Industry leaders like Verizon are pushing ahead with the open standards needed to make this type of interoperability a reality. Consumers' interests are better served by voluntary marketplace efforts such as these rather than by government regulation."
Principles for the Attachment of Devices to IP-enabled Video Service Provider Networks
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), AT&T, BellSouth and Verizon agree that consumers will benefit if they have the flexibility to attach a variety of CE devices to video service networks and consumer home networks. To provide consumers this choice over video service networks using IP-enabled technology, we believe that the following framework should apply to facilitate the existence of a retail market for such devices:
1. Nationwide compatibility. We will strive to achieve nationwide compatibility enabling CE manufacturers to develop devices that will operate nationwide on IP-enabled video service networks. We acknowledge that technical and economic realities may preclude nationwide uniformity among all networks. Nonetheless, we believe it is possible for video service networks to include enough nationwide commonality for CE manufacturers to design products in a cost-effective manner that will operate nationwide and across IP-enabled service provider platforms. There are two non-exclusive options to meet the goal of nationwide compatibility. The first option, more readily achievable in the short term, is attachment in a home networking architecture on the consumer side of a service provider device. Home networking attachment requires all IP-enabled service providers to support a common and mutually agreed upon set of home networking standards in leased equipment. Except to protect against electronic or physical harm to the network or unauthorized receipt of services, no technical specification, license, subscriber agreement, or other requirement should prevent consumers from accessing services across personal home networks. The second option is plug and play attachment directly to the IP-enabled network, which requires common protocols and standards for IP-enabled services as delivered to the consumer's home.(1)
2. Open standards. The use of open standards is critical so that CE manufacturers can play a role in the development of technologies necessary to build compatible devices. In this context an open standard is a standard developed in a forum that: (1) allows meaningful participation by all interested parties, (2) requires consensus (though not necessarily unanimous) decision making, (3) affords due process rights to all participants, and (4) openly discloses licensing terms which are at least reasonable and non-discriminatory. Standards created by ANSI-accredited bodies meet these criteria. An open standard does not necessarily mean a single national standard for attachments to IP-enabled video networks and may consist of a solution set of multiple standards that encompass a complete solution in a cost effective manner.
3. Reasonable licensing terms. To the extent that there are proprietary aspects to IP-enabled video service networks, reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing terms should be available so that both CE manufacturers and video service providers are not unreasonably constrained from including necessary technologies within their respective products in order to ensure that CE devices can be connected to IP-enabled video networks, consistent with the other principles outlined herein.
Further, licenses for these technologies should not impose unrelated or unnecessary burdens on licensees, such as the inclusion or exclusion of additional features in products that are separate from the features related to accessing the services provided by the service provider.
4. Reasonable testing and certification procedures. Reasonable testing and certification procedures should be established so CE manufacturers and IP-enabled video service providers can obtain necessary approvals for products and can bring products to market in a timely manner. Product testing and certification should be transparent and focused on ensuring that devices conform to the applicable specifications, do not cause electronic or physical harm to the video service networks, and do not enable unauthorized receipt of service.
5. Reasonable terms of service for consumers. Service terms and conditions should reasonably allow consumers to choose among various CE products to access their video services as long as such products do not cause electronic or physical harm to the network and do not enable unauthorized receipt of service. Subscriber agreements should allow the attachment of devices that meet the technical, licensing, and testing/approval criteria described herein.
(1) IP-enabled video service provider networks include but are not limited to end-to-end IP networks and/or hybrid QAM/IP networks.
Media Center Solutions
MusicNet Provides Music and Videos for Aeon Digital
Aeon Digital, a privately held company specializing in the delivery of Internet-based entertainment into the living room, announced that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with MusicNet, the world's leading business-to-business digital music service provider, whereby MusicNet will provide key technological and programming components for the on-demand music service and make its catalog of licensed digital music tracks and videos available to Aeon Digital's online network subscribers in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. The agreement with Aeon Digital reinforces MusicNet's ongoing diversification to deliver its industry-leading digital music services and content on the PC, directly to portable devices and set top boxes, and over the air to mobile phones.
Consumers can choose either the DV-220 set top box or a specially-equipped 32" LCD TV to access the Aeon Digital network. Both devices will be available to users in the United States and Canada in the second quarter of this year. For the first time, consumers will be able to directly purchase set top boxes that will enable them to access and enjoy the largest available catalog of licensed digital music available today, including content from all of the major labels and more than 40,000 independent labels.
"This is an impressive addition of fabulous content to our network and we're very excited about being able to offer it to our subscribers," said Giovanni D'Andrea, CEO of Aeon Digital. "Our network already had music, but the addition of MusicNet's library brings this entertainment offering into a whole new league. Our network will now be providing consumers with access to millions of songs, thousands of movies, radio stations from around the world, live and specialty channels -- and we're just starting. Finally, a set top box converging with IPTV that will make the delivery of entertainment when, where and how people want it that much easier."
"Digital music continues to find exciting new paths to reach the needs of today's thirsty fans and Aeon Digital has created an exciting way to bring their favorite tracks directly into the living room," said Alan McGlade, President and CEO of MusicNet. "The ability to purchase a set top box and instantly access, create and customize your music experience is yet another example of how a MusicNet partner is helping to revolutionize the digital music market."
Aeon Digital's cutting-edge line of set top boxes automatically accesses Aeon's online network via a standard broadband connection, allowing users to stream or download content at a quality better than cable. The benefit of the system is that content is very easily accessed and can be enjoyed in the comfort of the living room using a television set or a sound system, without the need of a PC.
The DV-220 set top box will be the first of a line of units that will become available in the second quarter of 2006. All of Aeon's DV line of players allow direct access to content and are loaded with numerous features. In addition, the DV-220 includes a built-in 80 GB hard drive, which provides enough storage for 200 hours of content; an integrated 10/100, 802.11b/g wireless router; and a built-in firewall for added security when using the Internet. The device also includes an electronic programming guide (EPG) to locate and program favorite TV programs for the upcoming two weeks. It provides an interactive directory with detailed descriptions of programs, the ability to search by type of program, as well as different programming options. The DV-220 can access any media file stored on a home PC, allowing movies, songs and pictures stored on a PC to be accessed and enjoyed in the living room. The DV-220 is distributed on an OEM basis. The technology is also integrated into Aeon Digital's LCD televisions and can be easily be adapted to numerous applications.
IPTV Software SageTV Expands Channel Listings Into Canada SageTV, LLC, a pioneer in personal video recording and home media center solutions, has extended its data licensing agreement with Tribune Media Services (TMS) for the United StatesCanada -- the first of its kind. and will now offer full service guide data for
The new agreement provides SageTV with comprehensive U.S.SageTVMediaCenter , the first PVR/media center solution designed for both PCs and TVs, run on Windows or Linux, and supports HDTV, multiple tuners, networking and intelligent recording.and Canadian television listings information including analog, digital and over-the-air TV schedules as well as system-specific channel lineups. Localized data from TMS is used with the
IPTV Hardware Telkonet/NuVisions Launches IPTV Trials in New York City
Telkonet, Inc., the leader in providing in-building broadband access over existing electrical wiring, announced that they have begun deployment to beta customers and testing of its Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service in New York City. IPTV is a method of distributing television content over IP that enables a more user-defined, on-demand and interactive experience. The NuVisions IPTV service delivers traditional cable TV programming and enables subscribers to surf the Internet, receive on-demand content, and perform a host of Internet-based functions via their TV sets.
The NuVisions IPTV service will deliver a host of bundled services such as television, Internet, and telephone service over the NuVisions' gigabit network that connects the properties it serves in a redundant gigabit ring within New York City - a virtual fiber optic network in the air. NuVisions also plans to add more channels and features, such as video-on-demand, movies, games and interactive content, to the service when fully deployed. With NuVisions' IPTV service, subscribers can use the television via remote controls and wireless keyboards to watch TV programs, surf the Internet, communicate with building services, and shop with neighborhood vendors or national retailers.
"We are excited to be the first provider of IPTV services in the New York City market, bridging the gap between the television and computer as entertainment, information and communication devices. With this new IPTV offering, the new age of digital convergence is upon us," stated Frank Matarazzo, President of NuVisions.
NuVisions IPTV service can be deployed rapidly and at a lower cost than current cable televisions systems. It can offer consumers many advanced features, such as the ability to record several programs simultaneously without having to add more tuners. The NuVisions IPTV service is seamlessly integrated into a building as it relies on existing telephone wires for delivery to subscribers.
The use of IP technology enables direct communication between a subscriber's IPTV device, which replaces the much larger traditional set-top "cable box", and the NuVisions control center. As a result of this direct connection to the control center, functions currently performed by stand alone devices, such as digital video recorders (DVR's), are now incorporated as features of the new offering controlled through the IPTV device.
NuVisions commitment to delivering digital convergence is sustained by industry trends and research. According to Infonetics Research, worldwide IPTV service revenue will grow to over $44 billion by 2009 and the number of IPTV subscribers worldwide will grow to 53.7 million by 2009, with subscribers in North America alone, increasing by 12,985% between 2004 and 2009.
"Recognizing the huge market potential for IPTV, we intend to leverage the next generation of the Telkonet iWire System, currently being designed, to deliver a diverse range of multi-media services, as the final step in the digital convergence process. Once completed next year, we expect all of your communication and entertainment content to be available through the Telkonet iWire System in your apartment or condominium," Matarazzo concluded. | 