CableLabs, the U.S. cable technology organization, has started working on specifications that will define how IPTV can be delivered over DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem technology.
A DOCSIS 3.0 capable hybrid set-top could bond a minimum of four RF channels in the up and down direction. Cable operators could use that pipe to deliver a range of IP based video services and applications using the its faster speeds and its ability to handle IP multicast and unicast. They could deliver long tail video,or download a movie to the set-top box's hard drive.
An IPTV implementation would also give a cable company the ability to provide a personalized mosaic navigation systems because it would not be limited by the number of physical tuners in the device.
CableLabs has not set a schedule for this work yet.
The U.S. cable companies are putting this technology forward as a response to IPTV from the telcos. This is not a quick fix though. There is a considerable amount of technical work that has to be done. It also requires dedicating scarce spectrum to the IPTV service.
The biggest issue is that it will require replacing the subscriber's set-top box. The cable companies will go slow when they deploy these DOCSIS 3.0 services and will use it to retain or win back telco IPTV customers. The cable companies will not want to invest in a wholesale set-top box replacement program.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Free Offers Video Sharing
Free in France has initiated a service that permits its subscribers to share their videos to all or part of its subscriber network. The user plugs his or her video equipment to the video input port on the Freebox HD set-top box. There is no charge for this service.
This is the kind of service that we expect to be offered by more IPTV service providers. Easy access to the TV for shared video is something that the IPTV providers can provide that differentiates them from You Tube and the other PC based video sharing services.
This is the kind of service that we expect to be offered by more IPTV service providers. Easy access to the TV for shared video is something that the IPTV providers can provide that differentiates them from You Tube and the other PC based video sharing services.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Verizon Has 500,000 IPTV Subscribers
Verizon said at NxtComm last wee that it now has 500 thousand IPTV subscribers. This is an increase of about 300 thousand since the beginning of the year.
ATT stated that it had 40 thousand IPTV subscribers and that it will pass 18 million homes by the end of next year.
Verizon is doing extremely will and is likely to approach 1 million IPTV subscribers by the end of 2007. It is now one of the top handful of IPTV deployments globally.
It appears that ATT is still struggling to get off the ground. It looks like its results will be about half of what Verizon achieved in the first year of its commercial deployment.
ATT's claim that it will pass 18 million homes by the end of next year looks to be very difficult, if not impossible. It will be interesting to track its progress. I guess that I will feel more positive about their statements when ATT brings U-verse and VDSL to my house in San Francisco. It told me in October that a VDSL system serving my home would be installed at the end of January. The work has not started yet.
ATT stated that it had 40 thousand IPTV subscribers and that it will pass 18 million homes by the end of next year.
Verizon is doing extremely will and is likely to approach 1 million IPTV subscribers by the end of 2007. It is now one of the top handful of IPTV deployments globally.
It appears that ATT is still struggling to get off the ground. It looks like its results will be about half of what Verizon achieved in the first year of its commercial deployment.
ATT's claim that it will pass 18 million homes by the end of next year looks to be very difficult, if not impossible. It will be interesting to track its progress. I guess that I will feel more positive about their statements when ATT brings U-verse and VDSL to my house in San Francisco. It told me in October that a VDSL system serving my home would be installed at the end of January. The work has not started yet.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Telecom Italia at 31,000 IPTV Subscribers
Telecom Italia said recently that it had 31 thousand IPTV subscribers at the end of 2006 and was offering the service in 250 towns in Italy. According to the report, service offers 24 broadcast channels and 500 movies at any one time. It brings in 200 new pieces of on demand content and offers 2,500 different movies over a year's time. It includes a digital tuner that provides access to digital terrestrial channels along with the IPTV channels.
Telecom Italia has had a slow start for its IPTV service, which was introduced at the end of 2005. It has strong competition from FastWeb, Sky satellite services, digital terrestrial services.
Telecom Italia has had a slow start for its IPTV service, which was introduced at the end of 2005. It has strong competition from FastWeb, Sky satellite services, digital terrestrial services.
Tiscali UK adds 19,000 IPTV Subscribers
An Ofcom report cited that Tiscali UK added 19,000 IPTV subscribers in the first quarter of 2007. Its total now stands at 62 thousand.
This is 44 percent growth in one quarter, but the numbers are relatively small given the size of the market and that this service has been available for several years. If Tiscali can maintain growth of 20 thousand per subscriber it should double its subscriber base and move itself into a better position. Things will get tougher for them as BT's BT Vision IPTV service gathers momentum, though.
This is 44 percent growth in one quarter, but the numbers are relatively small given the size of the market and that this service has been available for several years. If Tiscali can maintain growth of 20 thousand per subscriber it should double its subscriber base and move itself into a better position. Things will get tougher for them as BT's BT Vision IPTV service gathers momentum, though.
HBO to go MPEG-4 HD
The premium channel HBO announced that it will introduce HD versions of all 26 of its channels in MPEG-4 format. HBO said that it had no choice because of the bandwidth savings of MPEG-4 over MPEG-2. This transition will start in the fourth quarter of 2007 and complete in the first quarter of 2008. HBO will transmit the HD channels using 8 Mbps of bandwidth for each.
This is good news for the TelcoTV providers virtually all of whom will used MPEG-4 as their native format for HD programming. They can take these MPEG-4 feeds and use them directly.
It is not as simple for the cable companies. They will have to transcode these MPEG-4 feeds to MPEG-2. This involves extra expense for the transcoders and potentially some loss of quality.
This is good news for the TelcoTV providers virtually all of whom will used MPEG-4 as their native format for HD programming. They can take these MPEG-4 feeds and use them directly.
It is not as simple for the cable companies. They will have to transcode these MPEG-4 feeds to MPEG-2. This involves extra expense for the transcoders and potentially some loss of quality.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Verizon to add HD VOD and IPTV
Verizon said that it will offer HD VOD services soon. It also said that plans to move to an IPTV architecture. It is currently using an RF over fiber approach for broadcast content. It also has a long term plan to use DWDM technology in its access network as the next step beyond GPON in a three to five year time frame.
Verizon is reaping the benefits of its investment in fiber. Its fiber architecture gives it a platform that will permit it to significantly improve the performance of its broadband services over time.
Verizon is reaping the benefits of its investment in fiber. Its fiber architecture gives it a platform that will permit it to significantly improve the performance of its broadband services over time.
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