 | Issue: | Asia-Pacific I 2007 |
| Article no.: | 9 | |
| Topic: | IPTV – creating the future of TV | |
| Author: | Mauro Bonomi | |
| Title: | Founder, Chairman and CEO | |
| Organisation: | Minerva Networks | |
| PDF size: | 352KB |
About author
Mauro Bonomi is Minerva’s Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to founding Minerva, Mr Bonomi was a member of the executive staff of C-Cube Microsystems, acquired by LSI Logic. Mr Bonomi has contributed heavily to the adoption of digital video technology in the consumer and communications markets. Mr Bonomi earned Masters Degrees in both Electrical Engineering and Management from Stanford University and received an Undergraduate Degree with honours in Electrical Engineering from Pavia University in Italy.
Article abstract
IPTV – its technology, quality and functionality – is finally ready to take on the competition. The one-to-one, interactive nature of IPTV lets operators personalise service, offering an extensive list of options without overloading the infrastructure. The interactive nature of IPTV makes it easy to gather data from the set-top box about individual viewer preferences and lets users schedule recordings or send messages to their friends while watching. Data collected by operators also lets advertisers target their messages to specific groups precisely.
Full Article
Building on the experience of the early adopters, IPTV is finally coming to a living room near you. Open, proven and cost-effective end-to-end solutions based on efficient MPEG-4 AVC technology will accelerate the adoption of IPTV by major service providers worldwide. In previous years, IPTV providers had to build up their service to match that of cable TV. Today, IPTV is poised to revolutionize television by delivering a highly personalized television experience featuring unique interactive content and converged services. The inherent one-to-one nature of the IPTV service will also transform advertising and remake business models. Telecom operators have the opportunity to emerge as innovators and leaders, offering new services to their viewers, in the video market. Why IPTV? Why now? Consumers are changing how they watch TV. People increasingly watch their favourite programmes on-demand. In addition, the total amount of available content is increasing dramatically. These two trends create a serious problem for cable and satellite delivery networks. However, IPTV is built on a one-to-one interactive network that can easily scale to accommodate both the growth in content diversity and the shift towards on-demand viewing. It has taken several years to develop, refine and test the technologies needed to duplicate broadcast quality and cable TV features and reliability over ‘best effort’ Internet Protocol, IP, networks. Improvements in broadband access technology now make the overall triple-play infrastructure investment model more viable for broadband service operators. Compression standards such as MPEG-4 AVC and cost-effective IP set-top boxes, powered by carrier-grade service management software and applications, enable reliable, real-time delivery of standard and high-definition television services over broadband networks. Now, with IP networks that deliver basic cable TV-like services in place, telecom operators are in a position to raise the bar and offer premium services that cannot be easily matched by cable or satellite operators. Segment for success To maximize the value of the TV services within a geographic region, a service provider needs to be able to match a variety of services to specific groups within the service area. IPTV systems allow service providers to set up special service regions with unique channel line-ups, pricing and user interface designs that are tailored to the requirements of that region. Regions, often just a specific neighbourhood, can be defined geographically; they can even be generalized to serve a variety of locations for businesses, universities, hotels/resorts or demographic profiles. Ringtones for TV Just as mobile phones can be personalized by selecting different ringtones, IPTV users can personalize their TV experience by choosing different graphics designs for the user interface. The one-to-one nature of the IPTV service allows personalization that is truly tailored to the individual – without creating a significant impact on the infrastructure. News, sports and weather… Internet style One of the more popular Internet features is the ability to subscribe to information and receive automatic updates whenever new information is available. RSS feeds, Really Simple Syndication, dynamically update information for the user. In the IPTV world, such services are easy to integrate within the television viewing experience. What’s on? What’s hot? Who’s watching? IPTV is built on a bidirectional network that can just as easily send data upstream as it can send video downstream. IPTV services can periodically collect viewing data on the set-top box and make that information available to other users on the system to stimulate interactivity. Users can schedule recordings, change channels or send text messages to other users on the network. Call a plumber. Order a pizza With IPTV running on the same network as data, it is possible to build directory applications similar to the Yellow Pages. Such services can be enhanced by offering links to broadcast-quality video, which is, essentially, an on-demand commercial. Businesses such as real estate, luxury automobiles, restaurants and hospitality can more effectively communicate their value through video rather than through plain text or simple pictures. By adding some simple interactive functions to promotional videos, it takes only a few small steps to create an e-commerce service that links subscribers to existing Web store fronts. Simple caller ID applications can be expanded to include more advanced voice communications services such as online address books, click-to-call dialling, voicemail notification and eventually video conferencing. Delivering converged services IPTV is based upon IP. This allows easy routing of digital data in a unified environment and lets viewing audiences interact with the video, voice and data they receive. This makes intelligent, adaptive personalization of TV programmeming and targeted advertising possible. This enables a broad range of new services, such as: directory services – including Yellow Pages coupled with click-to-order functions to order a pizza or buy a dress; personal information management, PIM, for contact and calendar information; home media management; voicemail; on-demand video; weather information; and eCommerce – among many others. It is not a surprise that interactive IPTV applications will seem familiar or look like enhanced versions of services available in the traditional online world. IPTV can easily integrate data and services from any number of Web applications and seamlessly deliver them to the television set. Elements of a good IPTV platform Several characteristics are necessary to create a robust, scalable TV service. • Layered architecture – Applications need to be built on a robust set of APIs that cleanly separate the user interface from the data transport and control systems. • Scalable, carrier grade platform – TV viewers are particularly sensitive to the quality of their TV viewing experience and are quick to complain when the service degrades. A good IPTV service platform should not be ‘heavy’ on the network infrastructure, nor should it be a burden on the operational side of the business. • Full service – No IPTV service is complete without the core set of TV applications – EPG, electronic programme guide, VoD, Video on Demand, PVR, personal video recorder, etc – that are presented in a manner that is friendly, responsive and easy to use. • Open, standards-based development tools – IPTV service providers will drive revenue through new, compelling applications. Their IPTV platform must have a range of tools that allow third-party vendors to develop quickly and deploy new applications using industry standards where appropriate and new innovative approaches when needed. Many third-party application developers and service providers will be available to support IPTV operators with a wealth of vastly differentiated, best-of-breed converged services. It’s all in the eye of the viewer Defining what IPTV services are, as ‘must have’ and ‘nice to have’, depends upon the individual viewer’s own preferences. Viewers usually accept IPTV converged services such as Caller ID and SMS/MMS messages as long as they do not intrude upon the viewing experience. Other text services – RSS feeds, e-mails or a simple ‘dashboard’ area on the screen to give users the data they now get on their Internet browsers – depend upon the individual viewer’s needs. The one-to-many architecture of cable and satellite TV services is straining under the advent of HD programmeming, proliferation of content and the modern on-demand/time-shifted viewing habits of a younger, tech-savvy viewing audience. The one-to-one nature of IPTV does not suffer from these limitations. IPTV service providers will be able to deploy new converged applications that seamlessly integrate with the TV experience. Telecom and broadband operators will be able to differentiate themselves from competing cable offerings with unique services that provide incremental revenue opportunities while enriching the television viewer’s experience.
