IPTV White Papers

The Missing Link in File-Based Video: Automated QC

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:39:03 -0800

The broadcast world is going digital, and the digital domain is expanding enormously for broadcasters. In the past, 'digital' mean taking video from analog tape, encoding it to MPEG-2 and then transmitting it. However, the entire broadcasting landscape is getting more complex with distribution via terrestrial, satellite, cable, 'podcasts', HD-DVD, internet and movile; not just standard definition but also HD (High Definition) and many other resolutions to suit the new distribution media. Content is being re-purposed at these different resolutions and frame rates, using new codecs and at different bit-rates, with different system requirements for each.

Advantages of All-Digital Processing in DTV Waveform Monitors

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:37:51 -0800

How important is accuracy in your work?
There are limitations in the waveform monitor displays that engineers, technicians, and artists use to examine digital video. In this document, we will examine the primary waveform monitor architectures, explain why what users see may not be what they get, and explore the advantages of an all-digital approach.

Rescuing 3G With Mobile TV: Business Models and Monetizing 3G

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:37:18 -0800

TV has been described as the “75-year-old killer application.” In a context where Mobile network operators (MNOs) are looking for the few applications which will finally accelerate 3G adoption, it is understandable that Mobile TV would draw so much attention. Still, the question remains: Could Mobile TV be the application that finally lifts 3G? The answer is hardly certain.

The IPTV Conundrum in Asia

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:36:59 -0800

Asia is clearly at the forefront of the IPTV movement. Hong Kong leads the world in IPTV penetration with over 500,000 subscribers, substantial deployments have already been made in Taiwan and Japan, and China, thanks to its size, is poised to dominate the global market for IPTV equipment. Several factors make Asia fertile ground for IPTV service. For one, many countries in the region have robust broadband access networks boasting connection speeds that are the envy of the world. The bulk of the infrastructure needed for IPTV service is thus already in place. Asian content providers have also been willing to fill those pipes sooner rather than later.

Making TV Meaningful: Consumers and IPTV Applications

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:36:34 -0800

Internet protocol television (IPTV) uses IP as the transport platform to send video signals to the television via high-speed Internet connections such as fiber-to-the-X connections (FTTx) and/or next-generation digital subscriber lines (xDSL). With this technology, consumers will be in complete control of what, when, and where they watch television programming. Moreover, given the versatility of the IP network, consumers will have the opportunity to embrace a plethora of services that go beyond video signals.

Internet Protocol Television: A Survival Strategy or Revenue Generator for Telcos?

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:35:56 -0800

Reaching the Unreachable Consumer: Advertising in the Digital Age

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:35:19 -0800

In the digital age, consumers are inundated with different types of advertising. A recent
Economist article claims that a consumer is exposed to more than 3,000 advertising messages everyday, explicitly and subtly.1 Are they all relevant and meaningful to consumers? Probably not, because consumers are running as far away from advertising and marketing as they can. Anecdotal evidence and some hard data point to a consumer base that is engaging more in what we call “tuning in but turning off” behavior when it comes to traditional media advertising.

Microsoft TV IPTV Edition

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:34:32 -0800

Microsoft® TV is a family of software solutions that powers the next generation of digital TV services across broadcast networks, set-top boxes, and multimedia devices. New IPTV software from Microsoft allows network operators to deliver compelling digital TV services using today’s broadband technologies, along with voice and data services.

The Emerging Market for Networked Digital Television

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:34:09 -0800

There are vast amounts of personal digital content – photos, audio and increasingly video files – that exist in homes around the globe. Billions of these types of files are in stored computers, but rarely shared or seen due to the inconvenience of gathering people around a computer. However, several factors are converging to fundamentally change this paradigm. Increasingly, more and more consumers will find it just as easy to show digital photos to friends, play audio files and download television programming in their living room.

Preparing for the IPTV Future

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:33:34 -0800

IPTV, short for Internet Protocol Television, is a new method of delivering and viewing television programming using an IP network and high speed broadband access technology. More than simply a new distribution and playback method, IPTV is poised to create an entirely new mindset about the television experience. Whereas current terrestrial broadcast television is the same content sent continuously to all consumers’ homes, IPTV removes the fixed television schedule. Similar to how information on the Internet can be downloaded and viewed at any time, IPTV enables television programming to be available whenever each individual consumer demands it. In this way, each household can create their own custom content and viewing schedule.

H.264 & IPTV Over DSL

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:32:53 -0800

Telcos face a growing challenge from their competitors in the cable television operator and wireless telephone industries. Metropolitan cable service operators (MSOs) offer new Internet access and voice over IP (VoIP) telephone services— along with digital video and television—that encroach on the market and revenue of telcos. And consumers are choosing the convenience of personal wireless telephones over traditional wireline service.

Enabling The Future of Value-Added Services for IP

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:31:28 -0800

In the aggressive world of Internet services profits can be elusive. The margins associated with basic access are not enough to keep service providers in business anymore. Fortunately, the dynamic evolution of the Internet has led to an influx of new services, applications and technologies that are being brought to the market and the availability of high-speed, always-on broadband access has opened the door to new and exciting possibilities for service providers and carriers.

IPTV/VoD The Open 4th Platform

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:31:03 -0800

Just when you thought the days of the digital TV “walled garden” were over, this week Sky released its new “Sky Net” platform, which is almost as imaginatively titled as the new service to be released by the start-up “Aggregator” this year. It seems the world is taking a giant leap backward to the days of web portals and brand marketing that failed so dismally in the past. At the least Aggregator’s service will use a broadband connection, as Sky’s new train set is still firmly routed In the days of signal-noise ratios of 33.3k dial-up modems.

IPTV/VoD The Great Content Adventure

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:30:26 -0800

“The problem is that they want the world, but they don’t want to pay for it”, said the BBC executive sitting opposite me sipping on his cappuccino. “They are all knocking on our door wanting all our content for free, and it’s so difficult when they don’t understand the costs involved and how this industry operates”. The reason I started Digital TX Ltd was due to hearing this in conversation more times than I care to remember.

Broadband Applications Fueling Consumer Demand

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:26:51 -0800

Telcos have a narrow window of opportunity in which to exploit their interactive strengths against competitors. Technical advancements have converged with consumer demand to provide meaningful broadband applications consumers are both willing to pay for and stay for. What will it take for telcos to win the broadband war and secure new revenue streams? Four emerging broadband applications provide incumbent telcos with renewed prospects to retain valued customers: video, gaming, home networking, and audio on demand.