iptv/hybrid tv feature
to deliver catch-up services outside managed networks, via the open Internet, know that Quality of Service (QoS) issues will limit viewer enjoyment on widescreen HD televisions (even once Connected TVs become widespread).
Hybrid Broadcast Broadband services will appeal to a segment of the TV population looking for free content (probably in association with free-to-air DTT). Best-effort Web video, made available on TVs through a range of connected broadband devices, will become part of the TV environment but this is not a solution for Pay TV. Consumers want great television packages. If they are paying, this comes with an expectation of big screen quality that currently only managed VOD services can guarantee. IPTV providers can offer the managed network QoS needed for premium, big-screen, on-demand television (and let’s not forget the push towards HD VOD and eventually 3DTV on-demand). IPTV networks have the added benefit that video enters the home in IP packets, making it easier to eventually deliver on- demand video to multiple screens including CE devices not supplied with a Pay TV subscription. Unified whole home and multi-platform services, made available through a single service provider with a single bill, are a natural evolution on a hybrid broadcast/IP platform.
So there is a potential win-win from increased cooperation and very possibly consolidation between satellite or DTT Pay TV platforms and IPTV. The biggest challenge is establishing new business relationships but executives in both camps recognise the need for change. In time, we expect full broadcast-IP network consolidation to provide a new breed of service provider enjoying the best of both worlds.
Moving towards the same end-point
Whether through partnership or acquisition, these new service providers will be prepared for the next stage of television evolution, which is an increasingly multiplatform, converged and individual TV experience. Regardless of where they came from in terms of their original access technologies, all major service providers are moving slowly towards the same end-point. Hybrid networks represent a major step down this road.
We expect many service providers to eventually combine ‘over-the-air’ broadcasting and IP delivered broadcast TV, which could include multicasting of local or regional channels or long-tail content. Managed IP on-demand will obviously be included in the mix. They will also deliver unmanaged IP video as part of their strategy to enable content over any network to any device. Content packages will be made available on mobile phones, if they are not already. Hybrid platform operators will be able to support content sharing within the connected home, provide subscribers with access to all their home entertainment and multimedia wherever they are, and allow them to remotely manage their home services. They can exploit IP networks and technologies like IMS to pioneer converged TV, where entertainment meets communications and social networking.
It will be easier to deliver advanced applications that allow consumers to ‘chat’ with friends on-screen while watching the same soccer match in different homes. Content discovery can be improved thanks to peer movie recommendations and ratings. Users will be able to forward the latest music video to another subscriber and make telephone or video calls through the television.
Desirable and profitable
With our heritage in mobile, broadband and television, helping to create mass-market services, Ericsson understands the value of convergence better than most. We anticipated the trend towards hybrid networks and can help operators integrate delivery technology and backoffice infrastructure. Our hybrid headends are already used to support combined satellite and IPTV services. Hybrid networks require a deep understanding of how to effectively combine IP and broadcast video. Creating them is going to test service delivery platforms. Ericsson headend technology is proven for hybrid platforms. It works. Just as importantly, we have the business insight to help ensure that new services are desired and that they are also profitable.
Hybrid platforms can give telcos access to the content they need and critical subscriber mass. In the short- term, they can also relieve the IP network of popular broadcast channels and free backbone capacity for on-
www.ibeweb.com l march/april 2010 l ibe l 29
Increasingly, consumer loyalty is towards content and as a result, service providers are becoming network- agnostic.
demand services that will help them compete with cable and other satellite platforms. If content rights owners allow it, this could eventually include full-scale network PVR. In the longer-term, as IP infrastructure is upgraded in all regions, broadcast channels can migrate back onto the IP network, enabling more interactivity and convergence around ‘linear’ programming.
Closer to the content
There will continue to be pure-play IPTV and satellite operators, but eventually standalone broadcast-only services will be in a minority. For satellite platforms, their ability to compete with cable could depend on how successfully they embrace hybrid opportunities.
Ericsson IPTV Remote provides innovative single interface for broadcast and online media control.
Increasingly, consumer loyalty is towards content and as a result, service providers are becoming network-agnostic. Periklis Lytras, head of IPTV content at OTE in Greece, summed up the mood among many telecoms companies when he said recently that his company doesn’t care what technology they use to deliver Pay TV services. Why? Because his consumers don’t care, either. All platform operators, including telcos, are trying to move closer to the content, which more than ever is the core of the media business. A hybrid strategy provides a more effective way to combine content and reach, and meet the demands of the modern consumer. Hybrid networks provide a stepping stone into what eventually will be an all-IP world. Hybrid platform operators will be better prepared to deliver an increasingly on-demand, personalised TV experience.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48