 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Coming Television Revolution
The revolution is just getting started and will be begin to make its mark this year. By 2010, it will begin to take off. By 2025, it will be the standard for all TV viewing. It's called Internet Protocol Television, or IPTV for short. IPTV works with a set-top box connected to any broadband interface and to a TV. It will allow users to choose among thousands (and eventually hundreds of thousands) of hours of programming, including movies, sports, classic TV, etc., and download their selections from the internet to the hard drive of the set-top box. Initially, set-top box hard drives will be able to store up to 300 hours of programming at a time, but capacity will expand as the technology becomes more refined. Also, download times will become shorter and shorter as broadband connection speeds become faster and faster. Eventually, a two-hour movie will be fully downloadable in a couple of minutes. Once the programs are downloaded to the hard drive, they can be viewed on the connected TV at any time via a DVR-type interface provided by the set-top box. Besides the convenience of an all video-on-demand (VOD) environment, IPTV will provide a much wider range of programming than broadcast, cable, and satellite TV, or even major video chains, could ever provide. Because the programming is available from the internet, it will be almost completely unlimited and unconstrained. Programming from all over the world will be available along with every imaginable genre of niche programming. Also, previously unreleased independent films that have been sitting on shelves for years due to the lack of a distribution source will suddenly become available to the masses via IPTV. Films that previously could not be made at all will become a reality and be available on the IPTV services. Long forgotten films and TV shows will have new life breathed into them by IPTV. To top it all off, much of this programming will be eventually be available in high definition (HDTV)! Most IPTV platforms will be divided into "channels", but not the same kind of channels that we have grown accustomed to with traditional TV services. In this case, a "channel" is defined as a division of an IPTV service by individual content provider. Each content provider carried by a given IPTV platform will have its own guidelines for delivering programming on its channel. Some will provide their content for free to everyone who owns a given IPTV product. Some will be subscription based, i.e., everything on their channels will be available for a monthly or annual subscription. Others will be all pay-per-view. Still others will provide a combination of all of the above. Several entrants into this market have either already debuted or plan to debut sometime this year. Among those are Akimbo (www.akimbo.com), DAVETV (www.dave.tv), TimeShifTV (www.timeshiftv.com), and VCinema (www.vcinema.com). Please see their respective websites for more details, as each one will offer a slightly different variation of IPTV technology. In addition, a joint venture between TiVo (www.tivo.com) and NetFlix (www.netflix.com) will be starting up later this year. TiVo plans to eventually make the entire Netflix DVD library available to its customers on an on-demand basis via a broadband connection to a TiVo box and a TV. Other potential IPTV contenders will be announcing their intentions over the next year or two. One of these nascent IPTV services headquartered near my home has already started placing "help wanted" ads in my local newspaper. Within the next 20 years, all the fuss over broadcast TV indecency will become irrelevant, as there will be very little other than news and live sporting events on broadcast TV. The major networks will shift most of their entertainment programs to IPTV to avoid all the broadcast content restrictions currently being enforced by the FCC. Eventually, broadcast TV will cease to exist. Cable and satellite services as we know them will also become extinct. Yes, there will still be cable and satellite platforms, but they, along with DSL and wireless internet services, will exist merely as conduits for bringing broadband internet into homes and offices. There won't be any more cable and satellite TV, per se. The now 60-year-old paradigm of television schedules in which programs air at specific times on specific days of the week will pretty much be a thing of the past. Everything, except what's left of broadcast TV, will be exclusively available on demand via an IPTV platform. These developments in no way mean that all TV programming will become more risqué. While there will be plenty of risqué programming available to those who want it, there will an almost unlimited supply of family and religious programs available. With a veritable smorgasbord of entertainment options at your fingertips, there will be something available for all tastes. IPTV may not turn out to be a TV utopia, but it's at least going to come close that ideal. Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Hopewell, VA. He also serves as a political columnist for American Daily and operates his own website - http://www.commenterry.com - on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.
MORE RESOURCES:
FCC Wants $25 Million for Cell Phone Subsidy Program 'Fraught with Fraud' - U.S. News & World Report
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Broadband Satellite Antenna Pizza Box Size Thanks to the transfer technologies and governments spending on military needs, soon the public will have Broadband Satellite antennas no larger than the dimensions of a Pizza Box. Lightening fast Internet from the heavens. Two Enter Internet Battle Consumers understand that when there is more competition in a market, there are lower prices. This is especially true in the computer industry where it is reported that 68% of households have a computer. What is Broadband? Defining broadband can get complicatedThere are many different takes on how to actually define the word: broadband. The first and most obvious way to define it is a transmission medium that allows for multiple pathways and types of data, far exceeding simple voice communication devices. How to Secure your DSl / Cable Internet Connection Against Malicious Attacks Securing your Windows Xp computer is done by achieving two main tasks.The first, is to prevent unauthorized users sitting at your computer and logging in through your keyboard. 3G EV-DO or How the Internet Got Its Wings! The Internet, as most people know it, is history.It just seems like yesterday the Internet was just one big mass of wires and cables; a glorified file sharing warehouse with more than a few too many lines sticking out. Business Satellite Internet Products Compared - 2005 There are a number of options available for Business Class Satellite Internet connectivity in the U.S. Beta Testing First Mobile Internet Satellite Broadband, Part II We were the first beta testers of a Mobile Command Center with full Internet Access in 1999. Our mobile command center was also the first unit with WiFi and Internet Mobile Access. Google Brings Millions of Hard-to-Find Library Books to Your Fingertips Millions of hard-to-find books from five major libraries will soon be a lot easier to access: Google has made plans to scan and digitize them, making the books available on their widely used Internet search engine.Google's latest endeavor is a large step beyond previous attempts to scan books so they can be read online (Google, Amazon. Find the Best Broadband Provider for You To find the best broadband provider for you takes some effort.Like anything in life, doing the research is critical to getting the best product at the best price. How Peer to Peer (P2P) Works Peer to Peer (P2P) Technology- How it works:Ever wondered how P2P works? This guide will run down most of the major P2P services and how they work. Peer to Peer technology lets people share files over a network on the internet. Beta Testing First Mobile Internet Satellite Broadband, Part III Back in 1999 when we beta tested the first wireless mobile office with satellite broadband Internet we had something that no one lese had. Today you can buy these systems for $5,500 fully installed on any RV. How to Troubleshoot Your Internet Connection for DSL or Cable Service One of the common problems among internet users is testing their internet connection to pinpoint the exact problem. There is a big number of internet users who use DSL, and cable modem service. Google Talk Reviewed So you're sick and tired of AOL Instant Messenger. You're looking for something fresh and new that will just work. How to Get Broadband Getting broadband services getting easy, but research still required.Broadband Internet services have become more the norm today, unlike the dial-up days of the late 1990s. 3 Tips to Fix Unreliable Wireless Connections Generally speaking, wireless computer connections are reliable. However, nothing is perfect, and sometimes you may lose your connection or experience a weak signal. Broadband is State-of-the-Art Internet Access: How Can a Broadband Cable Benefit You? We are now well ensconced in a time when the Web is riddled with graphics, animations, sounds, and videos, bringing about a necessity for superior internet access such as that which broadband can provide. The fact is that anything less than the speed supplied by a broadband cable has become inadequate for today's Web users. Bleeding Edge or Expensive Enterprise Satellite Internet? The State of Satellite Internet in 2005For those businesses unable can't get T1, Cable or DSL internet service for less than half a year's Gross Profit, vsat (very small aperture terminal) satellite internet is about the only way to obtain decent internet speed. Over the last two years or so many companies have advertised about upcoming solutions to this issue. Wireless Network Hammerin The wireless network in my house went haywire. It worked on three PCs, one had a horrible connection, and one can't connect. Compare Cable vs. DSL Okay, so you are finally tired of those slow dial-up internet connections, and you want to go broadband. Good deal. Ka Band -Affordable Satellite Internet On The Way! Ka Band VSAT* satellite internet technology has enormous possibilities for telecommuters, rural locations and eventually for Motor Home users around the U.S.
|
|
|
 |
 |
