IPTV and the Looming Bandwidth Crisis
Online video downloads are the biggest source of broadband traffic on the Internet. IPTV could be a way around the coming logjam.
No Quick Fix
High-capacity fiber IPTV networks could help alleviate the problem, but as Broughton explained, they may not be the holy grail that telcos would hope for. “No network is immune to the crisis, but TV delivered by IPTV has an advantage over TV over the open Internet. The main reason behind this is that the TV can be multicast. If 1,000 viewers are watching a linear broadcast program over the Internet at 2 Mbps, then the bandwidth used is likely to be 2 Gbps. For an IPTV service, which sends only one stream down its core network, the bandwidth used would still only be 2 Mbps. In this way, IPTV is far more efficient than open-Internet services at delivering TV." Broughton went on, "However, of course, as the number of channels increases, bandwidth used increases, so at 1,000 channels, the bandwidth savings is canceled out. A simplified example, but the general principle is sound. The TV streams themselves are likely to be protected from fluctuations in bandwidth on IPTV, so it is unlikely that the growing bandwidth usage would pose a service problem, simply a dilemma for the operator — whether the operator offers more TV channels or uses the saved bandwidth on Internet customers.”
Broughton said that one of service providers' main concerns is lost profits. “I think that ISPs are really worried about their profits being eroded,” he said. “Many providers don't own the network but instead lease it from a network provider. They are then charged by the megabyte for data passing through. Pricing is based on assumptions about usage by consumers. As data usage increases, profit margins decrease, as the provider is charged more by the network owner. Coupled with price wars from rival operators, it is understandable that many ISPs are looking for ways to stem the ever-increasing flood of online video. They can't start to increase prices or put limits on [bandwidth usage], as consumers would flock to rivals. Basically, ISPs are stuck in a spiral of decreasing margins and are frantically searching for a way out. The ideal solution would be for network owners to upgrade their networks to support higher throughputs. At that point, ISPs would be back to square one, and with any luck, their margins would return.”
As telcos slowly expand their IPTV services, the search for solutions to bandwidth overload will continue, and many consumers will likely be angered in the process. While there may not be an easy solution, the growth of online video will no doubt demand one.
http://www.dailyiptv.com/features/iptv-bandwi...is-022808/
IPTV: A Survival Strategy or Revenue Generator for Telcos?
People care a lot more about their video quality than they do about their data, voice, or wireless quality, and no one knows that better than telecom operators do right now. Quality and quantity are replacing convenience as the top consumer concerns and telcos are offering innovative technology to cater to these needs. Learn all about the advancements and just what it will take for telcos to use IPTV as a true revenue generator and not merely as a survival tactic in the ever-changing realm of consumer demands.
http://www.dailyiptv.com/whitepaper/iptv-surv...s-revenue/
The 4 Broadband Applications Fueling Consumer Demand
As the war for broadband wages on, telcos have the opportunity to gain the edge with 4 broadband applications -- video, gaming, home networking, and audio on demand -- which combine technical advancements and consumer demands. Learn all about these new applications that consumers are both willing to pay for and stay for.
http://www.dailyiptv.com/whitepaper/broadband...er-demand/
Smart TV forecast: gigabit Wi-Fi in the living room
As the smart TV category grows in coming years, a simultaneous transition to higher-speed Wi-Fi connections based on a new standard—802.11ac—will translate to fast growth for the new wireless technology in the TV space. The reason we expect significant adoption of 802.11ac in the TV market is:
?Growth in video streaming between second-screen devices and TVs
?HD video streaming
?Gaming
This report will look at the the growth in the smart TV market and the resulting impact for 802.11ac in smart TVs while also examining which applications are driving the adoption of higher-speed wireless technology.
http://pro.gigaom.com/report/smart-tv-forecas...jroettgers
