Got copper access? You could already be ready for IPTV

IPTV and other emerging next generation video services such as VoD and Network-based Personal Video Recorders (N-PVR) are generating a lot of excitement (writes Ido Shargil
, Head of System Engineering at ECI Telecom & Chairman of iSMART Consortium). But that excitement is not shared equally by all. Bandwidth-hungry next generation video applications require the high-speed broadband access that currently only Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) can deliver ...read more

IPTV and personalisation - delivering the exceptional customer experience

The emergence of IPTV as a serious alternative to traditional home entertainment services, such as cable or satellite TV, gives consumers great hope that a significantly improved customer experience has arrived (writes John Konczal, Global Industry Executive for Communications and Media at Sterling Commerce) ...read more

Meeting the challenge: delivering optimal video-on-demand services

Today’s service providers are currently in a heated race to deploy next-generation services over their existing IP-based networks, and in essence offer a bundle of  multiple, converged services to subscribers (writes Mark Chaplain, VP EMEA at Ixia). The key strategic weapon in their arsenal is video-based interactive services, including broadcast IPTV and IP-based video-on-demand (VoD). These services promise to generate critically important new revenue streams necessary to offset the inexorable decline in their voice businesses, and help them gain market share by enticing customers to switch from competing satellite and cable offerings. ...read more

Broadcast quality control in the IPTV world

Quality control is becoming more important than ever in television (writes Steve Nunney, Managing Director of Hamlet, a UK provider of measurement and monitoring equipment to the television broadcast industry worldwide). Audiences care about technical quality, and notice failures. They are watching on larger screens than before, and these magnify any failings. Ideally, they would like HD content on their HD-ready screens ...read more

'Boring' standards work could revolutionise the broadband market, says Rob Gallagher

We've always tried to set our own agenda at Informa Telecoms & Media, but sometimes I'm puzzled when even the trade press doesn't pick up on some of the developments we give centre stage to (writes Rob Gallagher, Principal Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media). Such is the case with Ethernet Active Line Access, a concept for wholesale access to next-generation broadband networks that UK telecoms regulator Ofcom hopes industry will turn into a global standard ...read more