Beyond IPTV – Why Plain Old Television Won’t Cut It For Telcos
Since the turn of the millennium, television has undergone a period of unprecedented change. Across Asia governments have begun the switch from analog to digital terrestrial signals, viewers who had become used to four or five channels now consider hundreds the norm, high-definition and mobile TV have become a reality for many and Tivo-like devices have freed audiences from the constraints of scheduled, linear broadcasting.
As television has changed, so have many of the viewers. Increasingly we are faced with a new breed of sophisticated, technology-savvy consumer for whom multiple channels, high-definition pictures, 5.1 surround sound and PVR functionality are not a bonus, but an expectation.
While the large scale deployment of xDSL2+ and advanced video codecs such as MPEG-4 AVC and SMPTE VC-1 have broken down the technical barriers to delivering broadcast quality TV over narrow bandwidth DSL, many Asian IPTV operators are finding themselves in a commercial environment where they are playing catch-up with established pay TV platforms. HD, PVR and multi-channel services will quickly becoming ubiquitous and IPTV operators will struggle to attract subscribers by offering these services alone. If IPTV is to gain a foot-hold in Asia, where satellite and cable account for over 97 percent of the pay TV market, it needs to use the inherent advantages in its network architecture to meet the needs of a consumer who increasingly seeks choice, mobility and interactivity.
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