IPTV subscribers up 63%

[aott]

IPTV subscribers up 63%

There were 21.7 million subscribers to IPTV services worldwide at the end of 2008.

 

[MielieSpoor]

And zero of those 21.7 million in RSA...

 

[MidnightWizard]

DsTV On Demand

And zero of those 21.7 million in RSA...

Not strictly true

DsTV OnDemand

RugbyZone


MW

 

[Chevron]

Not strictly true

DsTV OnDemand

RugbyZone


MW

Sigh. That's not IPTV. That's tv over the net.

Telkom Media was gonna make use of iptv.

 

[manushiri]

I agree very well. DsTV on Demand is not at all IPTV. Practically SA does not at all have IPTV. IPTV is when you receive your TV or Video signal through the Internet or whats called Internet Protocol. Loads of Companies have been adevrtising themselves as IPTV providers in SA but the truth of the matter is NOBODY yet provides IPTV. Telkom was meant to be the first through Telkom Media through their ADSL2 solution but now that they have gone under it might be a while before we have any true IPTV Provider in SA. The main onstraint being the investment involved in IPTV Provision. You need a very reliable broadband link through especially ADSL2 or FTTX and FTTX doesnt come cheap at all. And to provide FTTX you need to have a very good bank balance coz FTTX is capital intensive and you can only break even over or after a long period of time. Its not a get-rich-quick solution, So that leaves it more as a big-man project, reason its difficult for smaller players to implement it, reason it has failed to take off in SA. 2ndly, ADSL if SA is not reliable, making it impossible to provide a reliable IPTV signal through Telkom ADSL. But with SEACOM, Neotel, Dark Fibre, EASSY, MTN/Vodacom Metro and Fibre Networks, maybe it is going to put down prices of broadband a bit down and bringing in fibre or ADSL2 closer to the home

 

[bradhall]

We currently deploying IPTV in a number of projects in S.A. 3 x Stadiums and a number of hotels - two groups of hotels.
The applications here are restricted to a selected boquets (DSTV channel choices) as this impacts on the IPTV headend...and cost.
The CAM ( conditional access) is the issue with Multichoice....

 

[manushiri]

interesting

thats interesting.. how are you doing it

We currently deploying IPTV in a number of projects in S.A. 3 x Stadiums and a number of hotels - two groups of hotels.
The applications here are restricted to a selected boquets (DSTV channel choices) as this impacts on the IPTV headend...and cost.
The CAM ( conditional access) is the issue with Multichoice....

 

[bradhall]

We use a quad LNB on a commercial dish...then use a IPTV headend ( DBS CAM modules) to convert the raw singal...descramble and convert to IPTV...into our Foxcom fibre switch....fibre network to a set top box...and then into the TV.
We not on any public networks but I can confidently tell you we have tried successfully with an interesting result with the same head end to the new HD PVR...

 

[bradhall]

for anyone deploying...two critical items...Multichoice broadcast's from 12 transponders...in four polarities...two of which are actively required.

 

[manushiri]

IpTV

If i am getting this right, is the dish on your switch at the pemises of say a community or can I say on-site: at the stadium or hotel. Or you are getting the signal from a National Central Switch (Headend) then send it through an IP Network to the STB ???
WHY I ask is most companies who market themselves as IPTV Providers have got a Dish on-site (Hotel, MDU, Stadium, or Estate) which captures the signal to a small switch and distribute the signal to the PVR and they say "... we provide an IPTV Solution.."

 

[MidnightWizard]

Sigh. That's not IPTV. That's tv over the net.
Telkom Media was gonna make use of iptv.

OK thanks -- it's all Binary to me

I thought that the "net" WAS IP

Is the differentiator the fact that IPTV is "LIVE"

One comes off storage somewhere -- the other straight off the "airwaves" whether Terrestrial or Satellite

Do I have IT now


MW

 

[bradhall]

In most cases...the dish is on site or within a kilometer.BUT...we have a few project that are different...we caputure the broadcast and distribute to a number of sites.Not a national distribution per say...but we working with a certain company that has the offering and will devploy in the near future....

 

[manushiri]

LOL,, technology is always a challenge to everyone. no-one has got the greatest minds. IPTV in short is when you are able to get or receive your TV or Video signal through a Data Network (binary as you said). As Qwikslver had mentioned, its "..TV over the Net...". What it also means is you are using the same cable or link in your house to get data (or internet services), tv or video and in some cases even Voice (telephony or VoIP) through a set-top box in your home. So effectively, you dont have a satellite dish connected somewhere, a decoder connected or sitting somewhere, a telephone line coming in into your house also sitting and connected somewhere. All these instead are being provided thrugh just one cable connecting you through a set-top-box. The Set-top Box is wat is in your house to connect your phone, your computer and your tv. AND now you can brag and say I have IPTV

 

[MidnightWizard]

Some Questions

A few things have always puzzled me

• It is pretty easy to set up a small dish and "pluck" the signal from the air
  
  WHY the need for IPTV
  To re-distribute to many locations without the need for multiple dishes
  ( You can do this with SIGNAL distribution devices )
  
  
• How do end users change channels in the IPTV scenario
  

Thanks -- All you boffins out there


MW

 

[manushiri]

I get you now, I believe it is now clearer. And whats the type of STB that you are using in the home. My understanding at the moment just like everyone else in SA, we are all stuck with Multi-Choice Africa (MCA) for content provisioning and would believe that possibly then it also means you provide through a MCA STB... As as in Europe USA, Asia etc IPTV is provided through a Centralised Central Distribution Network, will we ever get to such a point in SA or the limitations are still around the cost of bandwidth ????

In most cases...the dish is on site or within a kilometer.BUT...we have a few project that are different...we caputure the broadcast and distribute to a number of sites.Not a national distribution per say...but we working with a certain company that has the offering and will devploy in the near future....

 

[manushiri]

A few things have always puzzled me

• It is pretty easy to set up a small dish and "pluck" the signal from the air
  
  WHY the need for IPTV
  To re-distribute to many locations without the need for multiple dishes
  ( You can do this with SIGNAL distribution devices )
  
  
• How do end users change channels in the IPTV scenario
  

Thanks -- All you boffins out there


MW

Interesting Questions..... But all we are talking about here are the benefits of what the brains call it Convergency.. Management of Different Applications or Solution through a single connection or platform or portal. As I said in my previous response, you got your phone for voice, internet access and tv all coming in through one physical link. You easily can manage such a set-up. You have one service provider, you have one monthly bill and you only call one support center.
Becoz you signal is being provided for from the Headend or Server through a High Speed and reliable physical link, in most cases the signal is also bar far better than satellite which is always affected by weather, demographics etc
IPTV also then brings in other interesting applications like interactive gaming with easy, VoIP which provides cheaper call rates. In some cases you even get free national calls if say you are calling someone "within your network".

And lastly because you have managed to bring in different offerings or services through one link the total bill to the home owner becomes less. You will be suprised that if you would add up your different bills for Pay TV, Internet and Telephony together and look at your IPTV Bill it might have been halved.

 

[manushiri]

A few things have always puzzled me

• It is pretty easy to set up a small dish and "pluck" the signal from the air
  
  WHY the need for IPTV
  To re-distribute to many locations without the need for multiple dishes
  ( You can do this with SIGNAL distribution devices )
  
  
• How do end users change channels in the IPTV scenario
  

Thanks -- All you boffins out there


MW

As of changing channels, just like in the scenario of your traditional DSTV, you also use a remote control to change your channels. The Set Top Box comes with its own Remote Control which is usually by far more user friendly than the DSTV one.

 

[MidnightWizard]

Some Details

As of changing channels, just like in the scenario of your traditional DSTV, you also use a remote control to change your channels.
The Set Top Box comes with its own Remote Control which is usually by far more user friendly than the DSTV one.

OK -- but this STB looks like it needs to be a pretty intelligent device = expensive

I get the bit about the changing of the channels at the front end ( on the STB = easy -- just press a button ) .

But WHAT is going on at the back end

You have multiple end users all wanting multiple different channels all at the same time

WHAT is happening between your Satellite ( TV ) feed , the interface switch and the transfer into IPTV -- and the subsequent feed into the "network"

ie -- how is the easy button press on the STB translating to what is going on in the rest of the setup to allow channel changing.
How is the channel "change-command" sent , and to what is it sent , to bring up the new chosen channel on the TV Screen.


On another slightly different track ...........

( In essence if you are "decrypting" at the "Head-End" you are then feeding clean decrypted content to all the subscribers on your network ie. Do not need a "fancy" STB)

If this is all going on in REAL time ( across ALL available channels ) then it looks like you need some heavy computing power.

Is there a "101" describing how all this stuff works

Thanks


MW

 

[tjunyat]

But potentially there is great scope for development. NTT is installing fibre with a target of 30 million FTTH subscribers by 2010.

And when might SA get 30 million FTTH subscribers? I'd say in about 2030 or possibly later at the current rate of deployment.
This is just sad.