WITH TELKOM MEDIA having been awarded a licence to operate a Pay-TV service, the time seems right to look at Internet protocol television (IPTV), one of the systems that the company is going to use to deliver its service. <\/p>\n
Many people make the mistake of confusing Internet video services with IPTV. Internet video services use the public network to transmit video from a server based somewhere in the world to a device located elsewhere. Examples are YouTube and local services such as Zoopy. <\/p>\n
IPTV works in a completely different way. The system sending the video has to be physically located on the same network as the person viewing the video. <\/p>\n
In SA's case Telkom Media would have a direct link to the ADSL network. That means the IPTV service never actually makes contact with the Internet. Just the channel you want to watch is sent to your set-top box. <\/p>\n
If you and your neighbour are watching the same programme, then a single data stream is sent to your exchange and from there it's split into the two streams that you watch. That minimises the amount of traffic on the main data network and allows the broadcaster to know exactly which shows are popular and which are not. <\/p>\n
It would also open opportunities for the broadcaster to offer interactive services and high-definition broadcasts. Because the set-top box has to constantly communicate with the broadcaster it's able to provide a much richer system, making the interactive options on DStv seem like yesterday's news.<\/p>\n