Authors include: - Connect-World
Authors include: - Connect-World
Authors include: - Connect-World
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Triple play<br />
IPTV: rethinking broadcasting<br />
by Ed Graczyk, Director of Marketing and Communications, Microsoft TV Division<br />
TelevisionoverIP-basedbroadbandnetworks,IPTV,provideshigh-definitionprogramming,VideoonDemand,DigitalVideoRecording,hundredsoflinearchannels,arich<br />
InteractiveProgrammeGuideandmore.Itfundamentallychangestraditionalbroadcast<br />
TVandletsprovidersdeliveranewgenerationofintegratedservicescalledtripleplay,<br />
combiningvoice,videoandbroadband.IPTV’sefficientuseofbandwidthgivestheconsumer<br />
a near-limitless number of channels and access to a huge library of live, ondemandandtime-shifted,digitalvideorecordedcontent.<br />
EdGraczykisDirectorofMarketingandCommunicationsfortheMicrosoftTVDivisionatMicrosoft<br />
Corporation.Heisresponsibleforcommunications,publicrelations,branding,positioning,advertising,<br />
partner co-marketing and events worldwide for the Microsoft TV family of software products. Mr<br />
GraczykhasheldanumberofmarketingandsalesmanagementpositionsatMicrosoftincludingmarketing<br />
lead for the MSN MoneyCentral personal finance service, marketing lead for MSN<br />
CommunicationsServices,publicrelationsleadfortheWebEssentialsandMSNdivisions,entertainmentmarketingmanagerforMSNandcorporateaccountsalesmanagement.BeforejoiningMicrosoft,<br />
hespentsixyearswithUNISYSCorporation.Heservedinvarioussalesandproductmanagementpositions,withafocusoncustomersinthebanking,securitiesandinsuranceindustries.<br />
MrGraczykfrequentlyspeaksatdigitalTVindustryevents,includingBroadcastAsia,CTAMResearch<br />
Conference,DigitalHollywood,DigiTrendsCampInteractive,KaganInteractiveTVSummit,IFABerlin<br />
andthePBSTechnologyConference.In1994,hereceivedtheCorporateAccountExecutiveoftheYear<br />
AwardatMicrosoft.HeisalsoamemberoftheCable&TelecommunicationsAssociationforMarketing.<br />
EdGraczykhasabachelor’sdegreeinSciencefromtheBostonCollegeSchoolofManagement,wherehe<br />
holdsatriplemajorinmarketing,computerscienceandeconomics.<br />
Recent technological innovations<br />
have enabled the delivery of highqualitytelevisionoverbroadband,IPbased<br />
networks. Called IPTV, this<br />
next-generationTVtechnologyoffers<br />
broadband service providers an<br />
opportunitytofundamentallychange<br />
traditional approaches to broadcast<br />
TV and expand their businesses<br />
throughnewrevenuemodels.<br />
Recent industry events – including<br />
BT’sdecisiontoofferTVoverbroadband<br />
services, SBC’s Project<br />
Lightspeed rollout, Verizon’s<br />
announcement of FiOS TV and V-<br />
CASTservices,cable’saggressiverollout<br />
of triple-play services, and<br />
Microsoft’s recently-announced relationshipwithAlcatel–pointtoaparadigmshiftintheworldofdigitalTV<br />
andcommunicationservicesingeneral.Convergenceis,finally,reallyhappening.<br />
IPTV is one of the best examples of<br />
this convergence. For years, the TV<br />
has been an island of entertainment<br />
andinformationunconnectedtomost<br />
oftheotherdevicesinthehomethat<br />
peoplerelyondaily.IPTVischanging<br />
that by enabling broadband service<br />
providers, including telecommunication<br />
and cable companies, to build<br />
new,connected-entertainment,information<br />
and communication services<br />
andexperiencesfortheircustomers.<br />
IPTV<br />
Caller ID on the TV screen, sporting<br />
events with multiple camera angles,<br />
accessing digital photos or digital<br />
musicstoredonahomePCfromyour<br />
TV set, and participating in interactiveservicestiedtoTVprogramming<br />
suchasvotingandpolling,areafew<br />
examples of the exciting connectedentertainment<br />
services on the near<br />
horizon with IPTV. While some of<br />
these capabilities are possible with<br />
conventionalTVdistributionsystems,<br />
IPTVraisestheconsumerexperience<br />
toanewlevelandmakesitmucheasier<br />
to implement for the service<br />
provider.<br />
But let’s be clear: IPTV is not about<br />
streamingvideoovertheInternettoa<br />
PC or the ‘best efforts’ video quality<br />
that we experience on the Internet<br />
today.IPTVisaboutdeliveringatruly<br />
high-quality,competitive,multichannelTVservicetoconsumertelevision<br />
setsoveranIPnetworkcontrolledby<br />
thebroadbandprovider.IPTVserviceswillofferthefullrangeoffeatures<br />
that consumers expect, including<br />
standard and high-definition programming,VideoonDemand,Digital<br />
Video Recording, hundreds of linear<br />
channels, a rich Interactive<br />
ProgrammeGuideandmore.<br />
IPTVisthekindofbreakthroughthe<br />
TVindustryrarelysees.Likethetransitionfromblackandwhitetocolour<br />
TV,IPTVwillusherinthenext-generation<br />
TV entertainment that consumers<br />
will come to expect as the<br />
norm.Thetechnologywasnotcreated<br />
overnight.Ithasbeenindevelopment<br />
for over ten years, but is now being<br />
drivenforwardbysuchmarketforces<br />
asbroadbandadoptionandtheevolutionofdigitalentertainment.Analysts<br />
at Multimedia Research Group predictthattherewillbe27millionIPTV<br />
subscribersworldwideby2008.<br />
WhileIPTVpiggybacksontherapidly<br />
evolving advances in broadband and<br />
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