The Coming Television Revolution

The revolution is just getting started and will be begin to make its mark this year. By 2010, it will begin to take off. By 2025, it will be the standard for all TV viewing. It's called Internet Protocol Television, or IPTV for short. IPTV works with a set-top box connected to any broadband interface and to a TV. It will allow users to choose among thousands (and eventually hundreds of thousands) of hours of programming, including movies, sports, classic TV, etc., and download their selections from the internet to the hard drive of the set-top box.

Initially, set-top box hard drives will be able to store up to 300 hours of programming at a time, but capacity will expand as the technology becomes more refined. Also, download times will become shorter and shorter as broadband connection speeds become faster and faster. Eventually, a two-hour movie will be fully downloadable in a couple of minutes. Once the programs are downloaded to the hard drive, they can be viewed on the connected TV at any time via a DVR-type interface provided by the set-top box.

Besides the convenience of an all video-on-demand (VOD) environment, IPTV will provide a much wider range of programming than broadcast, cable, and satellite TV, or even major video chains, could ever provide. Because the programming is available from the internet, it will be almost completely unlimited and unconstrained. Programming from all over the world will be available along with every imaginable genre of niche programming. Also, previously unreleased independent films that have been sitting on shelves for years due to the lack of a distribution source will suddenly become available to the masses via IPTV. Films that previously could not be made at all will become a reality and be available on the IPTV services. Long forgotten films and TV shows will have new life breathed into them by IPTV. To top it all off, much of this programming will be eventually be available in high definition (HDTV)!

Most IPTV platforms will be divided into "channels", but not the same kind of channels that we have grown accustomed to with traditional TV services. In this case, a "channel" is defined as a division of an IPTV service by individual content provider. Each content provider carried by a given IPTV platform will have its own guidelines for delivering programming on its channel. Some will provide their content for free to everyone who owns a given IPTV product. Some will be subscription based, i.e., everything on their channels will be available for a monthly or annual subscription. Others will be all pay-per-view. Still others will provide a combination of all of the above.

Several entrants into this market have either already debuted or plan to debut sometime this year. Among those are Akimbo (www.akimbo.com), DAVETV (www.dave.tv), TimeShifTV (www.timeshiftv.com), and VCinema (www.vcinema.com). Please see their respective websites for more details, as each one will offer a slightly different variation of IPTV technology. In addition, a joint venture between TiVo (www.tivo.com) and NetFlix (www.netflix.com) will be starting up later this year. TiVo plans to eventually make the entire Netflix DVD library available to its customers on an on-demand basis via a broadband connection to a TiVo box and a TV. Other potential IPTV contenders will be announcing their intentions over the next year or two. One of these nascent IPTV services headquartered near my home has already started placing "help wanted" ads in my local newspaper.

Within the next 20 years, all the fuss over broadcast TV indecency will become irrelevant, as there will be very little other than news and live sporting events on broadcast TV. The major networks will shift most of their entertainment programs to IPTV to avoid all the broadcast content restrictions currently being enforced by the FCC. Eventually, broadcast TV will cease to exist. Cable and satellite services as we know them will also become extinct. Yes, there will still be cable and satellite platforms, but they, along with DSL and wireless internet services, will exist merely as conduits for bringing broadband internet into homes and offices. There won't be any more cable and satellite TV, per se. The now 60-year-old paradigm of television schedules in which programs air at specific times on specific days of the week will pretty much be a thing of the past. Everything, except what's left of broadcast TV, will be exclusively available on demand via an IPTV platform.

These developments in no way mean that all TV programming will become more risqu�. While there will be plenty of risqu� programming available to those who want it, there will an almost unlimited supply of family and religious programs available. With a veritable smorgasbord of entertainment options at your fingertips, there will be something available for all tastes. IPTV may not turn out to be a TV utopia, but it's at least going to come close that ideal.

Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Hopewell, VA. He also serves as a political columnist for American Daily and operates his own website - http://www.commenterry.com - on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.

---

3 Tips to Fix Unreliable Wireless Connections

Generally speaking, wireless computer connections are reliable. However, nothing is... Read More

Wireless Technologies in Mass Transit for Convenience and Safety

Modern Mass Transit is making it easier for commuters, especially... Read More

Internet Service Providers

Internet Service Provider or ISP is a company that provides... Read More

What is Broadband?

Defining broadband can get complicatedThere are many different takes on... Read More

Some DSL Broadband Definitions

Often too many people get confused with all the definitions,... Read More

DSL Internet is a Simple and Easy Way to Get Fast Internet Service

DSL ? which stands for Digital Subscriber Line ? is... Read More

Chat-less

Are you suddenly chat-less now that Yahoo has shut down... Read More

Why Choose Dial Up ISP Services

Dial up ISP service is the cheapest choice of any... Read More

Webmail - What are the Benefits?

There are so many different webmail services on the internet,... Read More

How to Choose Best ISP for Your Needs

Well, the Internet access industry is starting to shake its... Read More

How to Troubleshoot Your Internet Connection for DSL or Cable Service

One of the common problems among internet users is testing... Read More

Unlimited Bandwidth and Overselling

One of the most controversial topics surrounding web hosting is... Read More

Business Satellite Internet Products Compared - 2005

There are a number of options available for Business Class... Read More

How Peer to Peer (P2P) Works

Peer to Peer (P2P) Technology- How it works:Ever wondered how... Read More

Wireless Network Hammerin

The wireless network in my house went haywire. It worked... Read More

Broadband Features

Internet service providers are becoming more and more present as... Read More

Broadband is State-of-the-Art Internet Access: How Can a Broadband Cable Benefit You?

We are now well ensconced in a time when the... Read More

Two Enter Internet Battle

Consumers understand that when there is more competition in... Read More

Internet ISPs

Choosing an internet ISP is often a rash and impulsive... Read More

Compare Cable vs. DSL

Okay, so you are finally tired of those slow dial-up... Read More

Beta Testing First Mobile Internet Satellite Broadband, Part I

Being on the road has its advantages; the freedom is... Read More

Its On! (Free Internet TV - Watch TV Online)

Get ready because "there's going to be television out the... Read More

Wifi Hotspot Locations for Sale..is that a Good Thing?

Recent companies have been advertising wifi hotspot locations that are... Read More

Wanadoo: 17.99 Pounds 1Mbps Service

Wanadoo 17.99 pounds 1 mbps service getting good reviews.Want a... Read More

Google Brings Millions of Hard-to-Find Library Books to Your Fingertips

Millions of hard-to-find books from five major libraries will soon... Read More

A Cheap Alternative To Broadband?

Are you a dial-up user looking for a faster connection,... Read More

Google Talk Reviewed

So you're sick and tired of AOL Instant Messenger. You're... Read More

Find the Best Broadband Provider for You

To find the best broadband provider for you takes some... Read More

Ka Band -Affordable Satellite Internet On The Way!

Ka Band VSAT* satellite internet technology has enormous possibilities for... Read More

Remotely Connecting by Satellite To the Hospital - 2005

Hospital's and the Medical Professionals associated with them across America... Read More

Why You Should Switch To A Fast Internet Connection

With high-speed Internet access becoming available in more and more... Read More

Bleeding Edge or Expensive Enterprise Satellite Internet?

The State of Satellite Internet in 2005For those businesses unable... Read More

Top 3 UK Broadband Providers

Every Internet provider today wants to make it sound like... Read More