Archive for February, 2010

FOR almost 50 years Australians faced one of the most limited television channel choices on the planet — a choice eventually expanded by pay-TV, and then digital programming — but now the country is about to enjoy almost unlimited choice with the arrival of IPTV in the lounge room.

IPTV, otherwise known as Internet Protocol TV, has been a buzzword on computers for the past year with the development of services such Joost, Hulu and the ABC’s own iView application.

Now experts say the unlimited sourcing of programming from the internet is at hand with new television sets boasting direct-to-the-internet broadband connections. These will allow programming to be streamed to the TV without the use of a computer as an intermediary.

Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and LG are among a handful of manufacturers that will bring the technology to Australia.

Paul Colley, technology communications manager with Sony Australia, says the technology is already available on its Bravia range in the US, and will debut in Australia in the near future.

He says it will give TV viewers to a very different way of accessing content.

Sony launched its Bravia Internet Video Link in the US last year. This allows a TV to stream content such as IPTV and web pages direct from the internet without having to go through a computer.

But Colley says viewers are looking for a different experience through televisions and “don’t want to be hunched over a mouse and a keyboard”.

Sony’s solution has been the development of its Xmedia bar, a navigation tool developed initially for the handheld PlayStation Portable and PS3, which comes with the video link box.

The navigation tool replaces the browser address bar and allows people to surf to regular websites and those offering IPTV feeds in a similar way to browsing through channels.

“It’s just like channel surfing,” Colley says. “And one of the wonderful things about the internet is the ability to explore.”

Duane Varan, head of the Interactive Television Institute at Murdoch University in Western Australia, says evolving media habits were at the heart of the emergence of lounge room IPTV in the local market.

“The basic principle is that people have a primary need for content and they want it when they want it,” he said.

“The big contingent in all of this is the metering of broadband.”

Varan says the way in which broadband providers metered their content in Australian was one hurdle to the success of IPTV through TVs.

Another hurdle was the availability of content from overseas portals and the protection of digital rights.

“I think the other problem is region-specific,” he says. “Savvy users know how to hide their IP address to get content from overseas, but this is beyond most people.”

While there may be hurdles, Varan believes the arrival of IPTV in Australia as a staple alongside free-to-air, digital and pay-TV broadcasters could prove to be a benefit to existing players rather than a drawback.

“What does it (IPTV) do to TV viewing?” he says. “I think it enhances TV programming and it is not taking away.

“Overall, I think it represents good news.”

Another benefit that Varan believes IPTV will bring is that it will allow advertisers to more keenly target audiences and individuals in the same way they can now slice and dice demographics online.

“Now you are going to have the ability to adserve, and there are some really interesting cases online already.”

He cites the IPTV offering on the ABC network in the US which allows on-demand programming supported by ads and offered with an interactive element.

“On the one hand it is competing with existing advertising, but at the same time it is enabling a different type of advertising program,” Varan says.

Sony’s Colley agrees that broadband capacity and cost in Australia are among the most significant issues standing in the way of the development of IPTV in the lounge room, but says computer-based photo, video and music libraries are already starting to be networked around the home.

Samsung has launched its second generation TV capable of streaming TV from a PC to the TV, but director of marketing Kurt Jovais says “the holy grail of IPTV is live streaming content over the internet to your TV, like watching the American Superbowl in real-time over the internet in native resolution on your home TV. This will require very fast broadband speeds and most likely a subscription service, but from a device perspective, today’s TVs could deliver.”

“As we move up in our IPTV capabilities, people will be able to share nearly any content experience over the TV. The amount of available content from anywhere in the world will be astonishing.

“It is also very exciting for the industry, as it is classically disruptive to the existing free-TV and pay-TV business models. It will be a very exciting evolution to be a part of,” he says.

Source The Australian – November 10, 2008 12:00AM

Australian IPTV Channels as prvided by IPTV..

Al Jazeera (English)

Al Jazeera English is the world’s first global 24-hour English language news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East. From this unique position, Al Jazeera English is destined to be the English-language channel of reference for Middle Eastern events, balancing the current typical information flow by reporting from the developing world back to the West and from the southern to the northern hemisphere.

The station broadcasts news, current affairs, features, analysis, documentaries, live debates, entertainment, business and sport.

Bloomberg (English)

A 24-hour business and financial news channel delivers tools for power players and serious investors. Bloomberg build on their world-class resources to present up-to-the-minute market coverage, with the best anchors to deliver the news and the best journalists to add perspective and analysis. The multi-screen format displays information at a glance for investors who need quick, reliable news and data as market conditions change.

Channel NewsAsia (English)

Channel NewsAsia positions itself as an Asian TV News channel that provides news and information on global developments with Asian perspectives. Channel NewsAsia brings viewers not only the latest news but also the stories behind the headlines.

France 24

France 24 is the 24/7 international English news channel with ten-minute news bulletin every half hour. France 24 has an Editorial team of 260 journalists from 35 different countries and an impressive worldwide network of correspondents. Program coverage consists of business, sport, culture and studio discussions of world current affairs enriched by numerous current affairs, magazine programs, investigative reports, daily debates, diversity of opinion and confrontation of points of view.

Covers programmes on adventure, quiz contests, theatre, literature, music, paintings, sculpture & architecture fine arts, crafts and designs, cartoons, talent hunts, healthy life style, Classical dance/music performances by top class artists of national and international fame.

Programmes are made in collaboration with organizations like IGNCA, CEC, IGNOU, PSBT, NCERT and Sahitya Academy.

Deutsche Welle (DW-TV) is an English and German language channel broadcast from Germany. Deutsche Welle (DW-TV)’s programming provides the latest in politics, business, arts, sports, social issues, entertainment and news. At the heart of Europe, from the German capital Berlin, Deutsche Welle (DW-TV) covers the latest events and developments in Europe from its bureaus in Berlin, Brussels, and Moscow.

Phoenix Infonews Channel (Mandarin)

PHOENIX INFONEWS CHANNEL is the first 24-hour Mandarin-language foreign satellite television channel providing the latest news on finance and current affairs for Chinese communities worldwide. The channel’s news team includes proven expertise from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and brings in-depth and up-to-date coverage to Chinese communities.

Russia Today (English)

Russia Today is a news channel oriented to global viewers. It broadcasts in English, 24 hours a day. The channel beams by satellite to five continents, reaching 100 countries. The programme “wheel” has hourly blocks of international news about what’s happening in Russia and the world around it, about business, culture, sport and science topics in a comprehensive picture of latest global events. Russia’s growing role in the international economy, alongside political and economic co-operation and joint international projects in many fields of activity, all generate interest not only in events in Russia but also in Russia’s own assessment of global events.

SCTV (Mulitple Languages)

Satellite Community Television (SCTV) is a community television organization broadcasting a variety of ethnic programs in a variety of languages 24 hours a day.

TRT (Turkish)

TRT, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu), was founded in 1964, it is the national public broadcaster of Turkey.
Today, TRT is frequently heralded as the most widely respected broadcaster in Turkey and broadcasts around the world, especially in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Royal Thai Army Radio and Television

Royal Thai Army Radio and Television channel 5 is a Thai language channel broadcast from Thailand. The channel offers viewers an update on the Thai political, economic, social, cultural and entertainment scene. It includes new bulletins, current affairs, educational and cultural programs, documentaries, music and sport events, game shows, sit-com series, etc. The news bulletins and most of the contents are broadcast simultaneously in Thailand.

TV5 Monde (French)

TV5MONDE is the only French general entertainment channel broadcast 24/7, offering films and series subtitled in English, news, cultural and art de vivre shows, kids programs and sports.

VOA (Multiple Languages)

The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts more than 1,000 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 115 million people.

Cuba Vision (Spanish)

Cubavisión Internacional is the 24 hour Cuban channel. It is originated in La Habana, in the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television. Programming is composed of a selection of culture, sports, politics, society, tourism, traditions and present time.

TPG IPTV allows you to watch selected TV channels via your PC or Notebook which are delivered to you through your TPG ADSL2+ connection, without the need to purchase an additional expensive set top box. TPG ADSL2+ modems are now available pre configured for IPTV.
 
TPG is offering its ADSL2+ customers (at selected IPTV enabled exchanges) FREE IPTV Trial with their broadband connections.
 
Additional channels (both free and subscription based) will be added to our line up shortly.