Next-Generation TV Streams Over Phone Lines

Dom · Sep 28, 2004, 08:45 AM

LONDON (Reuters) - Television junkies of the world, get ready for "Friends," "Big Brother" and "The Simpsons" to phone home.

A new breed of TV -- featuring on-demand programs and choose-your-own music video channels -- is delivered over phones lines that are equipped with a high speed Internet connection.

TV over phone lines, also known as TV over Internet protocol (TVIP), is already taking root in Europe, with offerings from France Telecom, Italy's FastWeb, Britain's HomeChoice and others. There are many more on the way, with Britain's top fixed-line phone company BT Group in talks with content companies as it prepares to launch its own service.

In Washington, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell said on Sept. 15 that almost every major U.S. phone company he has talked with is working to develop TVIP offering.

Consultancy Multimedia Research Group estimates there will be 15.6 million TVIP viewers by 2007, up from a few hundred thousand today.

TVIP takes advantage of the increasing popularity and prevalence of broadband Internet, plus improved technology for delivering customized video and compressing it to a manageable size without hurting quality.

[Read More]

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Source: Reuters

Sep 28, 2004, 08:45 AM	#1
Dom DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 12,940 Rep Power: 0	Next-Generation TV Streams Over Phone Lines LONDON (Reuters) - Television junkies of the world, get ready for "Friends," "Big Brother" and "The Simpsons" to phone home. A new breed of TV -- featuring on-demand programs and choose-your-own music video channels -- is delivered over phones lines that are equipped with a high speed Internet connection. TV over phone lines, also known as TV over Internet protocol (TVIP), is already taking root in Europe, with offerings from France Telecom, Italy's FastWeb, Britain's HomeChoice and others. There are many more on the way, with Britain's top fixed-line phone company BT Group in talks with content companies as it prepares to launch its own service. In Washington, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell said on Sept. 15 that almost every major U.S. phone company he has talked with is working to develop TVIP offering. Consultancy Multimedia Research Group estimates there will be 15.6 million TVIP viewers by 2007, up from a few hundred thousand today. TVIP takes advantage of the increasing popularity and prevalence of broadband Internet, plus improved technology for delivering customized video and compressing it to a manageable size without hurting quality. [Read More] _____________________ Source: Reuters