Last week Motorolan Dr. Rob Howald presented in a Light Reading webinar on the topic of cable’s migration to IPTV. This is a subject matter that’s going to be at the top of the cable industry’s agenda for several years to come, but given the complexity of the topic, it shouldn’t get stale any time soon.
To start off last week’s webinar, Howald laid out what cable operators are doing today in the IPTV space. Here’s a snapshot:
Comcast: Has reportedly launched Project Excalibur to develop IPTV and video convergence services; Introducing new content distribution network (CDN)
Time Warner Cable: Has reportedly tapped Microsoft Mediaroom for IPTV pilot in Los Angeles; Developing new nationwide CDN
Cox Communications: Using IPTV to deliver 230 TV channels to new CityCenter in Las Vegas
Cablevision Systems: Now testing “PC to TV Media Relay” product, which will bring online video content to TV
Rogers Communications: Expects to start migrating to IPTV soon so it can deliver video to mobile and home devices
Buckeye CableSystem: Started six-month trial of IPTV services in July
[...] Over-the-top video is only one flavor of IPTV; the kind that relies on DOCSIS data pipes for delivery. So what about the other kinds? As cable operators examine their infrastructure options, it doesn’t hurt to recap how the industry could be looking at IP video going forward. Here’s how Dr. Robert Howald defined the options in last week’s presentation through Light Reading Cable. [...]