South African telecommunications companies have the ability to provide on-network IPTV streaming in high-definition, says US-based IPTV solution provider Matrix Stream Technologies (MST).
"Many telecoms companies think that it can't yet be implemented in SA, but as more services become available, the infrastructure needs will follow," says MST director of business development Aaron Keogh.
According to him, in order to get the infrastructure up and running, there needs to be a business case that includes available services to drive the development. "There are possibilities for the telcos to provide the service on-network at a relatively low rate."
Obviously, SA needs better international infrastructure and a better managed bandwidth policy, he states. "Video on-demand is definitely the future of the medium and it will no longer be about the storage, like Blu-ray, but about the delivery."
The solution provided by MST reportedly allows the streaming of point-to-point high-definition video over anything from connections at 1.5Mbps to 3.5Mbps, depending on the HD format. "On-network, companies could theoretically deploy services for 1 000-plus users to gain the benefit of IPTV over network," says Keogh.
He says current IPTV technology is streaming in the Mpeg4 format, which is more bandwidth-intensive. "If you combine the use of proper codecs [video encoding technologies] and efficient use of CPU in compression, live TV can be streamed over 2.5Mbps."
He says with a South African cap of 5GB of bandwidth, the delivery of around 20 standard movies, or 7.3 high-definition films combined with 10 standard, can be made. "It is true that telcos need to lift the concept of capping to really make it work."
IPTV in SA, no way!
However, World Wide Worx strategy MD Steven Ambrose says the IPTV market in SA will not take off. "There is simply no way the current telecoms and bandwidth model can support the IPTV market."
ADSL currently allows for a maximum throughput of around 4Mbps, he points out. "And it's generous to say that customers get 2.5Mbps speeds while using the products." He adds that the system of selling bandwidth in chunks will also not allow for streaming TV, because in the average home, the low caps will maybe allow for "20 minutes of video".
Ambrose says the current consumer mindset is for immediacy, which also hinders the implementation of video on-demand. "If a consumer can instantly turn on his TV and gain access to what he wants, why wait for a 10-minute download for a movie.
"Technically, teams who have tested the technology locally say the implementation is possible, however, impractical."
According to Ambrose, the one possibility is the on-network option where he says telcos may provide softer or more generous rates and caps for local IPTV. "This may be an option, but there is little movement in this direction yet."
Telkom Media is testing ADSL 2+, which reportedly can run at speeds of up to 22Mbps; however, the company could not be reached to discuss the future of this technology.
Related stories:
IS consolidates for IPTV
IPTV a 'non-starter'
Telkom's R30bn NGN on track
Share