Fire up the computer - TV Via the Web is just a simple click away

Television watchers have been waiting a long time for something new to do with the remote - other than be threatened by their wives, that is. They may have it soon.

Some even suggest that the future of television is in giving couch potatoes even less, not more. They say the thinking to date has been "plug in your cable box and get 500 channels, most of which you're not interested in." It's an odd thing for television companies to want, but some are deliberately trying to upset the status quo, they want to bring one channel, and on that one channel allow you to get everything you want - plus some.

But haven't we heard all of this before? I still can't get Web TV on my computer at home.

Errr, well - yes, there may have been the odd irrational promise made during the dot-com bubble of the late '90s and early part of the new century. The Internet was supposed to transform television into a more selective, highly interactive experience. Unfortunately at that time, almost all but the most hearty of efforts to marry the Internet with the TV set failed. Now, though, there's reason to think that Internet TV may finally catch on.

Even names like Microsoft and other innovative firms have come out with software and a new type of hardware called "set-top boxes" (actually they've been around for quite a while now) that receives so-named "Internet protocol TV", a kind of interactive TV.

So how does this system work? How does the "signal" get to us?

This type of TV service will be distributed on the Internet rather than over pay systems like cable and satellite links. It is expected, that will allow the broadcaster to give viewers the ability to select programs from a database, the idea being to give the viewer more control over what they watch. Rather than say, blasting 500 or more channels into each home, IPTV would have only one. Here is where there is a difference; the viewer will determine just exactly what appears on that single channel. For this to happen, all that's needed are broadcasters to assemble programming for this type of format.

Who's going to deliver these types of services - the traditional broadcasters?

Overseas it would seem that the Telephone companies are eager to tap the fat TV revenues now earned mainly by cable and satellite companies. Traditionally, phone systems have not had the delivery capacity (bandwidth) of the cable and satellite networks, however their infrastructure is generally considered big enough to handle the one channel required

The trend is catching on in a big way in Europe with Swiss and Italian Telecom companies beginning tests using Microsoft's IPTV platform. Ireland's Magnet Service launched in January, using software from an Israeli based company. In Asia, India's Reliance Info Telecom has signed up with Microsoft and plans to introduce a service in the next few months. Taiwan is testing with a trial run of 40,000 homes. And Abu Dhabi has started a television network using Kasenna's technology, in which viewers can replay any program that has aired in the previous fortnight.

In the United States, small regional companies have been the first to act with offerings of television over the Internet more than a year ago. Right now, customers get the equipment that gives them the ability to record programs for about $12 a month. An alliance of 15 smaller telecoms in Minnesota, have also begun using the technology to offer video-on-demand services.

How long is it expected before we can actually expect to see IPTV in action?

As one analyst reports "IPTV has been six months away for about the last 10 years - now it seems, I'm happy to report, about six months ago it actually managed to started."

Analysts think Web-based TV is set to take off in a very similar manner to the way extremely popular broadband Internet services did a few years ago. They are expecting up to 26 million subscribers in the United States alone by the year 2008 and similar uptakes throughout other parts of the developed world. Earlier this month, some companies commenced trialling Microsoft's IPTV software that will eventually allow viewers to choose different camera angles at sporting events.

With IPTV, users should only need to upgrade wires already in the ground, for a fraction of the cost of what it might have cost a few years ago - what 10 years ago might have cost roughly billions, can now be done for about 10 percent of that.

There has to be some obstacles here - what are we expecting?

There is sure to be the usual legislative, ownership and licensing issues. Securing licenses to supply-and record-an endless stream of content is sure to be challenging.

It seems providers still have not hit upon the best way to make money from advertising. This has proven a thorny an issue ever since the interactive service, TiVo, raised the ire of advertisers by giving viewers a way of skipping commercials. Just exactly how much the Internet Protocol service ends up costing the consumer isn't exactly known. If broadcasters choose to give introductory special offers, and "bundle" other services along with internet television, it will probably determine just how quickly it catches on.

Consumers and viewers of Television shouldn't notice any real change in technology on the screen. They should however, soon, and at long last, have many fewer channels to watch and a great deal many more cool things to do with the remote.

Arthur Hissey
Computer Research & Technology
www.crt.net.au