Digeo, the PVR formerly known as Moxi, and Integra5 Communications, a converged messaging and communications technology, today announced the addition of telephony to the Digeo PVR. The Moxi Media Center and Integra5′s UniTV converged services platform can now deliver a triple play – voice, video and data.
The Moxi Media Center with Moxi Telephone includes on-screen caller ID, call logging and message control. Adding telephone features to the TV enhances the viewer experience, helps generate incremental revenue and complements cable telephony services, says Digeo.
Designed to work with both traditional and advanced set-top boxes, Integra5′s UniTV converges information and content across four different kinds of networks — television (cable, satellite and IPTV), data, telephony (VoIP and public- switched telephone) and cellular networks.
“Interoperability with UniTV allows deployment of Moxi Telephone on a much wider scale,” said Bert Kolde, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Digeo, Inc. “Now operators can provide Moxi Telephone over both VoIP and traditional voice networks, allowing them to offer attractive bundling packages and potentially increase average revenue per user.”
UniTV receives call signaling and control information and then forwards it to the Moxi Media Center, which then displays caller ID and message information on the subscriber’s television.
“The platform- agnostic, standards-based nature of UniTV levels the competitive playing field, allowing any broadband operator to capitalize on profitable quad-play converged services,” said Eyal Bartfeld, president and CEO of Integra5.
The Moxi Media Center includes a dual-tuner HDTV digital video recorder (DVR), enabling the user to watch one channel while recording another, as well as pause and replay live TV. Integra5′s UniTV converged services platform combines signal and media delivery from multiple networks (telephone, data, cellular and cable TV).
DirecTV, with 14 million subs, is talking to a number of telecommunications providers about adding WiMax, according to Chief Executive Chase Carey. WiNetworks says they demonstrated an application of real-time streaming video over WiMAX integrated with an existing DVB infrastructure.
DirecTV is currently bundled with Qwest and Bell South for television. Cable and now phone companies Verizon and SBC are beginning to introduce bundles of TV, Internet, and phone services.
KenCast software supplies IP multicast files and live streams. Several channels of live streaming video was multicast to handhelds by KenCast from access points in Central Park during the New York Marathon last year.
Videotron plans a “quadruple play”, adding wireless phone service to their existing broadband, VoIP, and video bundle. Rogers Wireless will act as a MVNO (mobile virtual network operator), selling wireless voice and data services. Vid otron is using the G6 Universal Media Gateway, certified by CableLabs as a PacketCable-qualified media gateway, to deliver VoIP quality and greater than 99.999% gateway service availability.
Interestingly, Google can host people’s downloaded video for free and indexes and searches it. Whether Google would be a part of any “triple play” is just speculation, however.
What they need is a fast wireless connection. But how could Google (or anyone) deliver 10-20 Mbps “wireless cable” to the home for IP-TV everywhere?
Oh, yeah. There’s the Multichannel Video Distribution & Data Service (MVDDS), which goes on the FCC’s auction block late this year.
The terrestrial licenses will use the same spectrum as satellite broadcasters DirecTV and Echostar (500 Mhz on the 12 GHz band). MVDDS avoids satellite interference by beaming their terrestrial transmitters South. Subs must point their antennas North, away from potential satellite interference. MVDDS licensees will provide one-way video programming and high-speed data. Two-way is forbidden. But 2-way data and VOD is possible using other spectrum (like WiMax) for the return path.
MVDDS results in TV & Internet services with:
- Up to 2000 Digital MPEG2 Channels.
- Up to 6 Gb/s Wireless Internet / Intranet Access Capacity
- More than 100 km Radius Range with a 4 watt transmitter.
- Very low cost. The infrastructure is mostly air.
Now that’s Multicasting!
The unicast internet isn’t designed for television distribution. But last mile wireless is.
It’s Global Mobile Television. The free triple play with WiBro everywhere.
- Cell phones are the new radio.
- Satellites are the new television.
- WiMax & WiFi are the new networks.
The World is Flat (mp3).
