The Glowria IPTV Blog

The Beauty of IPTV: It can be just about single malt Scotch Whiskey

Engadget has a good piece on Rob Drapers single IPTV channel called Single Malt TV (find it at http://www.singlemalt.tv/)

That's the beauty of IPTVs potential.  It's not about getting unlimited channels but about getting unlimited TV content through the channels you want or one personalized Superchannel.  I don't know how big the Single Malt TV audience is - though it's certainly addressing a decent size market - but if Rob Draper wants to produce it, then people can watch it without having to worry about whether their cable companies can offer it.

It's quite possible that as Cable companies adopt more Media Center type set top boxes that people will be able to subscribe both to core packages and then add on channels that come over the Internet.  This is not much different than watching movies on TV through your CinemaNow channel on Microsoft's Media Center.

I think it's also great that consumer oriented blogs like Engadget are focusing more on IPTV.  It's a strong sign that IPTV is coming into its own as a consumer technology.

Oh, and the best part for you HDTV fanatics?  It's in 720p.

 

Technorati tags: single malt TV, IPTV, rob draper, 720p, hdtv

The IPTV top 50 (or should that be "Internet TV")

Without even looking at the calendar, you can  tell it's the end of the year by the sudden pervasiveness of "top" lists. Monday, the blog IPTV Evangelist released the IPTV Top 50. The list is the result of a readers' poll looking for:

"...the most influential movers and shakers of the emerging field of Internet Television? Which individuals have created innovative technologies; lobbied for industry or regulatory change; created a killer on-line community or been the most visible personalities who are making IPTV a white-hot field for growth?"

There are a lot of familiar names on the list, particularly Chad Hurley, founder of YouTube at #1.  While the "mover and shaker" title certainly fits, YouTube does not (as the Evangelist admits) deliver IPTV content.

YouTube isn't the only questionable name on the list,  either. Not to say these folks haven't "created a killer on-line community" or aren't "visible personalities." They just aren't IPTV.

The distinction between Internet television and streaming video versus IPTV can be confusing, so in a year-end bout of reflection, I'd like to point out some articles and blog posts that deal with this issue, clarifying the differences.      

• IPTV Information's IPTV FAQ: Presents clear answers to simple questions like, "What is IPTV" and "When will I be able to watch it"

• IPTV and Streaming: Distinguishing the Differences: In this article from May 2005, Geoff Daily discusses these two approaches to content delivery, with commentary by Industry experts including Ed Graczyk, director of marketing and communications for Microsoft’s TV division, and Ken Pyle, cofounder of  Viodi.

• IPTV Vs. Internet Television: Key Differences: This post from June of 2005 again compares and contrasts the two approaches, ending with the big question - Which would you want?

• The Real Meaning Of IPTV: This article, penned by Mike Quigley, president and chief operating officer of Alcatel, begins its explaination with, ""Let's start with what IPTV is not. Specifically, it is not TV that is broadcast over the Internet."

• IPTV vs TV over IP: Om Malik puts his 2 cents in, as do his readers in the lively comments section.

If that's not enough reading, you can download the Broadband Services Forum's complete IPTV Versus Internet TV White Paperwhite paper here.

    

A True Broadband Television Trial

An article in Wired by Robert Lemos is a summary of his experience giving up cable for a month and only watching television using Internet (though not IPTV) based content.  While the article makes clear the limitations of today's Internet video offerings, it does illustrate that we are at a point where it will be come more feasable to move to a compelety broadband, interactive based video entertainment system at home instead of

I actually think Robert could have gone further.  I tried something similar at home using a Windows Media Center 2005 and their Online Spotlight Channels.  On TV watching evenings I was able to sit on the couch and flip through Comedy Central, news items and movies on demand (a la Movielink's Spotlight channel - Glowria for us Americans) - all for less money than my cable bill.  While it didn't have the channel surfing speed of cable, it did have decent quality (I have a 23 inch widescreen) and entertainment offerings.  Had I had a few more channels through the Media Center Spotlight and faster remote control surfing (i.e., download) capability, I would seriously consider giving up my traditional cable.

Interview with Mihai at Digital Hollywood Building Blocks

We will be posting some follow up to the digital Digital Hollywood Building Blocks conference in San Jose last week shortly.

Meanwhile, we are happy to link you to a video interview (in French) as conducted by Rodrigo Sepúlveda Schulz, entrepreneur, consultant, and venture capital professional specializing in Internet technologies.

The video can be viewed here.

-Editor