Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

Even though I am sure we are going to get through this financial mess, economic reality does set it and there are times when families or individuals need to cut back on their cable / IPTV bills.

If you decide to totally unplug from TV here are some other alternatives  Some are free. 

Some cost money.

Your mileage may vary. 

If you need to totally  unplug, then give it a try for a month and see if you can do something else, like reading!  Personally, I can see giving up TV, but not DSL for the family. 

If it’s just you, then get a wireless aircard so you can have broadband access at home and wherever you go.

Here are some choices:

AppleTV:  I’ve got an AppleTV device and I really like it.  I find myself watching YouTube videos, including my own,  on my big screen (free) and renting movies from Apple, instead of from AT&T, as they are less expensive.  Also, you can port your movies for viewing on your computer or your iPhone for when you travel. 

Hulu.  I’ve noticed that I’ve started to watch The Daily Show on Hulu rather than on my big screen.  Sometimes I just need a break at work and want to see an episode, or part of an episode I missed.  Hulu’s interface is great and easy to navigate.

Joost. The new and improved Joost is somewhat akin to Hulu.  In its opening pitch, they are even talk about "social stuff" so I supposed they are trying to help like minded viewer communities.

DailyMotion They bill themselves as being about finding new ways to see, share and engage your world through the power of online video. You can find - or upload - videos about your interests and hobbies, eyewitness accounts of recent news and distant places, and everything else from the strange to the spectacular.

Vudu.  You still have to buy the $299 set top box, but can rent movies for $1.99 each.  I guess it saves a trip to the video store and is less than renting a video from AT&T.

Netflix.  No web access required.  You get your videos in the mail.  Or, you can buy their $99 set top box from Roku and download their movies.

PrimeTimeRewind.com.  This is from my pal, Jeff Pulver, who’s always out there on the next thing in disruption.  Jeff’s site is really cool because, like its name, you can get free prime time shows and re-wind them.  Hate to miss Family Guy?  No problem, Jeff’s got ‘em.

These are just a few samples of the best of the best. 

If you are hunkering down, but still want to scale back on your monthly bill, try going to a less expensive package.  In the case of U-verse pricing, you can save money by going from the U400 to the U100 package. 

Packages start at $44 per month.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

There’s been quite a bump in readership and media coverage because of my coverage on the first AT&T WiFi / Starbucks store in San Antonio.

While I am very excited about the notion of having free WiFi at Starbucks, there is more to the story here.  From the start, I have always felt that AT&T was about to give me more than just an alternative to cable. 

Starting next month, I will be going on my third year of writing from the mind’s eye of the consumer of what it’s like to be a ‘three screens" customer.

I hope my perspectives are helpful to you and welcome your continued participation in the conversation.

My instinct tells me that I am just getting going…..

Photo by Alan Weinkrantz (c) 2008 - All Rights Reserved

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Charles Arthur from Guardian is telling us why ISPs are mad as hell. Well I guess they will get madder as we march forward with Unifying all communications.
What’s happening is this: people are going directly to the iPlayer page and watching programmes. They’re not using the peer-to-peer version; Bummer! too much hassle, and it uses up too much processing power. Here are the latest Latest figures, (Over 3.5 million programs have been streamed or downloaded on demand via the BBC iPlayer within a fortnight of its marketing launch on Christmas Day.) covering the first month of operation.
My ISP must be happy, I watch BBC over the satellite, which is also by the way a service from my provider!
Charles’ report.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

IPTV supported by G-Cluster is providing on demand games over broadband and settop boxes.
Gamotopia: Amino unveils world’s first integration of the G-cluster

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Industry-Leading Compression and Multiplexing Solutions Enable Sun Direct TV to Quickly Offer Direct-to-Home Service to 40 Million Homes

New Delhi, India - Convergence India 2008 Booth #B-24 - March 19, 2008 - Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that Sun Direct TV Private Limited has deployed Harmonic’s market-leading digital video solutions for India’s first MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast service. Harmonic has enabled Sun Direct TV to quickly offer its new DTH service to 40 million homes in southern India by providing a rapidly deployable, end-to-end solution encompassing the latest generation DiviCom® Electra® encoders, DiviTrackIP™ statistical multiplexing, the ProStream™ 8000 digital mosaic solution and NMX Digital Service Manager™. Sun Direct TV’s new service was launched in early 2008 with 120 standard definition (SD) channels, and the operator plans to add high definition (HD) video in the near future.The world’s leading satellite video service providers—including seven of the ten largest DTH operators—use Harmonic’s advanced IP-based solutions to deliver ultra-high quality video at ultra-low bit-rates. The Electra encoders are used as part of a statistical multiplex to enable Sun Direct TV to maximize service-carrying capacity by optimizing bit-rates based on content complexity, while providing superior video quality for a compelling viewing experience. The ProStream 8000 digital mosaic solution is also being used by Sun Direct TV to add digital audio channels to its DTH line-up.

"Sun Direct TV’s launch of India’s first MPEG-4 DTH service reflects our commitment to bringing the best and most advanced video service to our customers," said Tony D’Silvia, Chief Operating Officer for Sun Direct TV. "Harmonic’s innovative video delivery technologies are well regarded around the world. The compression efficiency of the Electra encoders makes it possible for us to provide outstanding picture quality at lower bit-rates, but most importantly, Harmonic’s quickly deployable IP-based solution played a key role in enabling the rapid launch of our DTH service."

"Sun Direct TV is a dynamic operator with great vision," said Raymond Tse, Vice President of Asia Pacific Sales for Harmonic Inc. "By leveraging the latest in MPEG-4 technology, Sun Direct TV is able to deliver digital content much more efficiently and cost-effectively, resulting in greater bandwidth utilization and a highly competitive digital video offering. With this deployment, Sun Direct TV assumes a clear technology leadership position in India’s DTH market."

Harmonic’s IP-based DiviCom Electra H.264 encoders deliver up to four full resolution and simultaneous low resolution channels in one rack unit, offering operators a dense, high performance solution that significantly reduces energy consumption. Harmonic was the first solution provider to introduce IP-based statistical multiplexing with DiviTrackIP, offering operators more flexibility in their video networks by eliminating the need for encoders to be physically co-located. Sun Direct TV’s network is provisioned and managed by Harmonic’s service-centric and user-friendly NMX™ Digital Service Manager.

Visit www.harmonicinc.com for more information.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

March 12, 2008, 07:00 (CET) Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) has been selected to act as end-to-end IPTV systems integrator, solution provider and business consultant for tier one Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE SA).

The integrated IPTV solution for OTE comprises of headend systems from Tandberg Television, part of the Ericsson group, middleware application, content distribution platform and a customized and flexible consumer portal. The solution will also involve complete implementation and integration of tools for operational management.

Ericsson was chosen for its proven ability to deliver a complete IPTV solution that meets the market demands.

The IPTV solution will enable OTE to offer new and sophisticated services to its consumers. The initial offer will include a wide variety of broadcast channels, video on demand, electronic program guide, and personal video recorder capabilities.

Jan Wäreby, head of Ericsson’s multimedia business, says: "We are proud that OTE has chosen Ericsson. This is a major step for Ericsson and OTE in the new multimedia arena, where IPTV is playing a key role."

Ericsson offers an end-to-end IPTV solution consisting of IPTV middleware, video on demand, network-based PVR, IPTV headends, content protection, IPTV infrastructure, systems integration and IPTV applications such as games. Ericsson has to date signed more than 180 IPTV contracts. Those include commercial contracts, trials, IPTV System Integration projects, IPTV headend contracts and IPTV infrastructure contracts for access, metro transport and IP Edge.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

In a couple of weeks you will be able to sit on your couch and, with Apple remote, rent a movie or purchase a TV episode or stream video from youtube.
iWantmygTV: Apple TV 2.0 Cheaper Easier And Ready For IPTV

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Santa Clara, Calif. and Marina Del Rey, Calif. — January 3, 2008 — Macrovision^® Corporation (NASDAQ: MVSN) and CinemaNow (www.cinemanow.com), a digital entertainment innovator delivering high-quality Hollywood movies and TV shows across multiple platforms, today announced that the two companies have integrated their technologies to enable consumers to acquire premium video content and download it directly from CinemaNow to a Macrovision-enabled consumer electronics devices such as digital television sets (DTV), set-top boxes (STB), and network attached storage (NAS) devices.

With this technology integration, consumers can expect to register their Macrovision-enabled hardware at CinemaNow.com, allowing them to watch one of the largest online selections of movies, TV shows and music videos on their television by using the selected device. Macrovision’s technology will also enable the devices to find, stream and playback other personal content stored anywhere on the home network.

"CinemaNow is dedicated to providing access to great entertainment wherever our customer is, in the living room or on the go," said Curt Marvis, CEO of CinemaNow. "Making sure our service is readily available on as many devices as possible is part of that mission, and that’s why we’re collaborating with Macrovision."

The technology integration combines Macrovision’s Connected Platform technology and CinemaNow’s proprietary digital entertainment distribution technology. Macrovision’s Connected Platform is a comprehensive and flexible software solution that enables consumer device manufacturers to develop consumer entertainment products that can acquire streamed music, photos and video from PCs and networked storage devices. It is a component of the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standard and is compliant to the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) standard.

"CE manufacturers are realizing that content is king and their devices are only as good as the content that they can access," said Eric Free, EVP and general manager of Macrovision’s Embedded Solutions Business Unit. "Through teaming up with CinemaNow, we’re providing CE manufacturers with new services that simplify the process of acquiring content for the home and enriching consumers’ experience with digital entertainment."

Consumers want access to a large selection of downloadable content to be viewable on a wide variety of high-end consumer electronic devices. However, because most of these devices are limited to playing back DVDs or previously recorded programming, consumers are not always able to view their choice of content on their preferred device. Macrovision and CinemaNow’s integration will help bridge the gap between the PC and living room experience by connecting these devices.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

The IPTV service that I am using, Joost had many widgets added during the course of testing. Last we reported that our Joosting has taken us the way of Mebo. Joosting have been a way of catching many of catching old full length TV Episodes. But now it is different, it is just like turning on youe satellite TV, many a channels, many a programs and of course Ads come up in the place. I have found the service to be a fine product. Here is the news release about the coke bubbles. Happy Joosting.

Nov. 15, 2007 – The Coca-Cola Company’s European team announced that it has released the first commercial widget for Joost™ , the world’s first broadcast-quality Internet television service.

The widget, called Coke Bubbles, allows people to personalize and share specific moments from Joost with their friends. When the Coke Bubbles widget is installed in Joost, people can comment about specific scenes in a show by sending a Coke Bubble to anyone in their email address book. Coke Bubble recipients receive an email alerting them to the scene, and when they visit Joost to watch the scene, their friend’s comment will appear in a transparent bubble on the screen.

“In creating Coke Bubbles, we wanted to give people a widget that would recreate the experience of chatting together with friends while watching TV– free from the constraints of time and space,” said Stafford Green, head of interactive marketing for the Coca-Cola European Union Group. “We are always striving to become enthusiastic investors in interactive community innovations, and creating the first commercial widget has been a fun, collaborative project for both The Coca-Cola Company and our friends at Joost.”

In addition to the launch of Coke Bubbles, the Coca-Cola European Union Group and Joost have announced a partnership to help widget developers create and launch more widgets and interactive innovations. Details of the initiative, including contest rules, guidelines and prizes will be disclosed at the first Joost Developer Days, which take place in London on Nov. 16, Amsterdam on Dec. 1 and New York on Dec. 7.

Thomas Barker, co-developer of the Coke Bubbles widget, said, "We’re delighted to be able to work with The Coca-Cola Company to bring something so simple yet useful to the Joost community. The technical depth of the Joost platform has given us real scope to create a rich user experience."

Mike Volpi, chief executive officer of Joost, said, “Introducing our first commercial widget marks an important milestone for Joost. We already have hours of great programming on Joost, and now, with Coke Bubbles, people are able to ‘curate’ and share their viewing experience. We look forward to working with The Coca-Cola Company, the developer community and all of our partners to make Joost even more customizable.”

Coke Bubbles beta version is publicly available for download now at http://www.cokebubbles.com. Developers interested in attending one of the Joost Developer Days should email dev-workshop@joost.com.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

If you remember Joost, a project by the founders of Skype, that I am enjoying very much, has added Meebo for it’s Channel Chat, IM platform. I wrongly thought it would be Skype but anything! May be due to restrictions on Skype IM platform! But this widget seems to be great and Meebo is what Joost widgets developers chose. There are many other widgets there and if you want to add develop widgets for Joost, they are arranging some developer days in a few cities.
There are three coming up pretty soon:

• London, November 16
• Amsterdam, December 1
• New York, December 7

If you want to sign up for one of these sessions, email dev-workshop@joost.com. You can also Check out http://blogs.joost.com/dev to find out what the other developers are thinking and doing.

And the term Joosting was coined here!

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–D2 Technologies, the market leader in embedded software platforms that power IP communications, and Ikanos Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:IKAN), a leading developer and provider of Fiber Fast™ broadband solutions, today unveiled a quadruple play residential gateway with D2’s voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) software. Attendees at the Fall VON 2007 conference can see a demonstration of the Ikanos Fusiv® Vx180 optimized with D2 Technologies’ vPort embedded VoIP software in Suite 105 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Oct. 29-Nov. 1.

The solution, which combines Ikanos’ Fusiv Vx180 VDSL2 gateway processor with D2’s vPort VoIP software, enables designers and manufacturers to quickly deliver residential gateways that support voice, video, data and mobile wireless services. The residential gateway design also accelerates the rollout of new VDSL2 customer premises equipment (CPE) for the home office or small- to medium-size businesses, offering comprehensive quality of service (QoS) for VoIP and Internet protocol television (IPTV) applications.

“By integrating our Fusiv technology with D2’s vPort platform, we are able to offer original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) more flexibility and choice in developing products that will support unified communications offerings around the world,” said Dean Westman, vice president and general manager of Ikanos’ Gateway Products Group. “This platform further enriches the Fusiv eco-system, enabling customers to benefit from a variety of solutions that utilize the advanced processing capabilities of Ikanos’ industry-leading Vx180 gateway processor.”

The Fusiv Vx180 multi-mode VDSL2 gateway processor provides 2.7 GHz of processing power, VoIP, multimode DSL and security, and supports best-in-class QoS and wire speed performance. With the Fusiv Vx180, space and power requirements are lower because it combines Ikanos’ industry-leading VDSL2 CPE PHY and its widely deployed Fusiv network processor architecture onto a single chip. The gateway processor is optimized for IPTV and triple play with features such as dynamic rate repartitioning (DRR) and seamless rate adaptation (SRA), which are expected to be incorporated into future standards enhancements.

D2’s vPort embedded VoIP software offers the industry’s broadest support for integrated circuit and system on a chip (IC/SoC) designs, including ARM- and MIPS-based architectures. It enables manufacturers to rapidly deliver the latest IP communications devices by ensuring networking, signaling and voice processing functions execute as an integrated solution on a single processor. D2’s VoIP software solutions are field proven, processing more than 45 billion minutes of VoIP traffic in customer-deployed products per month.

“Ikanos and D2 have the same goal: to help designers and manufacturers bring full-featured communications solutions to market quickly and economically,” said Doug Makishima, vice president of marketing and sales at D2 Technologies. “By combining the strengths of our technologies, we now offer OEMs a way to simultaneously simplify design and improve the performance of VoIP-enabled gateway products for the fastest-growing market segment — consumers and small businesses.”

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Nokia Siemens Networks announced that it has won a contract from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), India’s largest telecommunications service provider, to deploy broadband access across 7000 Indian villages. The contract is a part of the greenfield rural tender from BSNL. The new access network’s high bandwidth will allow BSNL to deliver high data and triple play intensive services such as Video on Demand, Video Multi cast, IPTV, Video Conferencing and VPN among others to its customers. The network will also enable BSNL to provide connectivity to CSCs (Community Service Centres) and other e-governance locations.

The two year agreement includes Supply, Installation and Commissioning , Training and Annual Maintenance Contract for 5 years. As part of the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks is deploying its Gigabit Ethernet-capable IP DSLAMs Surpass hiX5625 (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexers) and chassis based access switch (Surpass hiD6615). Nokia Siemens Networks will also supply end-user devices that will enable BSNL to provide speeds of up to 24Mbps for ADSL2+ subscribers over its existing copper infrastructure. The first phase of new lines deployment will be completed by Q1 of 2008.

News Release By Nokia