Glossary

ADSL or Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is one form of DSL technology, which sends data over copper wires at a faster rate than legacy modems. ADSL differs from other DSL technologies in that it provides an asymmetric distribution of bandwidth for one of the two routes within the interactive architecture. ADSL broadband is crucial to IPTV services since it allows interactivity, but is perhaps the preferred IPTV delivery technology because it allows the service provider more bandwidth for the delivery than it does for the user to interact. Initially, most analysts believe IPTV services will remain mostly a delivered medium with interactivity at a minimum. Video on Demand (VoD) and p2p delivery services would not require as much bandwidth as the download of content from the service provider's head end would. A more interactive architecture whereby the user sends as much data to the service provider as it receives would require a different DSL technology with equal bandwidth for both routes. Currently ADSL is popular in Europe and Asia.

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Broadband over Power Line (BPL) is also called Power Line Telecommunications (PLT), Broadband Powerline Carrier, or Powerline Communications (PLC). BPL is a system mostly still in beta mode, but the technology’s aim is to provide broadband Internet service via electric power lines. The potential form of the technology is a one-plug solution for electricity as well as Internet connectivity. BPL is, of course, a wireline technology that is able to piggyback on the current electricity networks for data and voice transmission. Broadband access through powerlines would be especially useful in rural areas.

BPL has three current forms:

* Access BPL - The simple solution. Access BPL uses electrical distribution lines (overhead or underground) to provide broadband Internet access to homes and businesses.

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DVB, or Digital Video Broadcast, refers to a suite of internationally accepted standards for digital television, created by the DVB Project, an industry consortium that claims over 300 members. The standards are published by a Joint Technical Committee made up of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization and the European Broadcasting Union. These standards usually refer to MPEG formats and include everything from audio, video, data, subtitles to scrambling and Java-based content standards. Digital TV adoption is growing in the U.S., so DVBT news is often at the forefront of DVB reports. The DVB over IP solution is also gaining buzz as high-quality content delivery is anticipated. DVB standards currently agreed upon for:

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Interactive television (or interactive TV, iTV, idTV or ITV) refers to any television set-up that includes two paths of information—the downstream and the upstream. All television broadcasts include the downstream, from which the viewer receives video feeds or VODs from a service provider, but only interactive TV sends information back to the service provider via an upstream link. Other stricter definitions of iTV require that the viewer’s interactivity truly alters the viewing experience. For example, set-top boxes that track what a viewer watches and sends them back to the service provider do not directly affect the viewer’s experience. In the long run this information may lead programming changes, but in a strict sense this does not tap the interactive component of iTV. The “truly” interactive TV set-up requires a return channel or back channel over telephone, mobile SMS, cable or the Internet.

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IPTV or Internet Protocol Television delivers digital television service to subscribers via the Internet Protocol over a broadband connection. IPTV was introduced in 1995, is gaining favor for Video on Demand, and is most recently in telco news promoted by Microsoft as the future of streaming media. IPTV services are often offered in conjunction with Video on Demand (VoD) services as well as Internet data services like Web access and Internet Telephony, or VoIP. The “Triple Play over broadband” packages VoIP phone, IPTV and internet data in one solution and is typically supplied by a broadband operator using the same infrastructure

The crux of the IPTV service is its interactivity. Therefore, unlike most legacy cable television architectures, IPTV services necessitate a two-way stream of communication between service provider/system hub and the end user. Broadband access is the delivery method that enables this streaming media interactivity. Broadband technology uses DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) over the local loop. Bell Labs arguably made IPTV possible with the invention of DSL technology in 1988. An engineer at BL discovered a way to send digital data utilizing then-unused spectrum. The local loop combined with DSL forms a star network design, as opposed to legacy cable's ring network topology.

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A “triple-play service” in telecom refers to bundling Internet data services, television (IPTV) and phone service (VoIP). The term may also refer to computer boards and chips that combine voice, video and data processing. The triple play, however, is not a common standard for the three—simply a bundled offering of the three services. As consolidation continues in the telecommunications industry, the big players will go head-to-head with cable companies to seal the triple play offering with IPTV services. Some cable companies have already implemented VoIP services along with their cable TV and Internet data services. The driving force of this business strategy is the consumer search for the optimum triple play deal in one bundled bill. The primary barrier to the telco triple play solution is the architecture - a delivery system that uses a combination of fiber and DSL technologies brought to each subscriber’s home. Such fiber deployments are not yet ubiquitous and will require some time before the telcos can truly realize the triple play. Cable operators use a similar architecture, already in place. The hybrid cable facilities installed in most consumers’ homes supply Internet data services to many as well as the traditional cable television -- but more and more cable companies have added POTS (plain old telephone service) or VoIP to their offerings.

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VOD (Video on Demand) systems allow users to request and select video content over a network as part of an interactive television system. There are two types: • Download-based video - the full program is delivered to the set top box (STB) before viewing can begin. All download-based VOD systems allow the user to pause, fast-forward, rewind, jump to a scene and so forth. They enable a large set of VCR or DVR functionality for the television viewer. • Streaming VOD systems - the video plays as it streams from the Internet. For streaming IPTV systems, DVD-like functions require more effort on the part of the server, and may also require greater network bandwidth. Download VOD services are practical for homes equipped with cable modems or DSL lines and satellite-equipped homes. The large distribution of a single signal makes streaming VOD impractical for most satellite TV systems so download-based VOD is the only option for those. A PVR (personal video recorder) is the equivalent of a VOD VCR - without the cassette.

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