Special Report
mainstream and affordable for all content nature of IP means that a much more system and forces operators down a ‘walled
owners, a number of key issues need to be personalised and localised interactive offering garden’ model.
addressed: is possible. If the viewer feels like an Miniweb’s shared interactive services
• Interoperability - for maximum reach, enhanced TV offering is tailored to their platform is based upon the ETSI standard
services need to be authored once and individual interests and more specific and ‘worldwide TV Mark-up Language’ (wTVML), a
deployed across multiple types of TV relevant to their local area, they are far more strict XML format which is now being updated
distribution networks. likely to interact. to support broadband video, HD and various
• Low cost content authoring - TV Site user interface effects, transitions and objects.
authoring must be in line with web authoring, Low-cost content authoring For IPTV network operators, this format offers
and re-use Internet infrastructures and content access to the widest range of Internet derived
management systems. Having IP connectivity is not enough in content, as the network benefits from content
• Low cost of deployment - services need itself, there needs to be an authoring format already authored to the standard. It should be
to be made available independently of that will bridge the gap between TV devices emphasised that wTVML powered TV sites are
expensive testing and transmission bandwidth and Internet content management systems not websites. They use the Internet as a
costs. and infrastructure, and allow a service to be network, use standard protocols such as http
• Consumer usage - to drive traffic, there delivered to multiple interactive TV device and they share the same servers as websites,
must be cross platform, ubiquitous types without re-authoring. The problems but their pages are specifically designed and
mechanisms to associate TV audiences with a associated with using web technologies in a built for the TV environment.
service. TV environment are now fully understood by The interactive platform that Miniweb has
• Consumer appeal - services must be fast, operators. The main issues are: developed is a highly efficient programming
robust, entertaining, easy-to-use and solution for television display that
contain video entertainment and rich results in extremely fast user
content wherever possible. interactivity. This approach reduces
Fortunately the availability of server requests by up to six times
Miniweb’s managed interactive compared to applications built upon
service platform, together with the HTML and helps to preserve a good
convergence of broadband and quality user experience in heavy load
broadcast entertainment, means these situations. It also reduces server
issues are being addressed right now. capacity requirements for Internet-
based interactivity when compared to
The power of IP for interactive alternative approaches.
content delivery
Low cost of deployment
The future lies in the ability to
deliver interoperability across Another benefit of interactive
multiple networks, and to make the applications registered with the
services available ‘on line’ rather than Miniweb platform and delivered over
‘on air’. IPTV operators all share high IP is the ability to test them
bandwidth IP networks, which are automatically, using a simple online
significantly more efficient in robot tool, similar to the web spiders
delivering interactive propositions than the • Web technologies do not deliver used by search engines. Auto-testing
broadcast technologies of their Pay TV rivals. interoperability; the formats are not represents a significant saving in both cost
Using broadcast bandwidth to deliver iTV standardised for TV and cause more and time-to-market. Where an old-style
applications and data is an expensive and fragmentation when adapted for different broadcast-based application might take
inefficient method of delivering iTV services - devices and networks, rarely resulting in months to be formally approved by a network
highlighted for example, by the fact that portable services. operator, services authored for the Miniweb
recorded programmes watched through a PVR • Many traditional network operators have platform can be automatically tested and
will not have interactive services available as already deployed millions of devices not deployed in one hour.
these are watched outside of a real-time capable of running full web browsers, but are
broadcast. Repeatedly transmitting data from capable of running wTVML services - thereby Generating usage
a carrousel every few seconds in the hope that delivering further interoperability.
someone may want to use it served its purpose • Rather than reducing authoring costs, Reducing the cost of content creation,
when there was no alternative, but there is creating sites in web dialects is often more distribution and operations is one thing, but
now a much better way to deliver applications work than in a TV friendly format like what about the revenue side of the coin? The
and interactive content: broadband wTVML. overall return on investment will be based on
bandwidth. • TV and IPTV network operators continue the traffic or interactions that an individual age IPTV 25.
IPTV therefore offers an ideal platform on to white list only those services which they service gets; an increase in interactions is
which to launch such interactive services. By have manually tested for their devices. This usually synonymous with an increase in
partnering with an interactive service testing process adds cost to the deployment of revenues, either directly or indirectly.
provider, interactive TV services are ready to every service or site authored in HTML or The traditional way of generating
be tested and rolled out. The unique two-way JavaScript. This effectively prevents an ‘open’ interactive TV traffic is to associate a service
Continued on P
september 2008
iptv 21 guide2iptv
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