We receive a number of requests for ways one can add IPTV services to their offering. There's no easier way then looking at the SES-AMERICOM solution for offering IPTV. Forget about procuring your own hardware, as they've already done the work of negotiating contracts with content providers and creating the end-to-end hardware solution. Simply contact SES-AMERICOM about the contact SES-AMERICOM about their IP-PRIME solution to discuss the possibilities and start offering IPTV to your customers.

Also in the news today, SES AMERICOM unveiled its satellitewiki.com. The website lets visitors explore the history of man-made satellites, definitions of satellite terms and learn about how satellites impact a wide range of industries from oil and gas to television.

Showtime Networks is taking its 2008 Primetime Emmy campaign online in a modern approach which provides members of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences an efficient and eco-friendly option to screen eligible programming for awards consideration. Working with Internet TV leader Brightcove they will deliver a customized Internet-based experience that allows voting members to view full seasons of Showtime's original series beginning February 15 and throughout the June balloting and final August judging phases. SHOWTIME is the first network to make entire seasons available to Academy members via the internet.

Dreampark to deliver its Dreamgallery middleware to Spanish triple-play operator, TV Almansa through the cooperation with Spanish system integrator bcSistemas. bcSistemas will offer Dreampark’s IPTV middleware and provide system integration services to its customers. The first operator contract is signed and the system will be delivered in February.

Dreamgallery is an ideal solution for System Integrators because it enables them to make changes to the offering independent of the middleware provider. With Dreamgallery, SI’s can add features, functionality and integration without Dreampark thus increasing their flexibility and control over their content and operations. In addition, Dreamgallery’s easy-to-use administration enables independent local adoption of the portal and content.

Deutsche Telekom ended it's 2007 strong with 150,000 orders for it's IPTV service, 116,000 of which had been connected. The growth of 100,000 subscribers proved to be "Tom Brady-like" having made a significant come back to the IPTV market in the fourth quarter of last year. Deutsche Telekom made two critical play calls that appear to have paid off: revamping their IPTV offerings and knocking 25 percent off its entry-level package price. In 2008 Deutsche Telekom is hoping to build on its fan base and tackle an additional 350,000 customers to take them over 500,000.

Widevine has launched service with Merlin Interactive to securely view premium Warner Bros. television content at www.wbla.com. Using any platform, consumers can log onto WBLA.com on Mondays following the Thursday and Sunday broadcasts of shows like "Gossip Girl" to stream entire episodes in secure Flash. Because the content is both secure and in Flash format it circumvents any barriers for consumers given Flash's compatibility with both PCs and Macs. Widevine's security supports all formats, browsers and operating systems. Merlin Interactive is managing, implementing and servicing this complete solution for the Warner Channel and also is providing extensive Flash development, integration and workflow design.

ROO has formed a tripartite business alliance with Abacast and Pando Networks to offer P2P streaming solutions to its current and future customers. The alliance will provide live streaming and VoD through the ROO Media Player. By combining forces with Abacast and Pando, ROO will be able to offer these P2P products as white-label solutions to its global network of customers increasing streaming quality while reducing associated bandwidth costs.

As part of the agreement, ROO has exclusive access to the technology of Abacast and Pando vis-a-vis certain of its direct competitors. The companies will work with ROO to integrate their respective technologies into the ROO Media Player environment to facilitate a seamless end-user experience offering both solutions through the single ROO client application.

To engage Americans and make the 2008 Republican National Convention the most tech-savvy ever, convention President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Cino said Ustream.TV will serve as the event's Official Live Video Streaming Provider. The announcement was made during a news conference broadcast live over the Internet using the Ustream.TV Web-based video platform.

"Partnering with Ustream.TV sends a clear message that the Republican Party wants the Internet generation and all people -- from Party loyalists to casual observers -- to be part of the 2008 Republican National Convention," said Cino. "Anyone with computer and Internet access will be guaranteed a front-row seat to history through http://www.GOPConvention2008.com, as we formally nominate the next President and Vice President of the United States."

By James Carlini, an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University and President of Carlini & Associates

Depending on your current definition of broadband network connectivity, you might want to update your frame of reference.

Did you know at the beginning of 2008 that Japan announced its objective for broadband connectivity is 10 gigabits by 2010? In some recent discussions I have had, some industry pundits think 1 gigabit is too high to achieve.

A couple megabits or even 30 Mbps to 40 Mbps to the premise as a design goal is an obsolete objective unless you are aiming us into a third-rate infrastructure for the future.

HomePNA broadens its HomepPNA 3.1 product availability and telephone company deployments demonstrate how the open standard is maturing in the multimedia home marketplace. With more than 17 HomePNA products on the market, nine large telcos and many smaller telcos have deployed HomePNA to deliver high-speed, triple-play services to subscribers.

Aliant stated that the availability of HomePNA 3.1 products eased the telco’s deployment of IPTV services to customers. “We are pleased that there are now off-the-shelf products available to Aliant that incorporate the HomePNA 3.1 standard to simplify the in-home experience for our end-user customers,” said Gary Lund, chief technical officer for Aliant. Aliant is the leading IPTV service provider in Atlantic Canada and one of the largest regional telcos in North America. “HomePNA allows us to use the existing wires in our customers’ homes to reduce installation times for Aliant TV’s growing customer base without compromising performance.”

BitBand has implemented its Auto-CDN technology at ON Telecoms, enabling increased storage space and reduced traffic load in ON’s network. On Telecoms successfully completed installation of a metropolitan fiber optic network totaling 220 km of fiber in the Attica region of Greece. The company offers voice telephony, high speed broadband and television to residential and business customers accessing till now 1.350.000 million households and 300.000 companies in wider Attica area.

BitBand Auto-CDN is a dynamic, real time mechanism for content positioning in the network according to actual usage of assets, maximizing streaming throughput, optimizing storage capacity and minimizing network load. Utilizing BitBand’s Auto-CDN, On Telecoms can leverage network resources and further expand its offering to Greek customers.

More than half a million customers will experience IPTV and other interactive multimedia services through Vastar Cable TV System’s new network, powered by Ethernet solutions from Nortel. Vastar is Taiwan’s first cable TV service provider licensed for fixed-line business services. To better serve its customers, Vastar Cable is using Nortel Ethernet technology to deliver digital TV, video-on-demand services, live gaming, tailored Web portals and other interactive IP multimedia services for TV. The solution also enables Internet access on IP phones, mobile phones, portable media players and laptops.

According to the newest edition of TV Markets Quarterly Monitoring from InfoCom, during 2Q07, most of the television viewers in Western Europe still prefer receiving television service over terrestrial platform. Viewing programmes using this platform does not cost as much as rival platforms. In Greece, Italy, Spain, France, the UK, Portugal and Finland, terrestrial or free-to-air TV viewers represent between 51% and 91% of the total TV market as of 1H07, according to InfoCom.

Joining the current trend of video/social community start-up sites, NEXT.TV is rolling out its new web application at DEMO 2008. NEXT.TV users will be able to enjoy hit TV shows, movies, music videos, shorts, documentaries and much more. Launching with over 100 channels, NEXT.TV features programming across all genres including comedy, drama, cartoons, sports and science fiction. Channels and programs available on NEXT.TV will vary by geographic region and include programming from around the world allowing viewers to experience global television. NEXT.TV channels include CBS, Hearst, HSN, TV Guide, Showtime, Endemol, Fremantle, National Lampoon, Comedy Time, Reality.TV, March Entertainment, Synthesis, Movieola, Soma, Yoga Journal, Fun Little Movies, BoomJ and more as well as International channels from over 40 countries around the world including TV Galega (Brazil), Canel 9 (Chile), ABTV5 Thailand, India TV (India), Canal Vasco (Spain), GTV (Israel) and KBC (Kenya). NEXT.TV can be accessed with a wired or wireless broadband Internet connection and offers broadcast-quality content to viewers for free.

PermissionTV has launched their new SmartPlayer. The innovative platform offers major brands, media companies and publishers, the technology to engage audiences, enhance relationships, drive advertising revenue and maximize customer value through rich, interactive video experiences. PermissionTV’s patent-pending SmartPlayer technology responds to viewer needs and preferences in real time to deliver the most relevant and engaging user experience.

Leading organizations – including Adobe, Bob Vila, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cygnus Business Media, Harvard Business School Publishing, Intercontinental Hotels and Toyota Scion – and their partner advertising and interactive agencies are using PermissionTV SmartPlayer to create their own branded, online video initiatives for a wide array of marketing objectives.

Aliant has begun using CopperGate’s CopperStream HomePNA 3.1 chipset integrated into set-top boxes and other Ethernet-over-Coax products for deployment of its new IPTV service offering. Aliant is the leading IPTV service provider in Atlantic Canada.

Aliant TV was launched in June 2005 and is now available in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia; Moncton, New Brunswick; and St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Aliant TV delivers digital picture and sound quality and features over 200 fully digital television channels and over 170 digital audio services, pay-per-view and an easy-to-use electronic (on-screen) program guide.