[opendtv] Verizon Wireless Prepares Network for TV Broadcasting

From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: OpenDTV Mail List <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2014 08:37:04 -0500
First Verizon announces the purchase of Intel's OTT MVPD technology, triggering 
an interesting debate about their ability to change the rules, and the behavior 
of the content congloms. The article that Bert and I have been arguing about 
suggests that Verizon has the clout to create an OTT MVPD service, but it will 
likely be more expensive than cable and DBS.

Would you pay a bit extra, if the service ALSO included the ability to receive 
high value TV "broadcasts" on your mobile devices, like NFL football games?

Bert and I have also debated the value of Broadcast LTE, especially as it 
relates to the ability of existing TV broadcasters to replace the ATSC standard 
with a broadcast LTE standard.

The debate about the future of terrestrial TV broadcasting in the U.S. may 
already be over. It may become a second class citizen, as the wireless telcos 
move to the NEW "triple play..."

1. High speed (wire or fiber) broadband to the home (ISP)
2. OTT MVPD service via their ISP service
3. Wireless broadband for mobile devices with LTE multicast to deliver live TV

Cable and DBS cannot offer #3 without help. Perhaps they can team up with 
existing broadcasters, using the existing broadcast spectrum for LTE Multicast.

Regards
Craig

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/verizon-lte-multicast/?ref= 
Verizon Wireless Prepares Network for TV Broadcasting

Cord cutters, the people who cancel their cable TV subscriptions in favor of 
Internet-based alternatives, are a looming threat for the television industry. 
Verizon Wireless wants to capitalize on that.

Verizon this week demonstrated LTE Multicast, its new technology to broadcast 
live video over its cellular data network. Inside a tent at Bryant Park in 
Manhattan, the company installed antennas to create a small network where 
people can watch the Super Bowl on mobile smartphones and tablets on Sunday.

Parissa Pandkhou, a director of mobile video delivery for Verizon, said that 
normally when people are watching video over the network, they each pull a 
connection from a cell tower to download a copy of the content. With LTE 
Multicast, Verizon pushes broadcasts that can be received by multiple devices 
at once. That method reduces congestion of the network because it is not 
creating multiple copies of the content.

Ms. Pandkhou used the analogy of a large group of people taking a train or 
driving their own cars. “It’s like if 1,000 people take the train going to work 
versus 1,000 people getting into their cars and going to the same destination,” 
she said. “You start congesting the road.”

Verizon expects to upgrade its network with the new broadcasting technology by 
the third quarter this year. It is still working out business models that would 
support video delivery to mobile devices. There are plenty of possibilities, 
like allowing customers to pay a monthly subscription to watch video through a 
channel provider’s app. Verizon could also take sponsorships from TV channel 
providers to pay for the bandwidth used to broadcast their content.

Verizon says it already has a relationship with the National Football League, 
so live sports will probably be among the first offerings from the new service.
[opendtv] Verizon Wireless Prepares Network for TV Broadcasting

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