Appendix C

Methods of access - Personalised TV

Personalised TV is almost the opposite of broadcast TV as it can be accessed anytime and on-demand within a single household. It can also be customised or personalised to meet the different requirements of each member of that household. This is compared with broadcast TV where viewers have to make an appointment to view a programme when it is broadcast or specifically set up their video recorder to save it for future viewing.

Personalised TV is starting to be accessed though cable networks and through existing telephone lines which have been upgraded with ADSL technology. An existing TV is connected to a set-top box, which is linked to the cable or ADSL network. Commercial trials of both solutions are operating in the UK. Another solution for distributing services via satellite is also possible.

The emerging characteristics of personal TV involve: -

• All solutions having the capability to view, pause, rewind and perhaps fast-forward
• Interactivity will be possible
• Personal profiles very likely which automatically learn television-watching preferences giving TV viewers quick, easy, private access to the increasing amount of information available to them (1)
• Cut & paste may also be possible if copyright issues are resolved
• Cash, including microcash payments will become possible via credit cards or billed to be customer

Video-on-demand can be sent in an MPEG1 or a MPEG2 format but the later requires more bandwidth. Philips and Liberate Technologies (31) have recently also announced an MPEG-4 solution. A few streaming media solutions like Philips (32) using Windows Media (33) in their cable set-top boxes are also beginning to emerge.

Two types of solutions are beginning to emerge. This involves a server-based solution and a client –based solution.

Server-based solutions

Video on demand services are starting to emerge via cable and ADSL technologies. This enables the viewer to request programmes, audio or video clips and information services and play interactive games. These are stored on a remote server and streamed to the set-top box in home. Examples of services merging in the United Kingdom include:

• Yes Television - has a commercial trial to 200 homes in the Cardiff via NTL cable with MPEG2 films, interactive games and information services
• Video Networks has a video on demand service using ADSL but MPEG1 films
• Kingston Vision (Hull) in conjunction with Yes Television has a VOD service over ADSL delivering MPEG2 at 4Mbs (5) . Although recently the partnership appears to have been broken (6). Kingston Communications, parent company of Kingston Vision now has plans for a national roll-out of its of the pay-television service based on ADSL technology (7) planned to start in July 2001 The interactive television and video-on-demand service will probably be rolled out in a joint venture with BskyB (8).
• BskyB has is now starting to offer its multi-channel television service via ADSL with a deal with Kingston Communications, parent company and is drawing up a business plan on the costs of rolling out the service nationwide (9).
• FutureTV (10) – also offer a technology solution but has yet to roll out its own service in the UK although it is having discussions with Kingston Communications.
• NTL also have plans to launch a video-on-demand service over its cable network (11).

A hybrid of this is a server-based personalised video recorder (PVR) facility is being developed across Scientific-Atlanta's (12) interactive digital network in the US. Cable operators who have deployed a Scientific-Atlanta digital platform will be able to offer their subscribers the capability of recording a selected video collection, and then storing that collection at the cable operator's headend for future viewing. The selected programs are essentially "time shifted" for the subscriber and available for viewing at his or her convenience. Other personal services scheduled for inclusion are: time shifted programming, replay of live events, hyperlinking between applications, e-commerce connectivity, targeted and controlled advertising, instant chatting over video, video mail and more.

Client or home-based solutions

This involves having large hard-disk storage capability 30-50Gb within set-top boxes or separate digital or personal video recorders (DVR or PVR). Within five years this capacity could be 500 Gb. The PVR has the ability to download multimedia content and store for future viewing.

TiVo (13) and Replay Networks (14) are examples of services in the United States. The top of the range ReplayTV appliance from Replay Networks consists of two 13.7Gb hard disks capable of holding up to 28 hours of digital-quality video (15). Currently it retails at $1,499 (16) but as the cost of memory continues to decrease this price will go down. Sony (17) has recently launched a new Digital Network Recorder, selling at $399 that uses TiVo's "Personal TV" service. A monthly subscription to the TiVo service is available for $9.95 (18). Through the use of TiVo's Ipreview (19), passive promotions will be turned into an interactive viewer experience on the Showtime channel. This will allow viewers the convenience of scheduling a recording directly from promotions. This type of technology development offers possibilities for scheduling or requesting learning materials whilst they are being promoted or prompting someone to address their own learning need whilst identifying with the learning needs of a character in a "soap". Wink (20) in the US has also a solution for enabling personalised e-commerce on TV. This could be utilised for "learning on-demand" and paying for it via a TV really becomes possible if someone wants to set-up such a service. Interestingly TiVo has also developed an alliance with BskyB and has plans to market their PVR (21) later this year in the UK.

NTL (22) have also announced plans to launch interactive TV services probably during 2001 with a set-top box containing a built-in digital video recorder to download programmes and interactive services to a hard-drive. It will also be used for web browsing, email and chat facilities. NTL aim to bring interactivity and enhanced TV services to UK consumers unable to connect to NTL’s broadband cable network.

Additional technology solutions are also emerging to enable VOD subscribers to access to DVD supplemental content from the Internet or the cable headend without the need for buying DVD's or a DVD player. The technology has the ability to provide 'DVD Enhanced Movies' on-demand and to pause movies while they view out-takes from scenes, clues and other content, and then return to the movie with just two clicks of the remote control (23).

A report from the Yankee Group (24) predicts that the DVR will quickly evolve from a separate product into a feature, included with multichannel TV services from DBS and cable providers.

References

1. Metabyte TV press release "Metabyte Networks Demonstrates Seagate SeaStream Enabled Personal Video Recorder (PVR) with Powerful New Features" 8 May 2000 http://www.mbtv.com
2. Philips press release "Philips and Liberate Team to Demonstrate the Future of MPEG-4 Streaming Solutions for Digital TV Set-Top Boxes" 10 April 2000
3. Philips press release "Cable Leaders Team With Microsoft to Bring Broadband Streaming to Cable" 15 December 1999
4. Web site http://windowsmedia.com
5. Inside cable & Telecoms Europe "Kingston to Launch ADSL with Yes TV’s VOD 16 May 1999 http://www.inside-cable.co.uk/n99q2bbm.htm
6. Article in InteractiveTV Today "Kingston Communications Breaking with Yes TV for Future TV? April 2000
7. Teather, David "Kingston breaks out of Hull" Guardian Unlimited, 23 May, 2000 http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4021180,00.html
8. Snoddy, Raymond "Kingston plans TV network link with COLT" The Times Online 23 May 2000 http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?e7223945
9. Article – "BskyB in deal with Kingston Communications" The Times 10 February 2000 & Sky press release "Kingston Communications and BskyB partner on ADSL 9 February 2000
10. Further details found at their web site http://www.futuretv.com
11. Diva Systems Corp. press release "NTL Makes $6 Million Equity Investment in Leading Video-On-Demand Provider DIVA" 15 May 2000
12. Scientific-Atlanta Press Release "Scientific-Atlanta Announces Vsoft as a CreativEdge Member to Provide Solution Enabling Personalized On-Demand Video" 10 April 2000
13. Web site of TiVo: http://www.teleworld.com/index.html
14. Web site of Replay Networks: http://www.replaynetworks.com/index.html
15. Article "VCR-PC hybrid adds up to interactive TV" by Robert Lemos, ZDNN, 17 December 1998
16. Replay Networks press release "Replay Networks, Inc, Launches New Era in Television Personal TV Leader Ships Award-Winning ReplayTV", 26 April 1999
17. article in CNET.com "Personal Technology - Sony releases cheaper video recorder based on TiVo" 16 May 2000
18. TiVi press release "TiVo Personal TV service now available on Sony Digital Network Recorders" 16 may 2000
19. TiVo press release "Showtime first to deliver a new level of interactivity with TiVo's Ipreview -Innovative Technology from TiVo Enables Instant Recording from all Showtime On-Air Promos" 16 May 2000
20. Wink press release "Wink's Web Link Service is Free to Existing Partners" 16 December 1999 http://www.wink.com
21. Larsen, Peter Thal, "TiVo, BSkyB in UK video link" article in Financial Times 29 February 2000
22. Press Release "NTL first to announce plans to deliver interactive digital terrestrial and personal TV services in the UK with Microsoft TV software platform" 7 January 2000
23. Morecom press release "MoreCom Partners with Starz Encore Group For Delivering Enhanced Premium Movies" 24 May 2000 http://www.morecom.com/MC&Starz5_00.htm
24. "Digital Video Recorders: TV Gets Personal" January 2000 http://www.yankeegroup.com

 

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