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IPTV

HD DVR Home Theater IPTV

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast - Podcast #543: Google Fiber TV

Google Fiber TV, launched in Kansas City, delivers an IPTV service over a gigabit residential fiber connection with a DVR unit featuring 2 TB of local storage, 1 TB of Google Drive cloud storage, and the ability to record up to eight simultaneous streams in full 1080p HD. The system blends traditional cable channels with Netflix and YouTube in a searchable interface, includes built-in placeshifting inherited from Sage TV technology, and ships with a Nexus 7 tablet as the primary remote. Priced at $120 per month for the combined gigabit Internet and TV package, the service currently lacks key channels like Fox and ESPN, which limits its appeal despite its technical ambition.

The HT Guys •
Podcasts
IPTV Cable HD DTV Transition

HDTV Expert - Is Cord-cutting Hurting the Pay TV Market? - by Ken Werner

Strategy Analytics forecasts digital TV subscriptions growing from 114M in 2011 to 129M in 2016 at a 2.36% CAGR, but their methodology bundles IPTV with traditional pay-TV, obscuring meaningful subscriber trends. When IPTV subscribers are subtracted, combined digital cable and satellite subscribers barely grow from 106M to 109M over the same period. Deloitte's survey data reinforces the concern, finding 9 percent of Americans have already cut the cord and 11 percent are actively considering it, signaling real pressure on traditional pay-TV providers.

Pete Putman •
Columns
3DTV Plasma TVs IPTV

Panasonic's 2012 Smart VIERA Plasma HDTV Model Line-Up Builds Upon Its Award Winning Tradition

Panasonic's 2012 Smart VIERA Plasma HDTV lineup spans 17 models from 42 to 65 inches, anchored by NeoPlasma Black 2500 technology with 24,576 steps of gradation and 6,220,800 pixel cells of full local dimming on flagship VT50 and GT50 series. New 27-gram Bluetooth rechargeable 3D glasses, cloud-based VIERA Connect IPTV with unlimited apps, built-in Wi-Fi, and THX certification in both 2D and 3D modes round out the platform. Buyers gain a genuinely expanded smart TV ecosystem alongside measurably improved contrast and eco-friendly mercury- and lead-free panels rated for 100,000 hours.

Shane Sturgeon •
Bulletins
IPTV OTA Set-Top Boxes (STBs)

Industry's First Integrated Wireless Receiver Gives U-verse TV Customers More Freedom to Easily Watch TV Anywhere, in Any Room in the Home

AT&T's U-verse TV Wireless Receiver, manufactured by Cisco, is the first fully-integrated wireless receiver offered by any TV provider, delivering live SD and HD content plus full Total Home DVR functionality over in-home Wi-Fi from a residential gateway access point. Priced at a one-time $49 fee plus $7 per month, the receiver requires only a power outlet and TV connection, eliminating the need for rewiring or dedicated outlet installation. This means customers can place a TV in virtually any room, including kitchens, patios, or guest rooms, without scheduling a technician for outlet work.

Shane Sturgeon •
Bulletins
IPTV Satellite HD Cable HD

HDTV Almanac - Pay TV Services Lose 0.5 Million Subs

Pay TV providers shed a net 553,000 subscribers in Q2 2011, with Comcast, Time Warner, Dish Network, and Cablevision all posting losses while only DirecTV gained a modest 26,000. Telco rivals Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-Verse bucked the trend, adding 184,000 and 202,000 subscribers respectively. With Q3 forecasts equally grim, the subscription TV market faces mounting pressure to adopt a la carte pricing as a potential strategy to retain cost-conscious customers.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Plasma TVs IPTV Streaming HD

Panasonic's 2011 VIERA Plasma HDTV Model Line-Up Builds Upon Its Award Winning 2010 Line

Panasonic unveiled seven 2011 VIERA Plasma HDTV models at CES, spanning 720p X3 and 1080p S30 series with screen sizes from 42 to 60 inches, all featuring 600Hz Sub-field Drive and the new Neo Plasma Infinite Black Filter for improved contrast in bright environments. The lineup transitions from VIERA Cast to the expanded VIERA Connect platform, adding apps such as Hulu Plus, Facebook, and MLB.TV alongside existing services like Netflix and Skype. DLNA compatibility and HDMI-CEC via VIERA Link allow seamless integration with other A/V components, making these sets a practical hub for both streaming and home network control.

Shane Sturgeon •
Bulletins
IPTV Cable HD Standards

AT&T U-verse TV Lineup Expands to Include Four New HD Channels

AT&T U-verse TV has added four HD channels - HLN HD, Discovery Kids HD, truTV HD, and Turner Classic Movies HD - bringing its total HD lineup to more than 130 channels across all U-verse markets. As the only 100 percent IPTV service offered by a national provider in the U.S., U-verse TV claims to exceed the HD channel counts of major local cable competitors in every market it serves. Subscribers with compatible packages gain access to these channels through their existing HD subscription, which requires a $10 monthly HD Technology Fee.

Shane Sturgeon •
Bulletins
OTA HD & Antennas IPTV

AT&T U-verse TV Lineup Expands to Include Five New HD Channels

AT&T U-verse TV expanded its lineup to more than 115 HD channels across all U-verse markets, adding five new HD channels including Cartoon Network HD, MSNBC HD, TV One HD, WFN HD, and TBN HD at no extra cost to existing HD subscribers. The service, which operates as the only 100 percent IPTV platform offered by a national provider, also introduced new international programming for Filipino and Cantonese viewers. Subscribers already paying the $10 monthly HD Technology Fee gain access to the new channels automatically, depending on their package tier.

Shane Sturgeon •
Bulletins
IPTV Satellite HD Cable HD

High Definition Content Distribution in the US (Part 1) - The Market for HD Content and Distribution Services

As of 2008, roughly 50 million US households qualified to receive HD content, yet the 230 million remaining analog TVs represented a market gap that could not close before 2014 at a sales pace of 35 million DTVs per year. Satellite providers leveraged MPEG-4 compression, claiming roughly 50% greater efficiency over MPEG-2, to expand HD channel counts beyond 100, while cable operators faced coaxial bandwidth constraints limiting comparable growth. Consumers evaluating HD distribution options must weigh the quality trade-offs between closed IPTV networks, which offer end-to-end signal control, and open Internet delivery methods such as streaming or P2P, where bandwidth limitations can force severe recompression of HD content.

Rodolfo La Maestra •
Articles
Standards IPTV OTA HD & Antennas

Motorola Launches Advanced Multi-Format Encoding Platform for 1080P Content

Motorola's SE-6000 is a multi-format video encoding platform supporting both MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 SD and HD encoding and transcoding, with forward-looking design for 1080P/50Hz and 1080P/60Hz resolutions. The platform accepts baseband and pre-compressed streams for satellite, cable, and IPTV applications, while also targeting emerging services such as 3D television and multi-stream output. Operators can simultaneously deliver MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 from a single unit, easing the transition away from legacy infrastructure without abandoning existing subscriber bases.

Shane Sturgeon •
Bulletins
IPTV

Motorola Reveals New Eco-Friendly IPTV Set-tops at IBC 2009

Motorola unveiled its expanded VIP series IPTV set-top portfolio at IBC 2009, with models including the VIP2202E, VIP2262E, VIP1002E, VIP1003, and VIP19xx series achieving compliance with ENERGY STAR and the European Commission's Code of Conduct v8, which defines standby, auto power down, and on operating modes. The HD-capable units surpass current US and EU power consumption regulations while shipping in 100 percent recyclable, suspension-plastic-free packaging. For service providers, this means a deployable product line that meets tightening environmental mandates without sacrificing high-definition video delivery.

Shane Sturgeon •
Bulletins
IPTV Cable HD

AT&T U-verse TV Lineup Expands To 100 Or More High Definition Channels In Every U-verse TV Market

AT&T U-verse TV now delivers 100 or more HD channels across every U-verse market, surpassing local cable competitors with additions including ABC Family HD, Disney Channel HD, Disney XD HD, ESPNews HD, and ESPNU HD. The service operates as the only 100 percent IPTV platform offered by a national provider, with HD-ready Total Home DVR included in most packages, enabling recordings from a single unit viewable on any connected TV. Subscribers can access HD service for $10 per month on most packages, with an optional HD Premium tier available for an additional $5 monthly.

Shane Sturgeon •
Bulletins
Home Theater IPTV Satellite HD

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast #338 - Can IPTV replace Cable and Satellite?

IPTV as a cable and satellite replacement is examined through real viewing habits, with Move Networks delivering ABC HD streams at up to 2.5 Mbps SD and testing 4 Mbps for live 720p HD, while iTunes offers Dolby Digital 5.1 audio for purchased content. Coverage gaps remain, particularly for NFL live streaming, and bandwidth caps combined with limited processing power on most PCs constrain stream quality. For light, tech-savvy viewers, cutting the cord is feasible, but for most households IPTV works better as a supplement than a full replacement.

The HT Guys •
Podcasts
IPTV Gaming

HDTV Almanac - Xbox Gets Nova

Microsoft's Xbox LIVE service, already hosting over 8,500 hours of video content and reaching more than 10 million Xbox 360 installations in the US, has partnered with PBS to add nonfiction programming including Nova, Wired Science, and Scientific American Frontiers. The deal reflects strong audience demand for nonfiction content on the platform, with Microsoft noting the category has performed particularly well. As broadband-connected households grow accustomed to streaming television through their gaming consoles, the appeal of traditional scheduled broadcast programming continues to erode.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Smart TVs IPTV

GE Launches Global HDTV Joint Venture

GE has formed General Displays & Technologies LLC (GDT), a joint venture with Taiwan-based Tatung Company, to design and market GE-branded HDTVs with integrated Internet functionality, including IPTV support via cable, satellite, and fiber optic connectivity. The partnership with NBC Universal targets an open platform for delivering HD digital content directly to televisions without a PC, with widget downloads and personalization features. LCD TV sales growing 30 percent year over year signal a receptive market for these premium, energy-efficient displays launching in Spring 2009.

Shane Sturgeon •
Bulletins