Light Reading writes an interesting news analysis on the high costs and challenges IPTV service providers face when customers want IPTV on multiple TVs in a house. This is somewhat of the same dilemma we face now with cable companies who charge for extra digital boxes in each room, only now we're possibily talking about completely new wiring throughout the house. According to the article, the breakdown in costs associated with wiring a house includes, "two additional set-top boxes at $150 each, new CAT-5 cabling at $50, approximately eight hours of skilled installation at $50 per hour, and a "windshield cost" (gas and depreciation on the service vehicle) of $50."

Undecided on who should flip the bill, companies are taking different approaches towards the wiring problem. While some are only providing one set-top box, others are providing two but won't do the wiring, and Verizon is wiring the entire house for its FiOS service.

Companies are getting creative when it comes to finding a solution to the wireless problems. Coaxsys broadcasts the IPTV stream over your coax wiring once it is delivered in the house. Other possibilities include new wireless protocols or electric power line networking.

For companies going the route of wiring the entire house, the time it can take ranges from 2-8 hours based on Verizon FiOS experience. Installation times like that will significantly impact the speed that service providers can roll out IPTV service across an area.