Consumers would prefer to bundle communications services with telecommunication companies by a 2 to 1 margin to cable companies if given the choice, according to the second annual Telecom-Cable Industry Satisfaction Study from CFI Group. However, cable companies still provide bundled communications to twice as many consumers surveyed as do telecom companies.

The survey of over 1,200 households, which examined customer satisfaction for video, broadband Internet access, and wireless communications using the methodology of the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index, found that customer satisfaction provides telecom companies with a competitive advantage. As the telecoms roll out high-speed fiber services across their networks, they will be able to challenge cable company dominance in bundles, high speed Internet and video.

Canby’s IPTV customers can now access 36 channels of HD programming, including more than two dozen channels delivered to Canby via IP-PRIME, from marquee programmers such as Discovery, Disney, Showtime, Fox News, ESPN, A&E and the Food Network, plus a handful of local broadcast services.

IP-PRIME delivers a comprehensive roster of high-quality standard and high-definition programming in MPEG-4 format to operators via a single satellite antenna. The IP-PRIME HD-4 service delivers up to 40 national high-definition channels to operators looking to add high quality HD programming to their existing IPTV service. In addition to the HD-4 offering, the IP-PRIME full transport solution offers hundreds of programming channels to operators without the high capital and operating expenses required to build and operate an IPTV headend.

TelcoTV announces its extraordinary digital media and entertainment exhibitor ecosystem for its annual conference to be held November 11-13 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Orange County, California.

The TelcoTV ecosystem includes more than 150 vendors showcasing the broad palette of services and technologies need to successfully build and deliver the digital entertainment experience. This year's exhibit floor represents the largest net square footage in the show's seven year history. The newest segment of TelcoTV exhibitors comprises content providers, eager to partner with telephone companies. These forward-thinking content owners recognize telcos and IPTV providers as a growing distribution platform for their programming. Content providers exhibiting at TelcoTV 2008 include The Weather Channel, WealthTV, Home Shopping Network, HorseRacing TV, Daystar Television, Comcast Networks, and several others.

Tilgin announced at Broadband World Forum 2008 in Brussels new key functionality, Full Service Routing, across its portfolio of Telco Home Gateways. Engineered for multi-play and converged service scenarios, Full Service Routing allows operators to flexibly connect and service multiple IP set-tops, PCs and media devices in the home.

Available to all Tilgin home gateways, Full Service Routing enables service providers to more flexibly and powerfully deploy value added services to and within the home. Currently used solutions often limit the scope, serviceability and flexibility of multi-play services. IP set-tops are usually hard-connected to the gateway and not part of the home network. The result is that content cannot be easily shared between IP set-tops, PCs and media devices. It is also more cumbersome to deploy IPTV services to multiple TVs. Tilgin home gateways with Full Service Routing changes this.

TeliaSonera is deploying Ruckus Wireless' MediaFlex Smart Wi-Fi systems to provide customers flicker-free wireless distribution of the popular IPTV, Telia Digital-TV, throughout their homes. With the Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi system, TeliaSonera customers can now place TVs anywhere within their home and wirelessly connect to a host of innovative digital television services.

Telia Digital-TV, one of the first IPTV services in Europe to launch in 2005, with a rapid growth in 2007 to some 300,000 customers, offers subscribers compelling new programming packages that include some 70 TV channels, such as Discovery and the Disney Channel, 24-hour on-demand library of movies and network-based, time-shifted TV services.

TANDBERG Television is providing an MPEG-4 AVC HD encoding system to Spanish-based broadcast solutions provider Overon for the delivery of National Geographic Channel HD to broadcasters and TV service providers across Europe. The TANDBERG Television solution will provide a bandwidth efficient satellite distribution service of National Geographic Channel HD, further increasing its presence on networks throughout Europe.

Alcatel-Lucent announces a significant evolution of its Triple Play Services Delivery Architecture (TPSDA), providing a foundation for service providers to deliver superior video quality, with greater personalisation and interactivity. The enhancements to TPSDA offer a more cost-effective and flexible platform for high bandwidth services such as HDTV, an improved IPTV user experience - with immediate channel changing and more reliable TV service - and helps to facilitate the insertion into TV programs of advertisements that are targeted to specific communities or localities, in turn enabling the development of new TV advertising business models.

AT&T announces the launch of U-verse services in the Flint and Saginaw, Michigan area's, including AT&T U-verse TV, AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet and AT&T U-verse Voice. Customers can currently order AT&T U-verse services in parts of nearly 30 local communities, including Flint, Midland, Saginaw and others. AT&T will make U-verse services available to more homes throughout the area on an ongoing basis.

Optibase encoders have been selected by UTStarcom as part of an end-to-end integrated IPTV solution to Sri Lanka Telecom. Sri Lanka Telecom will use UTStarcom’s RollingStream advanced IPTV solution, which incorporates Optibase’s H.264 streaming platforms, to offer the country’s first ever triple play services. Optibase's H.264 Media Gateway 5100 encoding platforms, renowned for their top video quality and quick deployment, offer a highly reliable streaming solution.

Akamai launches Openvideoplayer.com, a community site and industry initiative intended to facilitate the development and sharing of open standards and best practices for video player applications that support a wide range of advertising technologies.

Leading advertising technology companies, ad servers, video solution providers and platform companies have joined to provide industry best practices for online video player development. Inaugural partners include: 24/7 Real Media, Adobe Corporation, BlackArrow, Clickability, EyeWonder, KickApps, Microsoft Corporation, OpenX, Panache, ScanScout and smartclip.

JumpTV has scheduled its special meeting of shareholders to approve the Company's planned merger with NeuLion, as first announced on June 9, 2008, to occur on October 17, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. JumpTV intends to mail to shareholders the notice of meeting and management information circular prepared in connection with the merger on September 26, 2008, and will file the document on SEDAR and post it on its website at www.jumptv.com concurrently, in connection with the company's receipt of conditional approval of the information circular from the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Tilgin announces a triple play field trial order win from a major telecom operator in Eastern Europe for its High Definition IPTV technology and its home gateway solution.

This field trial order is part of the operator’s initial triple play deployment on IP technology with an evaluation taking place during the late fall of 2008. The order value is limited. The operator who is one of Eastern Europe’s largest fixed-line operator plans to later expand its triple play offering with bundled IPTV, VoIP and high speed Internet services to its over 500,000 broadband subscribers and potentially also its 3 million large fixed-line subscriber base.

The NHL and All Sports Network of Hong Kong sign a multi-year deal giving ASN rights to broadcast the NHL via all forms of television including HDTV and IPTV throughout much of Asia, including the Indian sub-continent. The content will be a key part of the offering on ASN, a new channel Yes TV has launched across Asia.

NHL programming, which will broadcast on ASN at the start of the NHL’s 2008-09 season, will include more than 130 NHL regular-season games, the NHL All-Star game, NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final, as well as NHL highlight programs.

Despite it being early days in the IPTV market, service providers are lured by the technology’s offer of an interesting entry-door to triple play. IPTV is rapidly emerging as the buzzword in Latin America’s telecommunications industry, as a host of operators has either started testing the waters or intends to do so soon.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Internet Protocol Television Services Markets in Latin America, finds that IPTV service is beginning to see widespread deployment in the region, as traditional telecommunications service providers try to complete a triple play offer.

NOMINATE YOUR COMPANY NOW
Nomination Deadline: September 29, 2008

We are pleased to announce a new awards program at TelcoTV 2008! The TelcoTV Vision Awards honor innovation in video and entertainment convergence. Awards will be granted to the most compelling new products, applications, or services in each of the seven designated categories. To be eligible, the product or service being nominated must have been unveiled or commercially deployed no earlier than TelcoTV 2007 (October 23, 2007).

Why nominate your company in the TelcoTV Vision Awards?

• Positive PR - Every company wants more publicity. Taking home top honors provides a natural reason for press to talk about your company. All winners can get quotes from a TelcoTV Vision Award judge for use in their press releases and marketing materials.
• Rise above the competition -Being crowned with a TelcoTV Vision award will give your company an added edge.
• Team morale - Your employees work hard developing new products and bringing them to market; help them get recognized for their efforts.
• Recognition at the leading industry event for converged entertainment - TelcoTV Vision Award winners will be announced at TelcoTV, receiving extensive on-site coverage.
• Promotion for all nominees - Even if you don't get short listed for the final, everyone who gets nominated will be listed on the TelcoTV Website.