2010 Vision

But television is in for a great shake-up, in many different ways. Spurred on by the challenge of revolutionising TV by the time the spotlight falls on SA for the 2010 World Cup, the major players in our broadcast industry are pouring billions of rand into delivering our favourite shows (and quite a few new ones) in enhanced quality definition, and to our cellphones, laptops and home PCs.

Worldwide, some broadcasters have fully developed business models for things like Internet and mobile TV, and consumers have extensive choice when it comes to new "tele-technologies". Analysts Informa Telecoms & Media recently predicted Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) would account for 35% of all digital TV homes in Hong Kong by 2010, giving it similar penetration figures to cable, for instance. The IDC predicts the digital television semiconductor market will grow worldwide at compound annual growth rates of 18% and reach $7.7 billion in 2010.

DIGITAL AND HIGH-DEFINITION TV

Locally, the digital terrestrial TV phenomenon is still to happen. But it will, assures Sentech`s Frans Lindeque. As acting COO, Lindeque is responsible for migrating SA`s terrestrial broadcast infrastructure from a purely analogue system to a digital platform - formally known as digital terrestrial television (DTT). Broadcasting digitally offers two main advantages over our current, 30-year-old, transmission system: it allows for the introduction of a host of interactive services - adding value to the viewing experience and it makes future high-definition broadcasting possible, he tells iWeek.

Interactive services associated with television on the DTT platform "will enhance people`s lifestyles through education, information and entertainment," says Lindeque. Examples include e-learning, e-health and e-commerce services and information.

DTT will also make possible multiple language options on the same TV programme. "The possibilities are endless," he says, "ranging from your TV becoming your banking interface, to specific weather risk alerts in certain areas, for instance." A vast number of channels are possible on DTT, making it likely that colleges and universities will have their own dedicated channels, he adds. "And just imagine the flexibility when it comes to election time."

Aside from these enhancements, standard definition digital terrestrial TV is far superior in terms of sound and visual quality to the current analogue experience. And, once the analogue signal has been switched off (which will happen some time after the World Cup), there will be space for multiple high-definition channels, offering even greater quality.

And what will it take for Sentech`s broadcasting dream to become a reality and to be offering DTT, limited high-definition channels, and true mobile TV by 2010? "Large players in the ICT sector need to share the load - it`s got to be a joint effort," says Lindeque.

INTERNET PROTOCOL TV

And though it is already possible to access IPTV from international destinations, how long will it be before we see a South African IPTV offering? Well, while it is difficult to say when, it isn`t too tough to see where such a service will come from.

Telkom, through its new division Telkom Media, has applied to ICASA for a pay-TV licence, and has been conducting IPTV trials in a lab environment since the beginning of the year. Early in 2007, says Telkom business executive Rikus Matthyser, these trials will be opened up for some lucky DSL 4096 customers.

Telkom Media is essentially a Telkom subsidiary including a black economic empowerment component, set up to provide two core television services in the near future. The first one, IPTV, will cater for a relatively high-income market (those who can afford broadband and PC equipment), with multiple channels all broadcast via the Internet Protocol. The second, a satellite service, will be aimed at a lower-income market. "This promises to significantly reduce [satellite television] costs," says Matthyser. "It will probably be below R100 per month."

Telkom Media has a growing team, gearing up for the awarding of the licences by Icasa (expected sometime in the middle of next year). And while 18 companies, including MultiChoice, applied for a licence, Telkom is by far the largest. iWeek was not able to see Telkom`s licence application, but the regulator is expected to release all 18 applications for public comment quite soon.

On the bandwidth side, Matthyser says the recent improvements from a one-meg to a four-meg DSL service will not be sufficient for Telkom`s grand IPTV plans. "To broadcast multiple IPTV channels, we will need to offer 10Mbps, for simple streaming video (or video-on-demand) it would be 4Mbps, and looking further ahead, for a high-definition multiple-channel IPTV service one would need 20 megs."

As a Telkom stalwart, being at the company for more than 20 years, Matthyser has seen the development of Telkom from a fixed-line telephony provider to a diversified technology company. He believes recent market deregulation and the incoming EC Act are heralding an exciting era in which "Telkom will have the opportunity to provide services on par with what consumers around the world experience".

DVB-H AND 3G MOBILE TV

One development receiving growing attention lately is TV broadcast directly to one`s cellphone. Introduced by Vodacom to the local market late last year in the form of a less-than-perfect video clip solution served via its 3G network, true mobile TV ("one-to-many" live broadcast distribution) is getting closer and closer.

M-Net`s `big brother` MultiChoice is moving into a new phase of its trials into digital video broadcasting via handheld (DVB-H), now involving 4 000 trialists in SA`s major metropoles, according to M-Mobile (a specialised Multichoice division) CEO Linda Vermaas. And MTN has begun a massive campaign offering the DVB-H capable Samsung P910 in one of its bundles, allowing consumers access to two live channels, restricted obviously to the testing areas where MultiChoice has deployed DVB-H transmitters. In future, owners of a phone such as this one will be able to access commercially-available DVB-H television.

"The next phase of the DVB-H trial focuses on encryption and subscriber management - until now the channels have been unencrypted. But to make the service commercially available we have to make sure only registered subscribers can access it," explains Jason Probert head of M-Net`s New Media division. Multichoice will be trying out different channels and bouquets on the trial, further investigating viewer behaviour, he adds, but (like his colleagues at MultiChoice`s M-Mobile division) he says there are, as yet, no dates scheduled for roll-out. DVB-H technology offers vastly improved picture and sound quality than any 3G efforts, but requires considerable investment. At a DVB-H launch event in Cape Town earlier this year, CEO of Naspers (M-Net and Multichoice`s parent company) Koos Becker indicated at least R200 million would be spent in developing the technology in the run-up to the World Cup. MTN`s R460 million payment to FIFA to secure "global sponsorship" rights for the World Cup involves having exclusive rights to broadcast the matches via DVB-H.

The free time that people have during the day to watch TV is unpredictable, says Vodacom spokesperson Dot Field. "Most people already carry a mobile handset with them all the time, so it is not an extra item the consumer will need to carry with them," she says, adding that this is another factor driving mobile TV.

Vodacom currently has 13 000 subscribers to its 3G-enabled Vodafone Live! television service.

THE SITUATION NOW

There are many free international television channels which people can access from SA, notes Internet guru Rudolph Muller. "Far more popular, however, is VOD services like YouTube, Google Video and MetaCafe - but this is also very bandwidth intensive." But how feasible are such activities on a 3gig monthly cap?

"Well, let us assume one takes medium quality at 500 Kbps. This is a realistic maximum on a 4 Mbps ADSL connection, especially when streaming from overseas," explains Muller. So 500 Kbps is equal to 63 KB/s, which gives us about 3.66 MB per minute (since 3 GB = 3072 MB). "One can, therefore," he concludes, "watch IPTV at medium quality for around 14 hours before hitting a 3GB monthly usage limit."