Inaugural IPTV Standards Summit at Telco TV Demonstrates Scope of IPTV Work in Development

Inaugural IPTV Standards Summit at Telco TV Demonstrates Scope of IPTV Work in Development

ATLANTA, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The opening session of this year's Telco TV helped bring IPTV standards to the forefront, by bringing together representatives from leading industry bodies in one place for the very first time.

The roundtable discussion panel on emerging standards in IPTV included:

-- Dan O'Callaghan, Chair of the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions IPTV Interoperability Forum, (ATIS IIF)

-- Virginia Williams, Director of Standards at Consumer Electronics Association, (CEA)

-- Scott Smyers, President and Chairman of the Digital Living Network Alliance, (DLNA)

-- Robin Mersh, Chief Operating Office of the DSL Forum

-- Ghaseem Koleyni, Chairman of the International Telecommunications Union Focus Group IPTV, (ITU-T)

Chaired by Graham Finnie, chief analyst with Heavy Reading, the panel provided an overview of the various bodies and work that is underway to equip the telecom and consumer electronic industries with the tools they need to optimize the potential of IPTV. All panelists uniformly recognized the need for a set of standards that Telcos and the consumer electronics (CE) industry can refer to.

Due to the sheer number of organizations developing standards, work at times has been duplicated or overlooked, and all agreed that the closer liaison among the organizations being forged today will benefit the industry. Key issues such as Quality of Experience (QoE), remote management and gaps identified by various industry bodies were discussed during the session.

"There are a plethora of Telco bodies and CE organizations and whilst we all try and coordinate our work, each organisation is obviously focused on its own technology and region," commented Ghaseem Koleyni, Chairman of the ITU-T Focus Group. "One thing we should guard against is reinventing the wheel and duplicating our efforts. We also need to know what areas are being neglected."

One common area identified as important is facilitating an open architecture, particularly in the CE industry.

Virginia Williams, director of standards at the CEA, explained: "The CE community is comprized of a variety of CPE (customer premises equipment) devices that relate to IPTV, all of which have different needs. One thing is clear however - consumers are now expecting their CE devices to interconnect seamlessly and to be interoperable. To achieve this, an open platform is required. Working more closely with other industry bodies and sharing knowledge and experience will hopefully help the right standards to be developed, for the right industry."

As well as developing and expanding these current standards, identifying opportunities where gaps have been left is just as important. Many organizations, including the DSL Forum, CEA, ATIS, ITU and the DLNA, have conducted their own gap analysis to ascertain where these areas are and to determine which issues and opportunities are within each organization's scope of work. One issue not being overlooked is ensuring standards keep up with the pace of industry developments.

Scott Smyers, president and chairman of DLNA, explains: "With the release of DLNA's guidelines we have established an interoperability platform. The challenge now is to keep it relevant by tracking the evolution of technology and by responsibly incorporating new things over time as technology evolves. DLNA is now looking at such technologies as new, more advanced QoS mechanisms and new technologies that protect commercial content, among others. DLNA will be expanding our guidelines to keep pace with the advance of technology."

This extended reach of Telcos also led to a discussion on the importance of defining an end-to-end solution or suite of standards that supports the entire IPTV eco-system.

Dan O'Callaghan, chair of the ATIS IPTV Interoperability Forum, said:

"An 'end to end' approach to IPTV standards is needed and that is why the ATIS IPTV Interoperability Forum has established an overall reference architecture for IPTV as well as requirements and specifications for Quality of Experience; Digital Rights Management; Metadata; and Quality of Service metrics, and is also addressing interoperability standards and testing requirements for components.

"The forum contributes heavily to the ITU-T IPTV Focus Group and collaborates closely with other global standards bodies. Such open collaboration is critical towards ensuring that redundant efforts are minimized and that the industry's available resources for IPTV standards development are used wisely," added Mr. O'Callaghan.

The round table discussion provided the various industry bodies with an invaluable platform on which to begin discussions about the future of IPTV standards. Robin Mersh, chief operating officer at the DSL Forum, concluded the session: "The DSL Forum is keen to build on the good work we have done and are continuing to do on remote CPE management, QoE, policy control and device interoperability for IPTV services.

"As an industry we are usually much better at talking about what we have done, rather than what we have in the pipeline and what we have to do next. Our talks need to center on the future, in order to keep our work aligned and our resources focused on common critical issues," continued Robin. "Forging strong alliances, sharing best practices, collaborating on specifications, as well as being more public about current and future activities, will help industry bodies to work closer together, which is what the industry needs and expects."

About ATIS IPTV Interoperability Forum

A forum of ATIS, the IPTV Interoperability Forum (IIF) is recognized globally for its standards and related technical activities that enable the interoperability, interconnection and implementation of IPTV systems and services, including video on demand and interactive TV services. ATIS a technical planning and standards development organization that is committed to rapidly developing and promoting technical and operations standards for the communications and related information technologies industry worldwide using a pragmatic, flexible and open approach. Participants from more than 300 communications companies are active in ATIS' 22 industry committees and Incubator Solutions Programs. www.atis.org/iif

About DLNA

Members of Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) share a vision of an interoperable network of personal computers (PC), consumer electronics (CE) and mobile devices in and beyond the home, enabling a seamless environment for sharing and growing new digital media and content services. Founded in 2003, the group established and maintains a platform of interoperability based on open industry standards that, when used by manufacturers, will support the sharing of media through wired or wireless networks. More than 240 multi-industry companies from around the world have joined DLNA, committing the time and resources necessary to achieve their vision. Additional information about the alliance, its participating companies and membership information is available at www.dlna.org.

About the DSL FORUM:

The DSL Forum is a global organization committed to rapidly creating specifications that accelerate the deployment of broadband networks, ensure successful device interoperability, and facilitate efficient delivery and management of advanced IP services to the customer. By forging agreements on common technical requirements and embracing new applications, the Forum works to streamline processes, define specifications, and share best practices that set the stage for effective deployments and explosive global broadband growth. Established in 1994, the DSL Forum is an international industry consortium of over 200 leading service providers, equipment manufacturers and other interested parties. www.dslforum.org

About ITU-T

ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues, and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services. For more than 140 years, ITU has coordinated the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world, and established the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. ITU also organizes worldwide and regional exhibitions and forums bringing together the most influential representatives of government and the telecommunications industry to exchange ideas, knowledge and technology for the benefit of the global community, and in particular the developing world.

From broadband internet to latest-generation wireless technologies, from aeronautical and maritime navigation to radio astronomy and satellite-based meteorology, from phone and fax services to TV broadcasting and next-generation networks, ITU continues to play a central role in helping the world communicate.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Louise Hatton
BCS Public Relations
+44 (0)115 948 6901
louise@bcspr.co.uk

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Source: DSL Forum

CONTACT: Louise Hatton, +44 (0)115 948 6901, louise@bcspr.co.uk, for DSL
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Web Site:

http://www.dslforum.org/

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