[CES 07] AT&T Taking IPTV Prime Time
January 10th, 2007 — By Christopher JonesAT&T’s new Internet TV
If AT&T has its way, customers will only need one source for all their video, voice, Internet, and wireless services in the future. The company is off to an impressive start toward this goal with the recent rollout of its “U-verse” IPTV (Internet Protocol-based) service across the U.S.
One of the biggest advantages of IPTV is the integration of the Internet with TV broadcasts, so customers can schedule digital video recordings, watch high definition (HD) channels, surf the Web, look up in-depth program information, and order videos on demand, all with the same remote and TV interface. Unlike cable or satellite TV services, video is sent over phone lines using IP, after it is encoded and compressed in MPEG4. While fiber optic is the main pipeline for the service, it can use either coaxial cable or a DSL line (Cat5) from the curb to the house.
The U-verse service allows you to record four—yes, four—standard definition channels simultaneously, or three standard feeds and one HD feed. In the near future, you will be able to record two HD channels simultaneously, said an AT&T representative at CES today. Included in the service packages are three (or six, if you pony up more) remote set top boxes that can be placed in rooms around the house, with most of the functionality of the primary DVR box, which is built by Motorola.
Using U-verse, TV recordings can be scheduled using your PC from remote locations, and the spokesman said they are looking into adding place-shifting capabilities (watching your home TV from remote locations) in the future. When you flip through channels, the response is instantaneous, and you can also scroll through the guide much faster than with most set top boxes. It also has picture-in-picture channel browsing, and you can even bring up a Web browser in the PIP screen if you want. The resolution of the video is very sharp, and the spokesman at CES said they vary it depending on what looks best for the type of content – 1080i is used for movies, and 720p is used for sports, for instance.
Currently, the service is available in (various regions of) eleven states, including Texas, Connecticut, and California. Pricing for the U-verse service ranges from $45 to $129, depending on the bundle of services you sign up for. AT&T expects to reach nearly 19 million households as part of its initial deployment by the end of 2008, and the company is currently adding about 40,000 miles of fiber to its network. AT&T also plans to bundle voice over IP and wireless services with U-verse in the future.
