14 March 2005
An IT expert at Microsoft has said that Internet protocol TV (IPTV) is the future of television.
Ed Graczyk, director of marketing for Microsoft IPTV, told BBC News Online that the time for telecommunications companies to start providing internet-streamed TV has come.
Mr Graczyk cited increased broadband speeds and availability and improved compression technology as factors in the projected success of IPTV, and pointed towards the kinds of integrated entertainment and gaming opportunities the service offers.
"The things software can do to integrate media into devices means a whole new generation of connected entertainment experiences that cross devices from the TV, to the mobile, to the gaming console and so on," Mr Graczyk stated.
IPTV would also mean greater interactivity between the viewer and the broadcaster, allowing internet users/viewers to select programmes and change channels instantaneously.
Technology analysts TDG Research have predicted that IPTV services will have 20 million subscribers within six years.© DeHavilland Information Services plc
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