Content area
Full Text
By the looks of the recent Globalcomm show -- one of two big annual gatherings for telephone-industry people -- the term "IPTV" is officially a synonym for the word "new."
Witness: In the printed show guide, 59 companies were listed under an "IPTV" heading. Perhaps more confusingly, 32 companies were listed under "IP Video." Eighteen companies straddled both categories. Most of them put the letters, which stand for "Internet Protocol television," front and center.
Yes, in a three-day wander of the show floor at Chicago's McCormick place, in booths and in sessions, it became clear all over again that the definition of IPTV differs widely -- even within the industry that gives the acronym its curious oomph.
For starters, an "IP Video Pavilion," identified only by a giant banner hanging over a loose grouping of 10-by-20-foot booths, contained nine vendors touting everything from "voice-quality measurement tools" to "converged service-assurance solutions."
Huh?
VERIZON SAYS IT'S VOD
But vendor positioning is one thing. Service provider intentions are quite another. Along those lines, here's what a Verizon engineering staffer said, when asking during a panel session how his company defines IPTV: "We think IPTV is mostly video on demand. It's not broadcast TV, not yet."
That's...