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Matrixstream 1080p IPTV streaming coming soon to the Middle East
Source: BI-ME , Author: Trevor Lloyd-Jones
Posted: Fri February 15, 2008 12:00 am
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INTERNATIONAL. With many ‘greenfield’ opportunities with regional ISPs and in hotels and other real estate projects, one of the world leaders in VoIP and IPTV technology is close to finalising two re-seller deals and installations for some high-profile projects in the Middle East.

We have all seen how voice-over-IP services such as Vonage and Skype have turned the world of plain old telephone service upside-down, and now a US company Matrixstream may be just about to make a similar move on the cable TV and satellite TV market space with its end-to-end IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) set-top box and transmission technology.

“For the hotel industry we can offer an end-to-end system streaming HD TV over a very low bandwidth,” said Aaron Keogh, Matrixstream Director of Business Development.

“We have interest from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other markets as well as Dubai, so there is wide interest. For the number of people who have IP standard or industry data cables, this is a difficult aspect for hotels and it is where our solution comes in. It is easier and cheaper to introduce the HDTV service, and it can also be scaled very quickly”

The company says it already has the service up and running in hotels from the US to Canada to the Maldives.

The first part of the system is the Matrixstream MX1020HD set-top box, which is said to be able to deliver 1080p video over an everyday “best effort” broadband connection. According to the company, the system accomplishes this feat by using H.264 compression and proprietary XMS streaming technology built into the head-end units it will offer to service providers, and then decodes those signals with this set-top box which could be coming soon to a home cinema system near you.

The best part of this equation is that some time this year, IPTV might give us choices beyond just cable or satellite TV. Small, hotly competitive service providers are currently gearing up to offer the same services you get on cable and satellite, at even higher resolution. Depending on where you are in the world, HDTV could become the standard by 2010 to 2012.

In 2006 Matrixstream released its IMX4000 standard definition WM9 / H.264 encoder, which apparently completes the company's end-to-end VOD / IPTV platform, giving it everything from software, set top boxes, servers, to encoders. This creates a path for its complete end-to-end 1080P H.264 high definition IPTV platform, and it complements the IMX1020 1080P H.264 set top box (pictured) whetting operators’ appetite for the high-def IMX4500 encoder.

It is possible to try out the company's new XMS-based PC Player - with fullscreen 1080P instant playing, fast forward, rewind, and seek functions from a suitably configured PC - which will run over any normal broadband connection, the company says.

“As for the future, cable is expensive to operate as an option [for hotels and domestic] and a lot of VOD titles that are in the pipeline, can be updated via our software,” said Keogh.

“It depends on who is deploying the systems. Everyone can have the content and it is more adaptable and less expensive than cable or satellite. There have been a lot of changes in the last nine years, since people started with bits and pieces of the technology. You can get a whole deployable system now, and we are almost the only company that can offer that as an IPTV leader.”

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MIDDLE EAST BUSINESS COMMENT & ANALYSIS

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INTERNATIONAL. The triangle pattern has taken nearly 9 months so far, and a move over US$19.50 could start a multi-month run targeting US$26-US$29 per ounce for starters before a broad pullback.
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UAE. Given the recent developments in Saudi Arabia and India, there is now a greater level of hope that the TRA and RIM will reach an agreement about the manner in which BB Messenger services are provided.
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UAE. GCC Telecom markets are on the verge of saturation, while prices decline due to increasing competition, resulting in telcos profits being under very high pressure.