Cable with a Kick
Nobody is concerned about the bandwidth on their TV… yet. But new interactivity and functionalities facilitated by broadband connections look poised to revolutionise family entertainment.
Atle Lessum is trying to spread the message that in future TV will be far from the passive medium it was once considered. He is information manager at Telenor Avidi, a subsidiary of Telenor Broadband Services which is providing next-generation information, communication and entertainment services through an upgraded broadband cable connection.
According to Lessum: "In future, broadband nets will enable a sweeping new range of products and services for one of the oldest broadcast media: television. TV will be considered an interactive, digital-quality content portal. One of our most important tasks will be to tie this tremendous broadband potential together with the products and services that exploit it."
TV Reinvented?
Whilst the jump from antenna to cable and satellite TV that began decades ago improved television viewing considerably, the jump from conventional cable to a future digital, broadband cable like Telenor Avidi's will practically reinvent television.
"Probably the largest and most immediate difference a viewer will notice is the sound and picture quality; digital reception provides much higher resolution and cleaner audio. In addition, there is the pilot version of an electronic programming guide, near video-on-demand and other interactive TV services made possible by broadband connections that content providers will develop," continues Lessum.
A fully developed electronic programming guide will give the viewer a complete overview of programming, on-screen and with a click of the remote control. Near video-on-demand allows viewers to choose from a wide variety of digital quality movies any night of the week. And new interactive services will offer almost infinite possibilities. In future, TV may offer gaming, web-surfing, research, point-and-click purchasing, betting and intelligent programming.
Upgrading to broadband
So far, Telenor Avidi has upgraded four major markets with broadband cables (capable of 5720 Mbps download and 150 Mbps upload). Approximately half of Telenor Avidis' customers have been upgraded to broadband connections.
Text by: Ryan Skinner
| 
