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At the Broadband World Forum Europe tradeshow in Paris last week, telecommunications equipment giant, Lucent Technologies, unveiled its new IPTV software suite, MiViewTV. Described by the company as an "interactive multimedia delivery platform that enables service providers to offer personalized next-generation IPTV services and new applications that can be delivered to subscribers anytime, on any device," the new software suite is integrated with Lucent’s IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) technology, in order, the company says, to support converged services that combine video, Web and telecom capabilities, and that can be customized by operators in accordance with the needs of their specific markets, and personalized by end-users in accordance with their individual preferences. According to Lucent, the new platform supports a wide range of entertainment programming, including linear and on-demand TV and multiplayer gaming, as well as interactive communications and information services, such as IM/chat, interactive Web services, unified messaging and video conferencing. Components of the platform include core IPTV middleware, security and DRM technologies, VOD and other on-demand content, service-quality and operations support system management, subscriber management, service orchestration, content asset management and distribution, and an "audience tracker" feature. "With MiViewTV, Lucent is giving operators a powerful set of capabilities that they can use to truly differentiate themselves and move beyond basic broadcast TV to become a multimedia entertainment and information portal for their subscribers," Rob Piconi, Lucent’s VP and general manager of broadband solutions, said in a prepared statement. "A true carrier-class platform, MiViewTV scales to meet the needs of network operators of all sizes. The flexible architecture is particularly well-suited for deploying IPTV in new markets where cost-effective solutions are critical. Its open, standards-based, modular design makes it easy and cost-effective for a variety of operators to enter the IPTV market, and also helps ensure that the system can be easily expanded to meet growing subscriber demand while being enhanced with new features to address shifting market requirements. The interactive capabilities of the platform coupled with the personalization and ‘community’ feature enhancements will give subscribers a unique entertainment experience not seen in the market today."

According to Lucent, MiViewTV can support hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of users. It is based on software originally developed by Spanish service provider, Telefonica, to support its own IPTV service, Imagenio, which currently has close to 300,000 subscribers. (Note: earlier this year, Lucent signed a wide-ranging strategic agreement with Telefonica, that called for it to assume responsibility for the future development and deployment of the Imagenio platform, including the ongoing introduction of new features, and to add the platform to its product portfolio and market it internationally; for more details on the Lucent-Telefonica IPTV alliance, see [itvt] Issue 6.70 Part 2.) Lucent says that its Bell Labs research and development arm has added a number of new features to Telefonica’s original software, as well as to its own Service Broker technology (note: the latter is part of Lucent’s IMS Service Enhancement Layer), in order to ensure that these two platforms work together to support new, composite multimedia applications such as interactive caller ID on TV (with controls such as video pause and forward); maps and messaging on TV (with buddy lists, click-to-call and messaging functionality, and automatic alerts to support "family finder" services); and mobile multimedia (allowing end-users to transfer an IPTV session from their TV to a mobile device). Because the new platform is based on a modular architecture, Lucent says, it can be deployed in a variety of configurations, supporting service options ranging from basic broadcast TV and VOD to sophisticated, personalized, interactive applications. This allows operators to offer a basic IPTV service initially, and then expand their offering at a later stage. Lucent is also offering MiViewTV in a "hosted" configuration, taking care of backend operations and service delivery and allowing operators to focus on marketing and customer support.

Originally Published: October 17, 2006 Part 2 in [itvt] Issue 7.00

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