IPTV and the Future - The Big Picture

While your actual TV watching experience will hardly change, it means a world of difference for the rest of your home. I worked in a retail electronic store over the holiday season and had many customers that wanted their TV on their computer or their computer on their TV. While this is very possible, it is rather expensive and still has a few quirks that need ironing out first. IPTV would all but solve the problem of getting TV on your computer. The TV packets would go through your network and be able to be picked up on any computer or TV on the network without the need for any other hardware.

A server computer could decrypt and store all TV signals and be the central hub of the home. I feel that Microsoft is at the forefront here. They have had Media Center out for a while. In case you don’t know what Media Center is, you can view live TV on it, either certain IPTV stations or all your standard cable channels with TV tuners. It can manage video, music and picture on your computer, and it provides a warm, pleasant GUI. This is exactly what people are going to be looking for in a few years when TV will be through the Internet and not cable or satellite.

To replace the DVR, Microsoft has recently introduced Home Server OS. The ability to store all the media files on a central server isn’t new, but it hasn’t been the easiest thing for the average person to do. Home Server makes it simple and easy. Is this software ready for the big time? Not yet, but it will be. First, households need to have a computer that is always on and connected to the Internet. It can be tucked away in a closet if need be. Cable boxes are basically mini computers already; just tweak it a little and you’ll have everything you need. Picture in picture will be easy with not just one addition channel, but talking multiple, nearly unlimited picture in pictures.

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