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Monday, June 27,2005
The world’s hottest Broadband Digital TV service landed on Malaysian shores earlier this year, and Patrick Narayana was among the first in line to taste the future of living room entertainment. Kuala Lumpur, June 27,2005 - - “THE END OF TV AS WE KNOW IT,” so wrote Wired Magazine earlier this year. A terribly bold prophecy to make, of course – the celebrated tech-magazine has been wrong before. But this time, we happen to agree: IPTV really does hold the potential of ending traditional television’s 50-year reign as king of the living room. But it’s not just Wired and us who think alike. Cuzzy Advanced Convergence Laboratories, or Cuzzy for short, believes they’ve got one foot in the future with their digital TV service, XBB.TV. And that’s why we’re all excited: XBB.TV offers nearly 1,000 radio and 500+ television stations delivered direct to our computers and digital televisions via a broadband connection. Now, aren’t you excited, too? “Analogue equipment is on its way out of people’s lifestyles,” says Jeffrey Raj, CEO of XBB.TV and chief visionary of Cuzzy. “Analogue TV and radio is dead. They are being replaced by digital transmission and receiving equipment in all shapes and forms – your desktop, your laptop, your palm top, your car PC, your kitchens’ PC terminal, your bathroom PC terminals and yes, your living room Pc terminals.” Changing the rules. XBB.TV’s launch here in Malaysia means more than just another TV offering. The impact that the service will have on society, industry and economy is rather weighty. First, consider broadband uptake in Malaysia. The broadband penetration rate in this country stands at a paltry 0.7%, according to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. This, compared to many other parts of the world which now enjoy double-digit penetration rates 20% of Singapore folks enjoy 2-4MB connections at home. And then of course there is South Korea, the model broadband state, where 60% of the population surf on broadband. Why are we lagging? Mainly, it’s because there has been no ‘killer application’ for broadband…until now. XBB.TV promises to spur interest in broadband uptake like never before,driving forward the government’s National Broadband Plan as people adopt broadband connection in order to enjoy the service. XBB.TV offers live streams from many parts of the world, allowing users to view the attitudes of other countries and societies towards global issues affecting the world today. Traditionally, us Malaysians have had to content ourselves with the propaganda-heavy broadcast of such stations as CNN, MSNBC, and BBC. Recently, Al-Jazeera TV has also been aired locally. It’s difficult to gain accurate insight into world affairs through these networks, as each one is biased in its own way. XBB.TV changes that, as users are now able to watch dozens of smaller and more independent news channels from around the world. No longer will our brains be mere fodder on which broadcasting mammonths may feed upon, as we can now seek to see both sides to every story before amking up their own minds. XBB.TV will also have an impact on the computing industry. Hardware manufacturers have already begun to toy around with ideas of getting into the broadcast industry,thanks to spiffy new graphics cards which turn ordinary PCs into true multimedia PCs(think Media Centres). These hardware manufacturers can now deliver more value to their customers, as their equipment can now function as digital TVs. Rather than suffer the pressures of falling profit margins, these companies can now turn to XBB.TV as an affiliate and become macro broadcast operators themselves, adding a new revenue stream to their income mix. With this kind of audience reach, XBB.TV will be able to work with the government of Malaysia in correcting the negative perceptions foreigners may have of the country, especially in the wake of such crises as the tsunami disaster and terrorism. “We hope to work very closely with the Tourism Malaysia and will endeavor to be of the utmost assistance to promote Malaysia as a choice tourist destination,” elaborates Mr. Raj. Even SMIS stand to gain from XBB.tv. The majority of small to medium-sized businesses in Malaysia are involved intrading, and face increasingly tricky opportunities and challenges in a globalized economy. “The opportunity is that markets are becoming more porous. The challenge, of course, is what to import, from where, and to whom and where to sell it…and all this to be done as fast as humanly possible,” enthuses Mr Raj. “XBB.TV can help here, too.” Because free-to-air TV is good barometer of a particular society’s tastes, preferences and sophistication, traders can tune in to find out what a market’s potential is before exporting their products or service there. Paying RM88 per month for a 1MB account from Telekom- Streamyx, to gain insightful; knowledge of a target country is an extremely cost-effective investment into market research. More than just television Television has always been little more than an idiot box, something which XBB.TV wants to change. Traditional television has always been a one-way communication stream, with choices limited to broadcast schedules and benefits measured in hours of entertainment. There have been efforts to turn it into a more interactive experience, of course- some game shows ask for living-room audience participation via telephone, and shows like Malaysian Idol and Nescafe Kick Start would not be possible without SMS technology. But XBB.TV plans to take its service and make television are more complete interactive experience. Getting XBB.TV’s service needs no satellite dish, special antenna, set-top box or cables. All you need is a broadband internet connection, and this is one of XBB.TV’s most attractive points; it’s free. Because users don’t need this kind of expensive gear, they save on initial setup costs. And, since XBB.TV does not have to subsidize the cost of such equipment, the company is able to pass on its savings to consumers. Furthermore, getting access to www.xbb.tv requires no credit card, a big encouragement for the large proportion of the population that does not own a Visa or Mastercard. And soon, the company is going to introduce the VIP Access Decoder; a high-tech adapter that gives users an all-access pass to premium realms and forums, plus interactive activities like posting their personal information or profiles in order to make friends, to date and to use web cams. “ We’re changing the way people watch TV and we are in the business of the future, today….but the future, is already here” says Mr. Raj. SOURCE:CUZZY ADVANCED CONVERGENCE LABORATORIES SDN. BHD. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, |
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