IPTV and video networks in the 2015 timeframe: The evolution to medianets

The rapid progress being made in technologies that enable video content delivery over IP networks to consumers has prompted predictions that the evolution of IP-based next-generation networks will be largely driven by video service delivery requirements. This article surveys trends in the underlying technologies, extrapolating out to the 2015 timeframe, and drawing on the developments in standardization for IPTV, cable networks, and the IP NGN. These evolution trends lead to the notion of a medianet as a useful way to think of all of the enabling video and multimedia technologies. A medianet is essentially an IP network that is optimized to deliver video services to any or multiple display devices, and uses any of optical, cable, wireline, and wireless networks for this purpose.