The burgeoning interest in on-demand streaming video, driven by OTT video services offerings such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, is putting an enormous strain on in-home networks, which are struggling to cope with the growing demands on bandwidth.
According to HomeGrid Forum president Donna Yasay, these trends are adding to bandwidth congestion and the need to find reliable ways to deliver increasing amounts of traffic.
“More and more people are choosing to opt out of traditional broadcast TV in favour of all-IP services,” she said, speaking at the Broadband TV event in Anaheim, California. “And they generally no longer have just one entertainment point or internet outlet in the home – it’s more likely to be one in every room.”
The demand is exacerbated by the availability of new devices that provide streaming video, such as connected TVs and streaming media devices, game consoles and set-top boxes, and a plethora of other new gadgets on the market, from wearable technologies to smart devices in the home. OTT Video streaming services are predicted to reach over 330 million subscribers globally by 2019, according to a recent Juniper Research study, published in May of this year.
“That’s more than the entire population of the United States, men women and children included!” Yasay said.
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