Telus TV
Encyclopedia
Telus TV is a product of Telus
that provides IPTV
and Satellite
service across the Canadian provinces of British Columbia
and Alberta
. Telus launched its IPTV based service (now called Optik TV) in November 2005 to Telus customers in select communities of Alberta but is now available in several communities throughout British Columbia and Alberta. In February 2011, Optik TV launched in Quebec in the following areas: the Lower St. Lawrence, the Gaspé
, the North Shore and the greater Quebec City
region.
Telus Satellite TV service was launched in 2009 and is available to all Telus customers in British Columbia and Alberta. Optik TV provides customers access to over 400 digital channels including more than 100 in HD, while Telus Satellite TV offers over 500 digital channels which include over 100 in HD. As of May 2010, over 300,000 Telus customers subscribe to Telus TV. Telus TV's major competitors include satellite services Shaw Direct as well as various cable and communications companies across British Columbia and Alberta, such as Shaw
, Novus and Eastlink
.
from the head-end
to the consumer's High-Definition PVR or High Definition set-top box
. Broadcast channels are distributed via IP multicast
, allowing a single stream (channel) to be sent to any number of recipients. The system is also designed for individual unicast
s for video on demand
, central time shifting
, start-over services and other programs desired by only one home at that particular time. The set-top box does not have a conventional tuner, but is an IP multicast client which requests the stream desired. In the IP multicast model, only the streams the customer uses are sent. The customer's connection need not have the capacity to carry all available channels simultaneously.
using its Bell TV infrastructure, and is repackaged with Telus branding on the interactive programming guide, satellite receivers, and satellite dish. This arrangement was made in order to offer customers the option to bundle TV service with phone and internet service outside of the regions served by Optik TV. The arrangement was also likely seen as beneficial by Bell Canada as Bell only offers home phone and internet service in Central and Eastern Canada but are now able to offer their TV service at a more competitive bundled rate in Western Canada.
TELUS
Telus is a national telecommunications company in Canada that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voice, entertainment, video, and satellite television. The company is based in Burnaby, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver...
that provides IPTV
IPTV
Internet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
and Satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
service across the Canadian provinces of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. Telus launched its IPTV based service (now called Optik TV) in November 2005 to Telus customers in select communities of Alberta but is now available in several communities throughout British Columbia and Alberta. In February 2011, Optik TV launched in Quebec in the following areas: the Lower St. Lawrence, the Gaspé
Gaspé, Quebec
Gaspé is a city at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of eastern Quebec, Canada. As of the 2006 census, the city had a total population of 14,819....
, the North Shore and the greater Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
region.
Telus Satellite TV service was launched in 2009 and is available to all Telus customers in British Columbia and Alberta. Optik TV provides customers access to over 400 digital channels including more than 100 in HD, while Telus Satellite TV offers over 500 digital channels which include over 100 in HD. As of May 2010, over 300,000 Telus customers subscribe to Telus TV. Telus TV's major competitors include satellite services Shaw Direct as well as various cable and communications companies across British Columbia and Alberta, such as Shaw
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...
, Novus and Eastlink
EastLink (company)
EastLink is a Canadian cable television and telecommunications company. In 1970, EastLink was established in Amherst, Nova Scotia, when it was issued one of the first cable licences granted by the CRTC...
.
Optik TV
Optik TV is the 3rd generation of Telus' IPTV based TV service. The current generation is based on the Microsoft Mediaroom middleware platform, as distinct from the previous two generations based respectively on iMagic and Minerva middleware platforms. As of August 2010 customers with Optik TV can use any Xbox 360 with a hard drive as a secondary set top box for Optik TV, Telus is the first company in Canada to offer the use of an Xbox 360 as a set top box. Video, Interactive Programming Guide and Applications are delivered via IPTVIPTV
Internet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
from the head-end
Cable television headend
A cable television headend is a master facility for receiving television signals for processing and distribution over a cable television system. The headend facility is normally unstaffed and surrounded by some type of security fencing and is typically a building or large shed housing electronic...
to the consumer's High-Definition PVR or High Definition set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
. Broadcast channels are distributed via IP multicast
IP Multicast
IP multicast is a method of sending Internet Protocol datagrams to a group of interested receivers in a single transmission. It is often employed for streaming media applications on the Internet and private networks. The method is the IP-specific version of the general concept of multicast...
, allowing a single stream (channel) to be sent to any number of recipients. The system is also designed for individual unicast
Unicast
right|200pxIn computer networking, unicast transmission is the sending of messages to a single network destination identified by a unique address.-Addressing methodologies:...
s for video on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
, central time shifting
Time shifting
Time shifting is the recording of programming to a storage medium to be viewed or listened to at a time more convenient to the consumer. Typically, this refers to TV programming but can also refer to radio shows via podcasts....
, start-over services and other programs desired by only one home at that particular time. The set-top box does not have a conventional tuner, but is an IP multicast client which requests the stream desired. In the IP multicast model, only the streams the customer uses are sent. The customer's connection need not have the capacity to carry all available channels simultaneously.
Telus Satellite TV
Unlike Optik TV, Telus does not operate the Telus Satellite TV service, which is owned and operated by Bell CanadaBell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
using its Bell TV infrastructure, and is repackaged with Telus branding on the interactive programming guide, satellite receivers, and satellite dish. This arrangement was made in order to offer customers the option to bundle TV service with phone and internet service outside of the regions served by Optik TV. The arrangement was also likely seen as beneficial by Bell Canada as Bell only offers home phone and internet service in Central and Eastern Canada but are now able to offer their TV service at a more competitive bundled rate in Western Canada.