Almost 80% of the Czech operator Telly’s new customers opt for its internet TV rather than DTH service.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Parabola, Vladimir Rusnák, the company’s director of strategy, technology and content, added this was a major change on the previous situation despite internet TV still accounting for only some 20% of its total customer base.
Commenting on Ultra HD, Rusnák said that while there is a demand for services in the Czech Republic the purchasing power is lacking. Providers demand extra money for Ultra HD content and this must ultimately be obtained from customers.
Telly is nevertheless preparing to offer such content and broadcasting via the new, Ultra HD/4K ready codec H.265, which is supported in the new user interface of the Arris VIP4205 set-top box. The H.265 codec is available for more than 25 of the most watched HD channels. The moment more channels are available on acceptable financial terms, Telly will be able to offer Ultra HD to its customers.
Significantly, Rusnák also said he believed the first Ultra HD will show could be the English Premier League.
Furthermore, he revealed that Telly is currently working on an application for LG smart TVs that it plans to release this autumn.
It already has applications for Samsung smart TVs and TVs with the Android TV operating systems. While their importance is growing, most viewing is still through home TVs using Arris set-top boxes.
