BLINK Entertainment customers can look forward to viewing TV anywhere, at any time, on any device with an internet connection. That’s what blink | bmobile will soon offer to the public, as it shakes up the T&T market with the use of the Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABS) technology to its BLINK Entertainment service.
As opposed to the traditional methods of video streaming, the Adaptive Bitrate Streaming technology allows video content to be chunked in “streamlets” and delivered over Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to the consumer.
Since the technology is designed to accommodate a wide range of mobile devices and network capacities, Adaptive Bitrate can dynamically adjust video playback quality to match the available speed of the user’s wired or wireless networks. In other words: this streaming technology automatically detects the user’s network connection and adjusts the content so the consumer experiences minimal buffering, quick video initialisation and the highest- possible quality playback on both high and low bandwidth connections.
What does this mean for BLINK Entertainment customers? Soon, their Smartphone or tablet with an internet connection – whether operating on Apple or Android – can now become a personal, portable TV, where they can view HTTP online content on multiple platforms, allowing a superior viewing experience and, perhaps even more importantly, allowing them to never miss their favourite television series, movie or live sporting event of choice again. Customers will also be able to view HTTP content from the comfort of their homes on their high-definition television sets.
The concept of a smartphone or tablet device doubling as a television is not lost on blink | bmobile, recognising that the technology has progressed to the point where a television- quality experience can now be delivered on smart devices.
With a growing market of mobile and smart device users in Tobago, the Company tested a pilot project of the Adaptive Bitrate Streaming technology as it launched its BLINK Entertainment TV+ services and BLINK 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless broadband in the sister isle last December.
blink | bmobile revealed at the launch that every tower in Tobago had been converted to 4G LTE technology, allowing a wider range of communities and residences throughout the island to have broadband access and a new option for broadband TV. For Tobago, this means that no longer will topography or geography affect the residents’ ability to receive internet access at high-quality speeds to facilitate use of technology such as the new video streaming capabilities.
With the positive response generated from Tobago for the new BLINK Entertainment service, blink | bmobile says it is upgrading its networks to soon provide the same access to this technology to customers in Trinidad.
Over the years, blink | bmobile has continued to develop its infrastructure and offerings, becoming the only quad-service telecommunications provider with a network infrastructure that delivers mobile as well as voice, video and data.
Ronald Mohammed, TSTT Manager, Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) Technology said that the Company recognised that with the advances in technology globally, their younger target markets were drastically changing the way that they received their televised and video content and so BLINK Entertainment was offering new solutions for its IPTV subscribers to suit their evolving needs.
With the trend of viewers moving away from traditionally relying on the television as their main, or only, source of content and instead wanting content on-demand, Mohammed said that as a premier service provider, blink | bmobile would continue to evolve with the industry, being at the forefront of bringing new and evolving technology to T&T to deliver the kind of service customers want. One thing he said is for sure: Adaptive Bitrate Streaming technology is the future of video and televised content delivery across all types of devices: whether PC, tablet or Smartphone.
Mohammed also said that blink | bmobile will be continuously expanding infrastructure to reach as many customers as possible and deliver enhanced services to all subscribers.
