SureWest announced the official launch of its Advanced Digital TV (ADTV) product in its Sacramento market. ADTV represents an IPTV migration of sorts for SureWest – they’ve been in the IPTV business for many years with a Minerva middleware powered service. ADTV is a new Microsoft Mediaroom powered IPTV service, for which SureWest is pursuing a ‘cap and grow’ approach.
All new IPTV customers will receive the ADTV product. “We are also converting current [Minerva] customers if they call in and request a switch to ADTV,” Ron Rogers, SureWest’s Director of Corporate Communications, tells me.
Much like AT&T, SureWest is very keen on the features present on the Mediaroom platform. Like AT&T, they are putting much emphasis on Whole Home DVR and fast channel change. “…Combined with our symmetrical 50 Mbps high-speed Internet capability and interactive digital phone service, Advanced Digital TV creates what we believe is the best triple-play package in both quality and value in the Sacramento market,” said Steve Oldham, SureWest’s President and CEO.
In some regards, SureWest is creating a hybrid U-verse-FiOS approach for its FTTH footprint in Sacramento, which currently passes roughly 140,000 homes. They’re offering a similar U-verse TV looking product, delivered over a FTTH network. Hence the title of my post.
SureWest also plans to offer ADTV to its video capable DSL footprint of 25,000 homes passed. Currently 15,000 of those 25,000 are ADTV eligible, with the remaining 10,000 coming on line in the next few months, Rogers tells me. Regardless of method, it adds up to a compelling competitive video product.
I'm assuming those Minerva customers need a new STB. Does SW charge customers to make the switch?
Mediaroom 2.0 is supposed to be able to support legacy STBs, so potentially the Minerva switch would not require new STB deployments, unless the STB is too old.
It's interesting how SW features Microsoft prominently – kind of a different approach than U-Verse. I see the potential upside of aligning with MS so publicly, but it has some down sides as well. For some, MS isn't exactly a popular name. I'd be interested what other IPTV operators are doing with this – featuring MS or not.
yeah – you think people will fear they have to reboot their tv?
Those old STB's are NOT compatible with MS. That's why it's called "cap" and grow.. hello.
the new "advanced tv" surewest is comming out with is on there website and if u watch the demo on it, the equipement is exactly the same as "uverse" and even the guide is the same, all they did was slap a surewest name on it and call it good, surewest is such biters, can they not come up with there own idea's on service?
This is a huge step for SureWest. They were classic IPTV early adopters and have been through a lot. Not just with IPTV but also as a company (acquisitions, etc). Yes, the service will look – visually, and feature-wise – like U-verse because it's based on the same platform. Having known the MSFT TV team in one guise or another since 2002, I can testify that the platform has also been through a lot, and somehow, by force of persistence, the thing works – and now that it has been shaken down in large-scale deployments, it works well. I don't begrudge SureWest (or Microsoft) – instead, I say "congratulations." (PS – try running Mediaroom in an Amino 110 – caint be done, and you wouldn't want to)