Magazine Article: More Than Cable TV
TITLE: More than Cable TV
WRITTEN BY: Kisha Wilson Young
PUBLICATION DATE: 2010 (MACO Caribbean Living Magazine)
The effects of the recent downturn within the American and European economies are being felt
worldwide. In Trinidad, it has resulted in what is known in the housing industry as a “buyer’s
market”. Though the effects are not as widespread as in the United States, with thousands of
foreclosure signs lining the streets of once populated suburbs, many Trinidadians are taking the
opportunity to invest in their future by purchasing homes and land that once seemed
unattainable.
In a country with limited residential real estate, young families may find it more feasible to
purchase land, where they can carefully design their homes based on their changing lifestyles,
ensuring the flexibility of additions to accommodate their growing families.
There are many things to consider when designing a home, including functionality, technical
accuracy and, of course, the overall aesthetic value. These should all be reflected in the form,
space and ambience of the structure. There should also be one other design element
considered—“technology planning”. It has become a necessity in today’s world where
technology is becoming more entrenched in our daily lives—from the space we utilize to
accommodate our 52-inch HDTV, to the wiring needed to facilitate our data and voice
connections.
Planning for your entertainment and communication needs when building is important. Good
planning will ensure an aesthetically pleasing home, with wiring that is not visible as well as a
myriad of options for any electronic device supported by cable, broadband and voice services.
Flow currently offers all three, allowing residential customers to benefit from the various
product offerings and features of each service.
Most homeowners envision an entertainment centre in their main living space with additional
televisions throughout the home. Cable outlets incorporated into the initial drawings/plans can
be included in the kitchen, study area and in multiple bedrooms. These outlets can facilitate
Flow’s standard DCT set-top boxes or standard or HD Personal Video Recorders (PVRs). The PVR
allows complete control of television viewing; customers can record, rewind or fast forward any
programme at their convenience.
All boxes can facilitate Flow’s Basic and optional package offering, including the recently
launched Video on Demand (VOD) service with the latest movies, karaoke, concerts and
children’s programming. This can easily be accompanied by a state-of-the- art home theatre
surround-sound system. Imagine, movies in the living room, Dad watching news, Mom catching
her favourite pre-recorded soap on her PVR, their young adult daughter doing yoga
accompanied by music from the Flow Tunes “New Age” channel and their teenage son intently
playing PassTime Puzzlers on Channel 900—all at the same time.
The home’s broadband infrastructure can also be planned in the same way, with various outlets
throughout the home for dedicated desktops, depending on the homeowners’ needs. Multiple
wireless devices, including iPads, cell phones or laptops can be used throughout any home
outfitted with a wireless router and Flow’s broadband service. As the first company in the
region to offer speeds up to 100 Mbps, Flow allows residential customers in Trinidad to
regularly browse the internet and download bandwidth-intensive applications, including
gaming and multimedia streaming.
Aaron Woodyear of the Gamers Association of Trinidad and Tobago (GATT) was able to access
Flow’s broadband service at the Company’s recently held “Flow’s World” expo at the Hyatt
Regency, Trinidad. The Association featured various video games using Flow’s broadband
service. He explained that the recently increased speeds would make game playing online even
more enjoyable. “When you’re downloading updates for games, it used to take hours; you
could leave the computer overnight. Now, in minutes you’re done.”
Flow’s data modem is also used to provide the home with voice services, eliminating the hassle
of additional wiring to access an affordable telephone service which currently provides
unlimited calling to over 50 countries throughout the world, including Australia, China and
India. In addition, calls to other Flow customers are free. Flow also offers the unique Caller ID
on TV, so customers can view incoming caller information while watching their favourite TV
programme.
There is no limit to the technology that Flow can provide, especially with the promised
introduction of several new innovative products that homeowners can look forward to
eventually integrating into their homes, as part of their “technology planning”.
Internet protocol televisions (IP TVs), which can facilitate the delivery of multi-definition
content via broadband, will allow users to put all the information stored on their various
electronic devices, iPods, Xboxes or Playstations on the same platform—their Flow set-top
(cable) boxes. The new set-top boxes will enable communication and file sharing among all
these devices which will be available on the customer’s television screen.
This new technology will allow customers to experience conveniences that once seemed
unattainable. It will no longer be necessary to have a webcam while speaking to a relative in
another country, as video phones will allow customers to access the internet and social
networking sites.
So, when considering functionality, technical accuracy and aesthetic value for your building
plans, also consider “technology planning”. Flow can assist by not only providing the service
capabilities to ensure your home is outfitted to provide your video, data and voice needs, but
our technical department can give advice on the structural modifications needed to
accommodate any cabling infrastructure that will supply your home with the latest technology.