Offering selected residents the opportunity to access community services, digital TV channels, web and internet services from their existing TV set, RegenTV has been developed from a prototype system which has been running on the Carpenters Estate in Newham. The service has proven highly attractive to households, with a 70 per cent up-take p rate among 500 potential users. A local community TV channel, managed by Home 2 Home, a local social enterprise set up with the support of the Media Trust, offers some 100 videos on local issues, many of which were produced by locals. As the system rolls out, users will be able to access a range of interactive services, including local community TV, interactive advice channels, Freeview, foreign language TV channels, PC applications, council information, online access to services, internet and e-mail access and self-help and ICT learning channels
The system runs on a scalable Linux platform, and all services are delivered over internet protocol via building-wide Ethernet cabling or standard TV coaxial cabling to the homes. Applications are hosted on back-end servers and ‘free to air’ TV stations take a feed from local satellite antennae. The in-home system comprises a set-top box running browser software and MPEG decoder, a wireless keyboard and remote control, backed up by IBM's eServer xSeries and eServer BladeCenter servers.
The principal objectives of RegenTV are to provide local authorities and other social landlords with a powerful tool to support service provision and regeneration activity and to provide an opportunity for local authority participation and influence in a new area of communications.
RegenTV is a collaboration between IBM, Newham Council, the East Thames Group & Newham.net. It is a co-funded project, supported by the UK government through the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s E-Innovation programme. The partners are working together with OpenHub, a company specialising in integrating standards-based digital services within the home, to provide a complete solution to local authorities and registered social landlords considering rolling out RegenTV on their housing estates.
Newham.net is a not-for-profit social enterprise that is probably the world’s smallest ISP, telecommunication company and broadcaster. It was responsible for creating the prototype internet protocol TV service on which RegenTV is built and has managed its operation since November, 2002.
Home 2Home is also a not-for-profit social enterprise, based on the Carpenter’s Estate producing programmes for RegenTV and undertaking commissions to produce videos with a community focus.
The East Thames Group owns or manages around 12,000 homes.
Autor: Leigh Phillips
Quelle: Digital Media Europe, 13.06.2005
