One of the key benefits of the NBN is the ability to deliver high definition video content on demand using multicasting technology.
iiNet today announced it would be the first ISP to deliver IPTV via the NBN using multicasting, offering its Fetch TV service as part of a trial in an NBN Greenfields site in Rhodes in Sydney.
All of iiNet's brands, including Internode, TransACT, WestNet and Netspace all passed NBNCo's multicasting certification in November, allowing them to offer IPTV services as the broadband network rolls out across the country.
Multicasting for the masses
Multicasting is a data transmission technology specifically designed for the delivery of video content.
It is designed to push large volumes of video content as far down the network as it can, before making it available for different users to grab the content they want.
This makes multicasting much more efficient for delivering large blocks of video. It also allows for suppliers like Fetch TV to guarantee the quality of the service being delivered to the home.
While the trial is a promising move for internet-delivered entertainment, the full rollout of multicasting features will largely rely on the overall NBN build.
