[bdhess]

TV delivered over IP is not the same as TV delivered over the internet. When your ISP is the same entity as your TV carrier, the traffic doesn't have to travel over the internet. Comcast is already doing this with X1 and Verizon is already doing this with Fios.

[topranks]

Yeah exactly. Lots of cable TV networks are all-IP, using multicast to distribute the signal.

But the previous post is 100% correct in saying that “video over unicast on the internet” is massively inefficient compared to current broadcast techniques.

People want Netflix-style video on demand though. Outside live news & sports that will kill broadcast TV.

[londons_explore]

What seems 'horribly inefficient' today is usually the future.

Sending cartoons as raster rather than vector data is also horribly inefficient, yet every TV network does it.

Sending music as MP3 is horribly inefficient compared to the original notes in midi form, yet everyone does it.

Taking a photograph of your electric meter rather than writing down the number is millions of times more wasteful of space, yet people do it.

[muraiki]

> Sending music as MP3 is horribly inefficient compared to the original notes in midi form, yet everyone does it.

If you've ever played an instrument that isn't a bad synthesizer, you'll know why everyone does this.