A startup is betting that folks are tired ample of their cable and satellite bills to take a look at an alternative pay TV system that combines a number of different technologies to deliver programming.

Silicon Valley-based Sezmi Corp. has revealed a system that amounts to a way for phone companies and local TV broadcasters to team up for an end run around satellite and cable. Technical trials are starting shortly, with full-blown commercial trials in some markets, yet unnamed, later that year.

The carrot for consumers: monthly fees that are about half those of cable or satellite, according to Sezmi founder Buno Pati.

Sezmi’s system takes some explaining. At its heart is a TV set-top box that receives video substance in three different ways. Two are available through other means: digital over-the-air local broadcasts, the kind that are available to anyone with a digital TV and a rabbit-ear antenna; and Net downloads through the home’s broadband connection.

The third delivery method would be different to Sezmi. It plans to have local TV stations use vacant portions of their airwaves to transmit basic cable channels like Nickelodeon and Discovery. Given the limited spectrum available, the stations won’t be able to transmit a full lineup, and only some of it will be in high definition. Sezmi plans to mitigate that by having stations send out the most-watched shows and have the set-top boxes save them on their hard drives, making them available for viewing on demand.

None of these features are completely original. The set-top box combines the feature of a digital TV tuner, a TV-style digital video recorder and an World Wide Web video box like the Apple TV. The additional over-the-air cable subject matter is reminiscent of a service called MovieBeam, which was started by The Walt Disney Co. When it shut down in December after a…

Orginal post by Top Tech News