Pre-Proposal: ForceTech Dash Pay Plan

[ForceTech]

Introduction：
Our IPTV solution currently only supports legal tender payments. We plan to add Dash payment to our products. We will train merchants and 200，000 new users to guide them to use Dash payment. While expanding the influence of Dash, we will also upgrade our product so that our customers can pay in an easy and quick way.

About ForceTech
As a worldwide leading company in cloud streaming technology, Force Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. specializes in mobile live streaming, video-on-demand（VOD）, and real-time messaging, providing professional operation solutions to telecom operators and other large companies.

ForceTech official website: http://www.forcetech.net

We are a solution provider for IPTV. Our business model is that we sell solutions to merchants who use our products to provide services to terminal users and charge them per year/month.

Even if the user is abroad, as long as their device (usually a set-top box) has our products installed, they can use the TV to watch their programs of their own countries.

Based on p2p protocol, ForceTech’s solution for cloud streaming media can be used without CDN for smooth cross-nation playing of live streaming and VOD. With only several server nodes (similar to Dash’s host node) deployed, merchants are able to provide video services to terminal users around the world. Compared to our competitors, users using our solutions can see a smoother live video broadcast, and merchants have lower server bandwidth costs.

The system supports live streaming and VOD on various terminals on Windows, IOS, and Android, and is mostly used in OTT/IPTV business based on TV+STB. Customized programs are available to terminal users provided on demand by network operators.

About Users
We have hundreds of merchants around the world that serve millions of terminal users.

Our terminal users are mainly from mainland China, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

Program language covers English, Chinese, French, German, Arabic, Japanese, Dutch, Korean, Thai, Hindi, Bengalese, Osmanli, Danish, etc.

Introduction to user terminals
The following is an example of terminals for Korean programs.
Home page:

Case Study

1.iTalkTV

Headquartered in the USA, iTalkTV, an IPTV & VOIP operator, is using ForceTech cloud streaming media system for providing Chinese TV programs to overseas Chinese living in North America. The types of those programs vary from TV series, movies, operas, to financial programs, and other live streams.

With a large number of VOIP terminal users (60000 in total), iTalkTV, supported by a whole set of high-speed and stable internet television transmission system built by ForceTech IPTV/OTT service platform, is able to distribute a large amount of quality Chinese TV programs to overseas users, provide them with a fantastic visual feast, and make them feel at home even when they are far away from the homeland.

2. Wasu, An IPTV Platform
[img]https://i.imgur.com/mbF9T2y.png[/img]
ForceTech also provides cloud-based IPTV services to Huan. TV, and cooperates with Wasu to create a new generation of home video terminal—IPTV tv set.
Ø TV manufacturers we support: TCL, Changhong, Hisense, Skyworth, Haier, LG, Konka, Panasonic
Ø Average concurrent terminal users: 100,000+
Ø Gross sale: 2 million sets
Ø Number of servers: 380 sets
Ø Number of distribution points: 20
Ø Bandwidth: 40 G

Proposal Background
Terminal users of our system are from different areas of the world and use diverse kinds of legal tender to pay our customers, which make it unavoidable that our customers have to exchange the payment to their own legal tender and may take a risk in exchange rate fluctuation. In response to this, we propose to add Dash as one of the payment methods, for Dash supports quick payment, and can be easily exchanged to legal tender in cryptocurrency bourse, eliminating the risk and trouble that our customers are going through.

Many terminal users are living overseas for work or study, but they still want to watch programs broadcast by their own countries, therefore, they chose our system. Be it student or worker, these users all have the need of currency exchange, a need that can be satisfied by cryptocurrency exchange. If terminal users use Dash to pay for our system, they will gain more knowledge of this payment method so that they will probably tend to use it in other scenarios, thus promoting Dash to more users.

We believe that traditional currency is inclined to be replaced by cryptocurrency as a payment method in the future, hence, we propose to add the option of using Dash as payment method in our cloud streaming media system. Once our customers receive a payment paid through Dash, they can immediately exchange it to their legal tender, alleviating their trouble of foreign currency exchange and risk of exchange rate fluctuation.

200,000 terminals supporting Dash are expected to be established in this proposal, including STB, smart TV, smart phone, PC distributed worldwide. This plan can lead to a win-win result for both ForceTech and Dash, promoting the use of both our system and Dash.

At present, our products only support legal currency payment. We plan to add a cryptocurrency. Due to the high real-time requirements, Bitcoin is excluded. After screening, Dash is selected as an additional payment option. We plan to promote 200,000 terminals (users) to support DASH payments, because users are paid users, so we can guarantee that at least 200,000 people can know and understand Dash. Many of them will pay Dash payment to further drive the people around them; the program will bring more convenience to our users and merchants, and also promote the promotion of DASH. I believe that our cooperation with DASH is win-win.

A simple and friendly interaction design will be applied to Dash payment option to make it as acceptable as possible to our customers and terminal users. At the same time, a series of activities will be launched for promotion, encouraging terminal users to use Dash for payment and experience the difference between cryptocurrency and traditional currency. If these activities perform well, we plan to add Dash as payment method on all the products of ours.

Implementation Plan
1. Dash payment is expected to be added to IPTV within one month for pre-test.

2. Once new version of the system with Dash option is released, new terminal users of the updated version are expected to reach around 100,000 within half a year.

3. Part of our old operator customers will also need to update the system to the new version with Dash, and will bring another 100,000 terminal users of the new version.

4. Explain to customers functions and usage of the new version, including procedures of paying, refunding, and exchanging between Dash and legal tender. Recommend customers to provide Dash discount for terminal users.

5. Provide discount on our service charge to customers if they use Dash to pay our system.

6. Put out banners or notices on our official website and social media communities advertising the new version with Dash to hundreds of our customers and hundreds of thousands of terminal users. Main promotion channels include:

1) official website of ForceTech, a leading company in video solution

2) 1905 digital entertainment platform, an updated and integrated post-cinema platform of traditional culture and digital entertainment service

This project is divided into 4 phases:

The 1st phase: 8 weeks

4 weeks for system development and test and 4 weeks for trial use by some customers.

The 2nd phase: 8 weeks

Installation and use of the updated version by new customers.

The 3rd phase: 8 weeks

Updating to the new version for old customers and providing the new version to new customers.

The 4th phase: last for 8 weeks

Further promoting and improving the system.

Budget Plan
It is expected that 200,000 terminal users will use the updated version, among which 100, 000 are expected to be converted to Dash users. Our cost is $343,000（1649 DASH,Dash is currently at around ~$208）, and the cost of each new Dash user will be $3.43(0.0165DASH). The cost will be used in the following aspects:

1. $50,000 USD used for system development and test, including the docking of payment function with background system, and procedures of customer settlement.

2. $130,000 USD used for installation and updating of the new system. Once finished, 200,000 terminals are expected to have Dash pay function.

3. $43,000 USD used for training customers and technology support. With customized training and technology support, customers will tend to use Dash more often.

4. $120,000 USD is used to discount merchants. The merchant will pay the user a discount on the use of Dash, and we will also give the merchant a certain discount on the new system. $120,000 USD for company and merchant losses.

We apply for half of the cost to Dash to cover our costs. Half of the cost is $171,500 (824 DASH), the payment cycle is 4 months, and the monthly application is 206 DASH ($42,875).

Follow-up
If the plan performs well and reaches the targeted goal, we will plan for another 500,000 increase of new terminal users of the updated version and convert 200,000 users to Dash users.

 

[TaoOfSatoshi]

Introduction

Our IPTV solution currently only supports legal tender payments. We plan to add Dash payment to our products. We will train merchants and 200，000 new users to guide them to use Dash payment. While expanding the influence of Dash, we will also upgrade our product so that our customers can pay in an easy and quick way.

Is this your website? http://www.forcetech.net/en/index.html

Would this be accepting Dash to buy hardware, or for monthly IPTV programming, or both?

 

[ForceTech]

Yes, this is our official website. Currently we only support monthly or yearly IPTV programming, but no buying hardware. But later we will work on buying hardware

 

[Arthyron]

@ForceTech -- Thank you for your pre-proposal. I'm familiar with the power and utility and convenience of this method of broadcasting. I know many people who are switching to services such as yours, even here in the USA. So I think that is the direction the market is moving globally, and it makes sense, and it also makes sense that Dash might want to be a part of that trend. In the past, we've had some success with integrations in to payment schemas for various services, but the most success has come when the users have been incentivized to use Dash as a preferred method of payment, because it's not enough to simply give them the option, since there's so much of a learning curve and risks associated in learning about and using cryptocurrency.

You've given some figures expecting half of the 200,000 terminal users would be willing to begin using Dash as payment, but could you elaborate on what sort of market research or reasoning has led you to that conclusion? In order to allocate that much of our treasury--which is more limited due to the cryptocurrency market downturn--we'd need more assurances that our funding would translate in to real, persistent use. Offering discounts and education is a good first step, but users really need to be incentivized to make the switch to using cryptocurrency--and Dash in particular--as payment, so I'd love to hear more about your plans to help them make that switch.

As you may know, hopefully later this year we'll be releasing new version(s) of Dash with a lot more features and capabilities with a focus toward making the use of Dash more streamlined and accessible (known variously as "Evolution" for a codename of sorts). There are plans to include a number of features there that may be relevant to how your service interfaces with Dash. Have you given this any consideration, and how might the release of Evolution impact the way that your service would integrate with Dash and offer value to your customers?

 

[Quansen]

Why can’t you just integrate one of the numerous easy to integrate dash payments solutions?

The only way I can see this proposal working is with a generous exclusivity agreement and much dash promotion on your platform.

I’m very sceptical of paying for integration into rather crypto unrelated services. Businesses should integrate payment methods that make sense for them on their own. Why is your business different?

 

[ForceTech]

@ForceTech -- Thank you for your pre-proposal. I'm familiar with the power and utility and convenience of this method of broadcasting. I know many people who are switching to services such as yours, even here in the USA. So I think that is the direction the market is moving globally, and it makes sense, and it also makes sense that Dash might want to be a part of that trend. In the past, we've had some success with integrations in to payment schemas for various services, but the most success has come when the users have been incentivized to use Dash as a preferred method of payment, because it's not enough to simply give them the option, since there's so much of a learning curve and risks associated in learning about and using cryptocurrency.

You've given some figures expecting half of the 200,000 terminal users would be willing to begin using Dash as payment, but could you elaborate on what sort of market research or reasoning has led you to that conclusion? In order to allocate that much of our treasury--which is more limited due to the cryptocurrency market downturn--we'd need more assurances that our funding would translate in to real, persistent use. Offering discounts and education is a good first step, but users really need to be incentivized to make the switch to using cryptocurrency--and Dash in particular--as payment, so I'd love to hear more about your plans to help them make that switch.

As you may know, hopefully later this year we'll be releasing new version(s) of Dash with a lot more features and capabilities with a focus toward making the use of Dash more streamlined and accessible (known variously as "Evolution" for a codename of sorts). There are plans to include a number of features there that may be relevant to how your service interfaces with Dash. Have you given this any consideration, and how might the release of Evolution impact the way that your service would integrate with Dash and offer value to your customers?

Our system is user-oriented, and it’s user-friendly and convenient to use. We provide a friendly interface and payment methods to our users. Adding DASH payment is to promote both our system and DASH for wider use, we will strive to achieve a win-win effect. Our new version will support legal tender payments and dash payments. The two payment methods are equal, there is no preferred payment, and users can choose their appropriate payment method. But dash payment will be added to our system as the only cryptocurrency payment method.

It is expected that half of the 200,000 end users will be willing to start using Dash payments:

1) According to public reports, at least 30% of Koreans participate in currency trading, and 50% of white-collar workers participate in it. The Korean market is one of our important markets. In order to achieve better results, we will give priority to promoting the Korean version.
2) Each of our terminals corresponds to an average of 2 viewers, so the ratio for the terminal or above will double.
3) Many of our end users are working or studying abroad. They have the need to exchange currency, so dash payment is their good alternative.
4) We will provide discounts and training to merchants and users, making it easier for them to become dash users.

There are many learning curves and risks in using cryptocurrencies, which has been the reason why many people are reluctant to use cryptocurrencies. The mission of the Evolution version is to make it easy for all users to use and access digital cash. We have been expecting the release of the new Evolution version to make it easier to integrate and make it easier for users to use.

 

[ForceTech]

Why can’t you just integrate one of the numerous easy to integrate dash payments solutions?

The only way I can see this proposal working is with a generous exclusivity agreement and much dash promotion on your platform.

I’m very sceptical of paying for integration into rather crypto unrelated services. Businesses should integrate payment methods that make sense for them on their own. Why is your business different?

People who work and study in other countries are one of our main user groups. We currently use the method of legal tender payment. However, users and merchants will have a currency exchange process and bear certain exchange rate fluctuation risks.

Both our users and merchants have a need to use cryptocurrencies.

Dash has fast payouts and good communities, which is easier for integration, and dash will release a friendlier version of Evolution at the end of the year. Therefore, dash payment is a good alternative.

We currently only add dash as the payment method for cryptocurrencyto better promote our system and DSAH payment.

 

[Quansen]

As far as I can tell you have not answered any of my questions. Can you please provide answered to my concerns?@ForceTech

 

[dashbkk]

Introduction：
Our IPTV solution currently only supports legal tender payments. We plan to add Dash payment to our products. We will train merchants and 200，000 new users to guide them to use Dash payment. While expanding the influence of Dash, we will also upgrade our product so that our customers can pay in an easy and quick way.

About ForceTech
As a worldwide leading company in cloud streaming technology, Force Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. specializes in mobile live streaming, video-on-demand（VOD）, and real-time messaging, providing professional operation solutions to telecom operators and other large companies.

ForceTech official website: http://www.forcetech.net

We are a solution provider for IPTV. Our business model is that we sell solutions to merchants who use our products to provide services to terminal users and charge them per year/month.

Even if the user is abroad, as long as their device (usually a set-top box) has our products installed, they can use the TV to watch their programs of their own countries.

Based on p2p protocol, ForceTech’s solution for cloud streaming media can be used without CDN for smooth cross-nation playing of live streaming and VOD. With only several server nodes (similar to Dash’s host node) deployed, merchants are able to provide video services to terminal users around the world. Compared to our competitors, users using our solutions can see a smoother live video broadcast, and merchants have lower server bandwidth costs.

The system supports live streaming and VOD on various terminals on Windows, IOS, and Android, and is mostly used in OTT/IPTV business based on TV+STB. Customized programs are available to terminal users provided on demand by network operators.

About Users
We have hundreds of merchants around the world that serve millions of terminal users.

Our terminal users are mainly from mainland China, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

Program language covers English, Chinese, French, German, Arabic, Japanese, Dutch, Korean, Thai, Hindi, Bengalese, Osmanli, Danish, etc.

Introduction to user terminals
The following is an example of terminals for Korean programs.
Home page:

Case Study

1.iTalkTV

Headquartered in the USA, iTalkTV, an IPTV & VOIP operator, is using ForceTech cloud streaming media system for providing Chinese TV programs to overseas Chinese living in North America. The types of those programs vary from TV series, movies, operas, to financial programs, and other live streams.

With a large number of VOIP terminal users (60000 in total), iTalkTV, supported by a whole set of high-speed and stable internet television transmission system built by ForceTech IPTV/OTT service platform, is able to distribute a large amount of quality Chinese TV programs to overseas users, provide them with a fantastic visual feast, and make them feel at home even when they are far away from the homeland.

2. Wasu, An IPTV Platform
[img]https://i.imgur.com/mbF9T2y.png[/img]
ForceTech also provides cloud-based IPTV services to Huan. TV, and cooperates with Wasu to create a new generation of home video terminal—IPTV tv set.
Ø TV manufacturers we support: TCL, Changhong, Hisense, Skyworth, Haier, LG, Konka, Panasonic
Ø Average concurrent terminal users: 100,000+
Ø Gross sale: 2 million sets
Ø Number of servers: 380 sets
Ø Number of distribution points: 20
Ø Bandwidth: 40 G

Proposal Background
Terminal users of our system are from different areas of the world and use diverse kinds of legal tender to pay our customers, which make it unavoidable that our customers have to exchange the payment to their own legal tender and may take a risk in exchange rate fluctuation. In response to this, we propose to add Dash as one of the payment methods, for Dash supports quick payment, and can be easily exchanged to legal tender in cryptocurrency bourse, eliminating the risk and trouble that our customers are going through.

Many terminal users are living overseas for work or study, but they still want to watch programs broadcast by their own countries, therefore, they chose our system. Be it student or worker, these users all have the need of currency exchange, a need that can be satisfied by cryptocurrency exchange. If terminal users use Dash to pay for our system, they will gain more knowledge of this payment method so that they will probably tend to use it in other scenarios, thus promoting Dash to more users.

We believe that traditional currency is inclined to be replaced by cryptocurrency as a payment method in the future, hence, we propose to add the option of using Dash as payment method in our cloud streaming media system. Once our customers receive a payment paid through Dash, they can immediately exchange it to their legal tender, alleviating their trouble of foreign currency exchange and risk of exchange rate fluctuation.

200,000 terminals supporting Dash are expected to be established in this proposal, including STB, smart TV, smart phone, PC distributed worldwide. This plan can lead to a win-win result for both ForceTech and Dash, promoting the use of both our system and Dash.

At present, our products only support legal currency payment. We plan to add a cryptocurrency. Due to the high real-time requirements, Bitcoin is excluded. After screening, Dash is selected as an additional payment option. We plan to promote 200,000 terminals (users) to support DASH payments, because users are paid users, so we can guarantee that at least 200,000 people can know and understand Dash. Many of them will pay Dash payment to further drive the people around them; the program will bring more convenience to our users and merchants, and also promote the promotion of DASH. I believe that our cooperation with DASH is win-win.

A simple and friendly interaction design will be applied to Dash payment option to make it as acceptable as possible to our customers and terminal users. At the same time, a series of activities will be launched for promotion, encouraging terminal users to use Dash for payment and experience the difference between cryptocurrency and traditional currency. If these activities perform well, we plan to add Dash as payment method on all the products of ours.

Implementation Plan
1. Dash payment is expected to be added to IPTV within one month for pre-test.

2. Once new version of the system with Dash option is released, new terminal users of the updated version are expected to reach around 100,000 within half a year.

3. Part of our old operator customers will also need to update the system to the new version with Dash, and will bring another 100,000 terminal users of the new version.

4. Explain to customers functions and usage of the new version, including procedures of paying, refunding, and exchanging between Dash and legal tender. Recommend customers to provide Dash discount for terminal users.

5. Provide discount on our service charge to customers if they use Dash to pay our system.

6. Put out banners or notices on our official website and social media communities advertising the new version with Dash to hundreds of our customers and hundreds of thousands of terminal users. Main promotion channels include:

1) official website of ForceTech, a leading company in video solution

2) 1905 digital entertainment platform, an updated and integrated post-cinema platform of traditional culture and digital entertainment service

This project is divided into 4 phases:

The 1st phase: 8 weeks

4 weeks for system development and test and 4 weeks for trial use by some customers.

The 2nd phase: 8 weeks

Installation and use of the updated version by new customers.

The 3rd phase: 8 weeks

Updating to the new version for old customers and providing the new version to new customers.

The 4th phase: last for 8 weeks

Further promoting and improving the system.

Budget Plan
It is expected that 200,000 terminal users will use the updated version, among which 100, 000 are expected to be converted to Dash users. Our cost is $343,000（1649 DASH,Dash is currently at around ~$208）, and the cost of each new Dash user will be $3.43(0.0165DASH). The cost will be used in the following aspects:

1. $50,000 USD used for system development and test, including the docking of payment function with background system, and procedures of customer settlement.

2. $130,000 USD used for installation and updating of the new system. Once finished, 200,000 terminals are expected to have Dash pay function.

3. $43,000 USD used for training customers and technology support. With customized training and technology support, customers will tend to use Dash more often.

4. $120,000 USD is used to discount merchants. The merchant will pay the user a discount on the use of Dash, and we will also give the merchant a certain discount on the new system. $120,000 USD for company and merchant losses.

We apply for half of the cost to Dash to cover our costs. Half of the cost is $171,500 (824 DASH), the payment cycle is 4 months, and the monthly application is 206 DASH ($42,875).

Follow-up
If the plan performs well and reaches the targeted goal, we will plan for another 500,000 increase of new terminal users of the updated version and convert 200,000 users to Dash users.

Hi I just saw your terminal users are also in Thailand. I just posted yesterday our pre-proposal for the Dash Embassy Thailand
https://www.dash.org/forum/threads/...-embassy-expansion-step-1-oct-dec-2018.40573/

Please have a look feedback and support is always welcome and do not hesitate to contact me ... maybe there is any collaboration potential ... cheers

 

[ForceTech]

Hi I just saw your terminal users are also in Thailand. I just posted yesterday our pre-proposal for the Dash Embassy Thailand
https://www.dash.org/forum/threads/...-embassy-expansion-step-1-oct-dec-2018.40573/

Please have a look feedback and support is always welcome and do not hesitate to contact me ... maybe there is any collaboration potential ... cheers

Yes, we have IPTV partners and users in Thailand, and the programming languages mainly include Thai, Japanese, and Korean. If you have any question, please contact us. We are looking at your "Dash Embassy Thailand" proposal, which is very helpful for the promotion of dash, and we look forward to our cooperation opportunities.

 

[dashbkk]

Yes, we have IPTV partners and users in Thailand, and the programming languages mainly include Thai, Japanese, and Korean. If you have any question, please contact us. We are looking at your "Dash Embassy Thailand" proposal, which is very helpful for the promotion of dash, and we look forward to our cooperation opportunities.

that's great. Thanks for the kind feedback. Maybe we can schedule a call soon to discuss further

 

[GrandMasterDash]

In the short to medium time frame, I feel, converting half of your userbase to dash is too optimistic. But I do recognize there is good long term opportunity here. In particular, given a lot of your customers are working or studying abroad, I wonder if there is also a remittance angle to this?

I think this could work if:
a) you provide discounts / incentives to those paying with dash
b) you enter into a long term exclusivity agreement with DCG
c) multi-month payments based on milestones being met
d) a final escrow payment is released by DCG based on performance metrics e.g. number of transactions through your platform

 

[ForceTech]

that's great. Thanks for the kind feedback. Maybe we can schedule a call soon to discuss further

Sorry to keep you waiting so long. my number is +86-18628066301. is it convenient for you to call me this afternoon? 3-4hours later。

 

[dashbkk]

Sorry to keep you waiting so long. my number is +86-18628066301. is it convenient for you to call me this afternoon? 3-4hours later。

are you on whats app? my number is +66 827918244 just add me there and speak you later this afternoon then

 

[ForceTech]

are you on whats app? my number is +66 827918244 just add me there and speak you later this afternoon then

OK, looking forward to your call.

 

[ForceTech]

In the short to medium time frame, I feel, converting half of your userbase to dash is too optimistic. But I do recognize there is good long term opportunity here. In particular, given a lot of your customers are working or studying abroad, I wonder if there is also a remittance angle to this?

I think this could work if:
a) you provide discounts / incentives to those paying with dash
b) you enter into a long term exclusivity agreement with DCG
c) multi-month payments based on milestones being met
d) a final escrow payment is released by DCG based on performance metrics e.g. number of transactions through your platform

Firstly, Thank you very much for your useful suggestions!

Yes, you are right, it is a little bit too optimistic to convert half of our userbase to dash. however, we have millions of customers around the world, and we will continue to upgrade our terminals to get at least 100,000 customers. And we will provide discounts to both our customers and merchants.

In terms of our proposal, we have discussed a lot with DASH core team, and Bradley Zastrow and tungfa have provided us with a lot of good suggestions. but currently, we haven't signed agreement with DASH core team.