The march to IBC 2010

We have been so busy marching, we forgot to write about the march. Ironic isn’t it? So what is new this year? Still the industry lumbers along looking for relevancy  – seeing more Twitter feeds out there and the IBC Daily and VideonetNews are kicking it with their blog posts and Twitter streams… thank goodness for that. We are positive that we will get that most up to the date live conference stream from Julian Clover, Editor, BroadbandTV (Twitter: @julianclover) News since he is just about the only guy that attends the conference and tweets about. Thanks Julian!

We do know that the parties are heating up – the first one is the annual ink Communications IBC2010 soiree -which this year is going underground, wonder how many people will be able to find the location. Details are here, but you have to know someone to get in that one.

Official show hashtag is #IBC2010.

Other than that, we expect to hear a lot of junk about 3D, Social TV and all the other stuff that they like to talk about but don’t really know how to deliver. They want to, but it’s still a dinosaur of an industry that needs a new prom dress. – JLH

Tags: BroadbandTV News, IBC 2010, Julian Clover, VideoNetNews

Is 3D TV all we keep hearing about?

I must say, I was drawn to the 3D TV Pavilion sponsored by CableLabs at SCTE. CableLabs has partnered with some of the leading consumer electronics manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic to show some really fun 3D TV demonstrations (some in mini theaters).

I sat through the mini theater presentation by Sony and the home theater experience from Panasonic, both of which impressed me. I found the Panasonic HD Theater to be a little less choppy than the Sony one (although I’m always a fan of watching the New England Patriots in 3D, hello Tom Brady!) The consensus of some others that were also in my demonstrations was that Panasonic had a smoother 3D experience.

The pavilion also shows demonstrations of 3D over broadcast and 3D from a Blu-Ray. The demonstration of 3D video signals delivered over a single channel from an actual operating cable TV system is the first of its kind to show this. Also, it doesn’t use colored 3D glasses, instead this system works with a new generation of 3D-ready TVs using polarized glasses to bring the realism of the theater-like 3D to the home.

Of course to get this at home you’ll have to buy a 3D TV. There were 3D TV sets on display from Hyundai IT, LG Electronics and Sony but additional work needs to be done before this is all ready to use at home. CableLabs says that they expect deployment of 3D TV will be in response to demand by subscribers and will depend upon the availability of the new 3D-ready TVs in the market. – AC

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Tags: 3D television, 3D TV, CableLabs, Consumer electronics, LG Electronics, SCTE, Sony

Motorola profits up and new STB at SCTE 09

Not only are the profits of Motorola up and they are seeing a third quarter profit, but at SCTE Expo this year they unveiled a new all digital STB that is designed to help cable operators migrate to an all digital network and accelerate delivery of the much beloved personal media experiences and multi-room DVR capabilities.

According to Larry Robinson, who has the longest title we have ever seen, (VP and general manager, America’s Digital STB, Motorola Home and Networks Mobility) Motorola’s innovation is driven by the evolving needs of our customers, and this new digital set-top is no exception.

We will spare you the technical details but what this new STB actually means to the consumer is that you will be more likely to get advanced features/services from your cable operator because of the flexibility of this STB. In the end you might not think much about the STB, but it (and the software inside of it) really does dictate the features you get through your TV and all those cool things you say you want (a personal media experience, sound, networking options) when you are with your friends. –  JLH

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Tags: Cable television, Digital video recorder, Motorola, Set-top box, Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers

SCTE 2009, Cablevision, SeaChange, Green Pavilion & Network DVR

In June this year, Cablevision prevailed in a three-year legal with CNN and other major studios. The Supreme Court decided not to review the case and Cablevision’s remote-storage DVR was deemed not in violation of copyrights. Since the ruling was made, technology vendors and operators have been working hard to deploy a network DVR system.

The Cablevision technology is based on storing content on the network service instead of in the home, so if 1000 people want to record NBC’s The Office, those will each be stored at the network facility to set aside sufficient dedicated server space to make individual copies of shows. The studios thought that this remote storage violate copyright limitations. But since the Supreme Court disagreed, the door has been opened for Network DVRs. And we don’t mind, anything to make it easier for us to watch out favorite shows at home, especially without having to delete older ones or record over other episodes, makes us happy!

SeaChange has jumped on the Network DVR train and is highlighting the RS-DVR system at SCTE in response to the demand for time-shifted TV (Yes! We demand it!). SeaChange is allowing operators to deliver DVR functionality without deploying expensive DVR set top boxes that incorporate hard drives. It also provides the household with a multi-room DVR without the need for in-home wiring, saving tons of money compared to traditional set top DVR rollouts. The company says that their RS-DVR is ready for operators to use today.

SeaChange is also sponsoring the Green Pavilion at SCTE Expo, along with nine other companies at SCTE who are getting green. SCTE is shining the spotlight on promoting energy efficient technologies with eh the Green Pavilion, featuring pods with energy management solutions from qualified exhibitors that will improve corporate bottom line and preserve energy resources. It’s about time a trade show makes an efforts to be a little greener. In order to be part of the Green Pavilion, a company has to focus on at least one of three specific areas: powering improvements for facilities and plant, fleet enhancements involving smart routing, and operational upgrades and improvements.

There are a number of things that SCTE has done to make this pavilion “greener” including, creating the booths with recycled and recyclable materials, low energy LED lights to light the pavilion, carpet made with 70% recycled material, 82% reduction in booth shipping weight, and less promotional handouts. Cheers to that SCTE! We hope this becomes a trend with other trade show events, and the trade show waste starts to lessen in the future.  — AC (photos to come)

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Tags: Cable, Cablevision, CNN, Network DVR, SCTE Expo, SeaChange

At SCTE, Harmonic touts TV Everywhere

At SCTE Cable-Tec 2009 we don’t really get to see sexy tech stuff since its all sort of block and tackle technology, but thank goodness for Harmonic who is showcasing its technology and how it enables TV Everywhere. Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT) will feature its unique and comprehensive portfolio of solutions that enable cable operators to deliver an expanding range of advanced video services. At SCTE, you can see demos of Harmonic’s MediaPrism™ suite of tools for converged video delivery to any device, the Electra® 8000 encoder’s superior quality 4:1 HD or 18:1 SD MPEG-2
compression, ACE™ any-to-any high quality transcoding technology, fiber-deep HFC access
solutions and integrated audio level adjustment. Harmonic will also feature a live technology demonstration of its exciting HectoQAM™ edge processing technology currently in development, feeding video streams directly to Harmonic’s SUPRALink™ 1550 nm DWDM transport system for ultra-efficient delivery across the HFC network.  – AC

Tags: Cable television, Harmonic Inc, MPEG-2, SCTE

Upcoming events: SCTE Cable-Tec & TelcoTV

Tattletech will be attending and bringing you the hottest and latest news from these upcoming shows:

* SCTE Cable-Tec Expo, Denver, CO October 28-30
* TelcoTV, Orlando, FL November 10-12

If you wish to meet us  at these events please let us know!

Nutty Italian TV politics

It sounds like a soap opera, but it’s just Italian TV politics. There has been a long ongoing sale in process of the Spanish DTH platform Digital+, now it seems they had to throw in some more booty to get it sold, the free-to-air channel Cuatro potentially a part of the package. According to a recent article (which is well worth a short read because it spells out who is in hot water with who) in BroadbandTV News, the Berlusconi owned Mediaset has been named by the Italian press as a potential suitor with Telefonica on board as a local partner.

- JLH

Tags: Mediaset

50 most promising deals in Cable

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Exciting right? Well it can be if written by CED Magazine - they have compiled the 50 most important trends, technologies and people of 2008 –with some extra sassy commentary, which we love. Read it and remember, its still Cable.  #2 and #6 points address Advertising which we just also talked about in the Tattletech Hot Seat with Active Video Network’s Michael Taylor and #19 points out that Active Video is onto something with their talent from TWC, therefore we can safely say that Tattletech was onto something when we did the interview. And of course, no list would be complete with a mention of the FCC boy wonder, Kevin Martin at #32, but we agree with CED when we say, he’s almost gone, so there is a light. – JLH

Tags: CED Magazine, FCC, Kevin Martin, Tattletech Hot Seat, US Cable industry

Tattletech Hot Seat – Michael Taylor, Active Video Networks

We virtually headed out to San Francisco and had the opportunity to speak with Michael Taylor, Senior VP  Business Development of Active Video Networks about the industry’s hot topic- Advertising. Active Video Networks is an interactive content platform for TV and delivers a personalized mix of Web content and broadcast TV.

Tattletech: The success of online advertising is spawning new ways to reach people, from ads on cell phones to in-store signs that can change instantly. But the reality is still a little bit like science fiction – from your Cable perspective, how do you see this new age of advertising finding a place in cable and in your company’s platform offering?

Michael Taylor: One of the most significant obstacles to the mass adoption of targeted, interactive advertising has been the device fragmentation that forces advertisers to create, sell, place and measure ads across multiple delivery systems.  What’s needed is the ability to rapidly and inexpensively develop ads and campaigns, and to be able to change tactics quickly based on product availability or consumer response.  Through its traditional dominance in the residential market and its new ventures into the mobile and business services sector, cable is uniquely positioned to be a strong player.  What’s needed to complete the picture for the industry is a network-based processing architecture like ActiveVideo  that enables a create once, deploy everywhere ubiquity.

Tattletech: We hear a lot of talk from Internet companies that want to take their content to TV, how realistic is it to think that Cable can make this work for their subscribers?

Michael Taylor: The reality is that subscribers who want Internet video are going to find it, so it is important for two reasons that cable makes it work: so that it can retain its value as the dominant video provider, and so the industry can maintain its historic generation of advertising revenues.  The migration of Web content is happening, both via third-party CE devices and via platforms like ActiveVideo that infuse television with Web content and interactivity.  We’re working with a number of partners – including Reuters, AccuWeather and others — who are building a television presence using their existing Web content.  In every case, they’re interested in bringing online video directly to the television, which remains the preferred vehicle for video consumption.  The value they see in ActiveVideo is that content can be generated and distributed to the TV in real time, without the cost and complexity of additional CE devices.  It’s a very compelling proposition.

Tattletech: Subscription v. free advertising v. pay-for-play model – who wins in a grudge match?

Michael Taylor: It doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition.  There’s room for all three.  Consumers generally express a preference for free or low-cost ad-supported video, so that will probably be most dominant in the long run.  There’s still content out there, though, that is best presented ad-free.  And there are subscribers who frankly would pay more for an uncluttered screen.  The beauty is that Web-infused TV can address those needs on an individual basis, allowing viewers who prefer a “clean screen” to pay more for that privilege.

Frankly, I think we need to approach the next generation of television with the expectation that the accepted equations will change.  With channel surfing, the increase in ad skipping and competition from other media sources in general, advertisers need to find ways to reach their audiences.  This can include everything from ad telescoping that takes a viewer all the way through the purchase funnel, to more extreme scenarios such as a return to the early days of TV, when sponsors were responsible for creating and producing shows. I’m not sure where it all leads, but it’s going to be exciting getting there.

Tattletech: As Google continues to draw dollars away from TV, some of the biggest US cable companies are banding together to create a company that lets national advertisers buy customized ads across their network – -innovation or defense?

Michael Taylor: I’d prefer to think of it as “evolution.”  Cable ad sales groups have long approached their craft from a national point of view.  Targeted, customized ads are simply going to be another item in their inventory.  From our point of view, having those groups on the leading edge of targeted rollouts will accelerate the creation of a ubiquitous market for ad targeting.

Tattletech: Superman or Aquaman -  who watches cable v. satellite v. Internet TV?

Michael Taylor: Are you kidding? They’re too busy saving the world…

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Tags: AccuWeather, Active Video Networks, Advertising, Cable, Michael Taylor, Reuters

Those are some big numbers

ZDNet Asia reported today that the APAC region will see 8.7 million users by 2012.

Hong Kong’s PCCW as everyone knows, is the best performer based on subscriber numbers. According to Gartner, the carrier has 758,000 registered users for its “nowTV” service and is expected to serve at least 40% of the 2.3 million households in Hong Kong.

By region, Western Europe has the highest number of subscribers, with a forecast of 8.2 million in 2008 and 18.8 million in 2012.

But this is the juicy part – the report also says that new competitors like YouTube and Joost and other social networking sites (Facebook -rah!) will be eating into those numbers. They also claim that device manufacturers are offering their own Web-based offerings, such as AppleTV and some broadcasters are going to the consumer direct via that wacky Internet. Feel the convergence now?

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Tags: Facebook, Joost, PCCW