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Viodi View

Viodi View – 09/15/10

One benefit of social media networks is that they reduce the friction associated with the flow of information and presumably make commerce more efficient (not counting the time spent on the social media games). The downside and the concern I have is that I lose control over the data I post on the third-party sites. I may still own the data, but access to the data can be restricted or held hostage in a heartbeat. Read the Korner to see how one Viodi View friend used an old school social networking tool to serve as the catalyst for starting a new web site, based on a rather unheralded social media platform. 


Click here to learn more about FiberCloudCloud Hosted Software (Sponsored Video)

In this video, George Henny, co-CEO of FiberCloud, explains how FiberCloud helps independent telcos leverage their existing infrastructure and existing customer relationships to add new revenue streams to their service offering. FiberCloud provides cloud-hosted software for small businesses and is a private-label provider of these services for independent telcos. The FiberCloud approach requires no upfront capital investment, allows the local phone company to retain the customer relationship and can quickly be deployed to add further value to existing broadband services.  Click here to view.

Note, FiberCloud is a ViodiTV sponsor and was the executive producer of this video.


Still No Nationwide Public Safety Network- Why Not Use LTE To Build One? by Alan Weissberger

The NY TImes has called attention to the lack of a U.S. public safety network, nine years after 9/11 and despite $7 billion in federal grants and other spending over the last seven years to improve the ability of public safety departments to communicate with one another. The article states that many of the issues that helped shape the current dysfunctional public safety radio networks threaten the creation of a uniform standard for wireless broadband public safety communications – the emphasis of Washington policy makers and the FCC. For years, public safety communications has been done using a raft of incompatible networks. Will that change anytime soon?

Click here to read Alan's analysis and to join in the discussion.  


Fingerprinting – More than Just Piracy Detection

At the Set-Top Box 2010 conference, David Price, Vice President of Business Development for Harmonic, Inc., explained how YouTube integrated technology into Harmonic’s encoders to create audio and video fingerprints of legitimate content. YouTube then compares the fingerprint from the legitimate copy to user-uploaded files. If they match, then YouTube rejects the pirated upload. To date, fingerprinting has mostly been about fighting piracy.

Click here to read why it might be used for other things, such as dynamic ad insertion on multiple screens.  


Meet the New MVPD, Same as the Old MVPD

Jeremy Toeman provided a view through the "Way Back Machine" as he provided an overview of interactivity through the decades at today’s STB 2010 conference in San Jose. He brings the credibility as the founder and developer of middleware software to enable the connected home in the waning years of the twentieth century. He was Vice President of Sling Media and defined the product that became synonymous with the concept of place shifting. His latest venture Stage Two Consulting, Inc. is an out-source product marketing firm helping companies design and market high-tech products and services.

Click here to read some of Jeremy's thoughts and predictions.


2011 – A Big Year for 3D to the TV?

Goofy me in 3D glasses

2014- the year that Parks Associates predicts that 80% of the televisions sold will be 3D capable. According to Dr. Ajay Luthra of Motorola, Inc, 2011 will be a critical year in keeping the momentum going towards the widespread commercial deployment envisioned by Parks. I had a chance to catch up with Dr Luthra and Howard Postley of 3ality Digital at the Set-Top Box 2010 conference in San Jose.  

Click here to read their insight.


Verizon Invests in the Smart Home Through 4Home

The announcement of Verizon’s investment in 4Home is significant in that it shows the importance of smart grid and smart home type services as part of a Communications Services Provider's total offering. Embedded in the router, which eliminates the need for another box, the 4Home software adds the capability for the service provider to offer services such as home security, telehealth and smart energy management.  

Click here to watch a video interview with Jim Hunter of 4Home at the 2009 Parks Associates Connections Conference.  


Click here to watch an amusing video from Roger regarding an upcoming local content workshopThe Local Content Roundtable at MTA – Advertisement

Date: October 26, 8:30 to 11:45
Location: Nisswa, MN (in conjunction with the MTA Video Peer Group Convention)

Building upon Viodi’s Local Content Workshop series, the Local Content Roundtable will be a refresher of some of the latest ideas, tips and tools for producing low-cost, high-quality content. There will be plenty of ideas and examples as to how independent telcos can become better producers and facilitators of community content. Expect this to be a very interactive session.  

Click here to watch the video and learn how to register.


Some Tweets and Short Thoughts

  • Cool development for our old friends at ETI Software Solutions, as their software is helping to power GCI's new billing subsidary.
  • Videotron launches 3G+ mobile services – Nexus 1 will be one of their offerings. I thought this phone was Manufacturer Discontinued.
  • Great video on rural point of view regarding the FCC's National Broadband Plan. Bravo, Hill Country! (Thanks Cullen!).
  • Lots of Hand-Waving at IBCPrimeSense and Softkinetic demonstrating gesture controlled TV remotes
  • Stuart McKechnie of Zoran– "Only 3% of the world is under the FCC’s jurisdiction" with regards to the prospects of an All Vid Box at STB2010

Click here to read more about the Woof FactorThe Korner – Using the Old Social Network to Create a New One

The subject line of the email from Alan Toman was simply, “Your Perspective.” The email explained that he was on a mission to speak to at least 100 people over the course of a couple of weeks, so he could directly ascertain the state of the economy, understand how various market segments were doing, where the prospects for growth were, etc. He didn’t want the filter of the media to cloud his perspective on these important topics. Our conversation that followed his email lasted for close to an hour and was quite enjoyable.

A few weeks later, I was pleasantly surprised to find another email from Alan summarizing the conversations he had. He had gathered and synthesized a wealth of information from people who are employed in many industries; from mobile, Internet and advertising to education, energy and finance; from entertainment, non-profit and software to VCs, IT and PR.

Click here to read how his learnings led to the Woof Factor.

Author Ken Pyle, Managing Editor

By Ken Pyle, Managing Editor

Ken Pyle is Marketing Director for the Broadband Forum. The mission of this 25+-year-old non-profit “is to unlock the potential for new markets and profitable revenue growth by leveraging new technologies and standards in the home, intelligent small business, and multi-user infrastructure of the broadband network.”

He is also co-founder of Viodi, LLC and Managing Editor of the Viodi View, a publication focused on the rural broadband ecosystem, autonomous vehicles, and electric aviation. He has edited and produced numerous multimedia projects for NTCA, US Telecom and Viodi. Pyle is the producer of Viodi’s Local Content Workshop, the Video Production Crash Course at NAB, as well as ViodiTV. He has been intimately involved in Viodi’s consulting projects and has created processes for clients to use for their PPV and VOD operations, as well authored reports on the independent telco market.

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