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Viodi View – 04/13/2011

3DTV is real and growing more rapidly than earlier technologies, such as the DVD. The market for this new format is still maturing, but there is no doubt that it will revolutionize content production, requiring new skill sets for content producers. The verdict is still out on ATSC-M (mobile video by broadcasters); no doubt, the technology is there, but the real question is whether the business model will follow.

In addition to these somewhat superficial impressions from my whirlwind view of NAB these past couple of days, probably the most interesting thing I saw was a live demonstration of broadband over “white spaces” (unused broadcast channels) from a Milpitas-based start-up company.

Attendees of this week’s IP Possibilities conference will get a chance to see my interview with a representative of this company that makes cognitive radios that could turn fallow spectrum (e.g. “white spaces”) into something valuable; maybe this is an alternative way to relieve the so-called spectrum crunch.


Will Level 3 with GC Be Able to Compete in the Business Services Market? by Alan Weissberger

Will the combination of two struggling tier 2 carriers enable the combined entity to compete successfully with AT&T, Verizon Business (in the U.S.) and large global carriers like Telefonica (Latin America) and Deutsche Telekom (Europe)? We are skeptical while others are more sanguine.  Click here to read more of  Weissberger’s thoughts on this merger.


Three Different Scenarios for Delivering Cloud Based Communications as a Service by Alan Weissberger

“Communications as a Service” or CaaS can include any type of communications delivered as a service based on a subscription model. That is, Voice over IP (VoIP), instant messaging (IM), email, chat, web, audio and videoconference services. It might also include telco network operations and management in the cloud. Yet the term CaaS now means different things to different vendors/ service providers. We describe three scenarios for CaaS in this article; each offering a different set of deliverable capabilities for: Contact Centers, Audio Conferencing and Video Conferencing. In a Closing Comment, we describe a fourth CaaS model that we believe telcos will use for cloud based operations and management of their own networks.  Click here to read the rest of Weissberger’s article.


Highlights of Monte Jade Annual Conference by Alan Weissberger

While there were many interesting sessions at this conference, this article will only cover the sessions most relevant to Viodi View readers -Communications & Computing and Leadership for the Future. The first session was all about trends and forecasts for wireless technology as well as cloud computing. The second session highlighted important leadership qualities for workers at technology companies of all sizes. We present the panelists comments and predictions in a sequential, linear format in this article.  Click here to read more.


Economic Gardening Instead of Big Business Hunting

50 billion dollars; that is how much communities and states spend each year wooing businesses from outside their area, according to Dr. Glenda Humiston, USDA Rural Development State Director for California. Speaking at last week’s Western Telecom Alliance Convention, Humiston likened this jockeying for out-of-town businesses as a zero-sum game that has limited benefit in spurring local economic growth. Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis supports this idea that when cities, states and regions compete with subsidies, there are no winners.  Click here to read the rest of the article.


MTA 2011 Annual Convention Highlights

Highlights from the MTA 2011 Annual Convention include discussion of the broadband plan with Bill Hegmann of NECA, as well as suggestions from Mike Romano of NTCA and Randy Tyree of OPASTCO, as to what operators should be doing in Washington D.C to influence the implementation of the plan. Take a look at one operator’s application that simplifies search and discovery of content on their network.  Get a glimpse of the “PCs for People” program as explained by Kevin Larson of CTC and learn from Dave Bickett of Park Region Mutual Telephone how they are making telework opportunities available in the communities they serve. Click here to view.


Some Tweets and Short Thoughts:


The Korner – United in Baseball and More

The seemingly insignificant and obscure things are sometimes those that are most memorable. An item purchased strictly for utility often serves the dual purpose of being a memento of a time long ago. In my case, a pink toenail clipper reminds me of a trip made to Japan in the 1980s. That purchase, which was inconsequential but essential at the time, frequently reminds me of my travels there and the people I befriended. My thoughts then quickly turn to my old school, Japanese engineer friend, Mr. Furuhata, and the phrase he taught me, “Over engineering isn’t good engineering.”

Some 20+ years later, the influence of the Japan carries on for me, but in a slightly different way. Today, I feel the Japanese influence within my boys’ Little League, as over 3% of our league consists of children who were born in Japan or whose parents are from Japan. Given the circumstances, our youth baseball oriented community felt compelled to help our Japanese brethren in some way.

Flea Market Fundraiser and Silent Auction for Japan, April 23rd in San Jose

I realize that this is a bit far afield from the typical Viodi View content and this event may not be practical for most of our readers since they are not local to Silicon Valley. Still, the terrible situation in Japan will have a wide-ranging impact for many years to come, so the message is still probably relevant.

For those of you in San Jose on Saturday, April 23, please consider stopping by this event.

Or, if you are with a corporation and have something to donate to our silent auction, please contact me.

Click here for details

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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