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Quick Jump Menu to this Issue’s ArticlesApril 14th, 2004 OverviewThe Scoop on IP Video from USTABeyond Movies: TV on Demand – More Notes from Digital HollywoodContent Protection …..The Rest of the Story..
THE VIODI VIEW
by Ken Pyle ([email protected]), Viodi, LLC
In this Issue: Local Ad Insertion, Jail, Telcos/MSOs Unite…
April 14th, 2004 Issue
Even after 20 years, travel still remains an adventure – a surprise around every corner, a new experience good or bad that somehow makes my life that much richer. What makes the travel experience memorable is being able to share the good and challenging times with friends, new or old. I was fortunate to have many friends share my journey last week across the fruited plain.
The week of April 5th was perfect for speeding across the open countryside from Des Moines to Kansas City. I am glad Teresa Sperry of Paradyne joined me on this journey as her sharp vision probably saved me from several speeding tickets and at least one accident. Plus, her observation that the further south we drove, the more spring bloomed is something I would have missed had I been alone.
Local Advertising and IP at the Local Content Workshop
I had a great deal of fun producing the local content workshop in Kansas City. I owe Sprint North Supply a big thank you for hosting the workshop and opening their facility to Viodi. It was a pleasant change to hold the workshop in such a nice facility, as compared to a hotel meeting room.
Another thing that made last week’s workshop special was that Jim Kosiara of ETI was able to make a presentation on local advertising. I feel a special bond with Jim, because both us began our cable careers in high school. In his case, his career began right at the infancy of cable’s local advertising business. It is always enjoyable to learn from him about the local ad insertion business, as he has both a broad and deep perspective on this area that can definitely be an important revenue stream for a telco deploying video.
Along these lines, Tut Systems just announced major additions to their Astria product line. One of these additions is a solution for accomplishing advertising insertion in the digital domain. This type of technology is necessary in order to make local ad insertion cost effective for smaller operators.
Another tool that could be useful for those wishing to produce on-demand, local content has just been announced from Entone. They are combining encoding technology from Tandberg with their server technology in a product called “Encoding Studio”. This is a software solution that manages content processing on Tandberg encoders, allowing an operator to efficiently build VOD assets that can then be transferred to a VOD server.
Send These Guys Back to School….or Prison…..
One of the things we discuss in the Local Content Workshop is the importance of Intellectual Property Rights. Which leads me to the recent story about the cable company that allegedly used Dish TV to receive crystal clear digital signals of local off-air affiliates. What is alleged is that, instead of using off-air antennas to receive programming directly from broadcasters (which is never an easy task if one wants high-quality signals), these apparent yahoos signed up for residential dish service and distributed the Dish TV’s off-air signals to the MSO’s subscribers. These cable company employees should have attended the Intellectual Property (the other IP) portion of Viodi’s Local Content Workshop and maybe they would have learned that their great technical solution is wrong from a legal and business perspective.
The Scoop on IP Video from USTA
While I was in Kansas City, I had the honor of speaking as a panelist on USTA’s webinar regarding IP video. My topic was titled, “Why marketing has to drive the Triple Play.” Fabrice Beer-Gabel of BigBand Networks explained why it was important to have the ability to build flexibility into the network through advanced switching capability. Bigband Networks’ product has been a mainstay in cable deployments, but they are just starting to get traction in the telco market with their SureWest deployment. Suzanne Rainey of the Accord Media Group, LLC followed with a great presentation on content acquisition. It was fun to be on a panel with her as her 20 years in the content business gives her experience that can’t be gained overnight. To learn about her experiences, as well some other observations of this panel, please click here
Beyond Movies: TV on Demand – More Notes from Digital Hollywood
It was sort of strange to be on a webinar with Suzanne, as I had seen her at last week’s Digital Hollywood conference. As promised in the last issue, I took lots of notes at this conference that deals with the intersection of Hollywood, Silicon Valley and Madison Avenue. We had the chance to give the telco point of view in our panel. One of the interesting comments was made by Dick Jones of Verizon who suggested that they will be using RF as the interface for the video portion of their FTTH deployments [more about the telco panel in a future issue]. In this issue, you can see what Comcast said regarding their Television on Demand rollout by clicking here.
Should Telcos Support the Cable Lobby?
The use of RF as a transport mechanism brought up an interesting question regarding the 9th circuit court of appeals ruling stating that cable companies do have to provide open access to their cable modem networks. The FCC decided not to appeal this ruling, as they decided the regulatory uncertainty generated by a protracted court case outweighed the benefits of an eventual favorable ruling. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association [NCTA], however, did not share this concern and promptly filed an appeal {and they have just been granted a stay}.
Should telcos support the NCTA in this appeal? Here is my logic on this issue. Sometime last year, the FCC declared that the Unbundled Network Element rules would not apply to telcos deploying Fiber to the Premise networks. Part of the reason for this ruling is that the larger local exchange carriers would have an incentive to rebuild their last mile if they did not have to share their network at terms dictated by government regulation. At first glance, it sure seems like the FCC could be overruled on this one, just like they were on open access. I could be way off on this one, as I haven’t had a chance to run it by any attorney friends.
Content Protection …..The Rest of the Story..
In the last issue of the Viodi View, we discussed why content protection is critical for any operator deploying a digital network. In part two of that article, we delve into some terminology and things to be aware of when planning for this critical element of your video solution. Click here for the rest of the story.…
The Korner – Life is a Sitcom
One of the great things about traveling is the people you get to meet, observe and experience. Just when I was feeling a little bit blue about being away from Jane and the kids, I observed this women whose attitude could be summed up in one word – negative. She reminded me that sometimes when I take life too seriously, it is important to take a step back and pretend I am in a sitcom.
This lady could have been a character in a sitcom. Upon boarding the bus and making a flip comment to the bus driver, she proceeded to make a call using the speaker phone feature of her cell phone. This allowed everyone on the bus to hear both sides of the conversation. The way she framed her conversation to the person on the receiving end of the call was very negative.
At the counter, things did not get any better when she found out that her car rental was not on her government-issued credit card. When she left, I figured it would be the last time I would see her. Two minutes later, she was back complaining about her car. Her supposed lemon, was my lemonade as the car rental people gave me her car. While we were unloading her luggage from my new sweet chariot, I asked her why she was giving up this car. Her reason, “I don’t like it”. What makes this story all the more unbelievable and her character worthy of a sitcom, is her name……Groner. True story.
At the opposite end of the attitude scale from Ms. Groner, are my good friends Kurt and Delynn Iverson (picture from Kurt’s camera phone). It is always a pleasure to visit them when I am in Kansas City. I enjoy working with Kurt on various projects, as he brings a great attitude and an unbelievable knack for turning my jumbled thoughts into works of beauty. Delynn, thanks again for that awesome Cherry cobbler.
Lastly, good luck TB on your new, important venture! We will miss you.
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