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Quick Jump Menu to this Issue’s ArticlesApril 28th, 2004 OverviewIt’s Live, No, it’s FTTP – On-DemandNAB – From a Telco PerspectiveSoapCity – Online, at Digital Hollywood and, now, at IP Video @ Supercomm
THE VIODI VIEW
by Ken Pyle ([email protected]), Viodi, LLC
In this Issue: FTTP-On Demand, Soaps Clean-Up, NAB – Telco Perspective & More..
April 28th, 2004 Issue
One of the benefits of broadband Internet access is its ability to “shrink” the world. Suddenly, news and information that may have been too costly or time consuming to obtain is now within reach. In the last couple of months, however, a number of people have been to receive the Viodi View because of bounced back emails. So welcome back to those who were off the list. And, for those of you tired of my drivel, it is real easy to unsubscribe (follow the instructions at the bottom of this email). But, better yet, please feel free to forward the Viodi View to any friends you want to annoy.
It’s Live, No, it’s FTTP – On-Demand
USTA hosted an hour and half long online webinar last Wednesday, April 22nd, called, The Triple Play: FTTP. This seminar featured Tom Soroka, Director of Technology and Engineering of USTA, Dustin Maier, P.E., Sr. Engineer with the Martin Group and Trevor Smith, Sr. Product Manager for ADC. This webinar provided a look at the current state of Fiber to the Premise deployments.
More than just theory and industry statistics, Dustin Maier provided a real-life, real-time example of an FTTP deployment overbuild he is managing in North Dakota. The best thing about this webinar is that you can still listen to it, as it is archived at USTA’s web site, The archive is really convenient. For instance, due to scheduling conflicts, I was unable to listen to the live version, so I listened to the archived version on Saturday morning before the kids awoke. Click here to get a summary of some of the things I heard.
NAB – From an Independent Telco Perspective
From the virtual world of the Internet to the nitty, gritty trenches of the National Association of Broadcasters, Peter Lowten provides his unique perspective on several things that should be of interest to independent telcos; things like sub-$100 IP, HD set-tops, meta-data (how about a computerized version of “find that tune”) and advanced compression standards. Click here to read Peter’s unique perspective and to see how he makes NAB relevant for independent telcos.
SoapCity – at Digital Hollywood and, now, at IP Video @ Supercomm
In the meantime, I still have barely touched the surface with regards to the insight I found at the Digital Hollywood conference a few weeks ago. One of the more impressive speakers and presentations was from Mary Coller, Sr. Vice President, SoapCity.com, Sony Pictures Digital Networks. She discussed Sony’s online, on-demand, soap opera network.
Fortunately, Mary will be joining us at the IP Video @ Supercomm conference, so its your opportunity to have her elaborate on how their application could be complementary to what telcos are doing. The SoapCity offering, along with other product Sony has or are planning, could have some interesting implications for independent telcos (besides giving us all the ability to keep up with the latest happenings of Luke and Laura). Click here to get a better idea of what Sony is doing with their online VOD effort.
Batting Clean Up at a Triple Play Conference
Speaking of speaking engagements, I am very excited to be batting clean-up as part of California Telephone Association’s Focused Technical Symposium on the Triple Play. The Theme of my talk will be “beyond the comfort zone”. I will be definitely be “beyond my comfort zone” with what I have planned. Fortunately, I have a special, guest star to dazzle the audience, even if I fizzle.
Watch Now – Interesting IOC VOD Development
By the time this is published, there has to be something in the press about the Kasenna/ViewNow contract with Broadband Visions, LLC. When it formed several years ago, Broadband Visions was one of the first alliances of independent telcos formed expressly to amortize the cost of the headend and other common costs among multiple telcos. Seems like they are now pioneering VOD deployment with what they are doing with Kasenna and ViewNow. In a nutshell, Kasenna and ViewNow have put together a complete VOD system, from content to presentation software to back-office software. From what I have seen of this approach, this combination could really spur the independent telco VOD market.
Rockin America is Beginning to Rock and Roll over the U.S.A:
Anyone who has attended Viodi’s Local Content Workshop has learned about the local content phenomena, Rockin America, that started in Fresno and is now in seven markets around the country. The latest numbers for the February ratings period put them ahead of every other show in their slot except for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno (24 share). With an average share of 22, they are walloping the rest of their late night rivals (Late Night with Conan O’Brien comes closest with a 16 share).
They have found a music video format that seems to work for drawing the 18 to 34 demographic, as well as tweens and teens. Their show seems to be taking off and could be something that becomes red-hot. What does this have to do with independent telcos and why should they be interested? Come to an Independent Local Content Workshop to find out…..
Some Tidbits That I Wish I Had More Time To Discuss…..
Interesting bit of news from ICTV and MITV regarding the integration of their respective products. The result is cable operators can provide VOD and iTV services to the hospitality industry using centralized servers. Also, I attended the California Telephone Association Suppliers’ Showcase yesterday in Sacramento. This has been completely revamped from previous shows….I will report all about it in the next issue.
The Korner – A little bit of humor to brighten your day
A friend, Ray Young, sent this to me the other day. I wish I could attribute an author to this bit of humorous wisdom. I hope it brings you a smile the way it did for me.
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like Mother of Pearl, and he street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.
He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, “Excuse me, where are we?” “This is Heaven, sir,” the man answered.
“Wow! Would you happen to have some water?” the man asked. “Of course, sir. Come right in, and I’ll have some ice water brought right up.” The man gestured, and the gate began to open. “Can my friend,” gesturing toward his dog, “come in, too?” the traveler asked. “I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept pets.” The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
“Excuse me!” he called to the reader. “Do you have any water?” “Yeah, sure, there’s a pump over there”. The man pointed to a place that couldn’t be seen from outside the gate. “Come on in.” “How about my friend here?” the traveler gestured to the dog.
“There should be a bowl by the pump.” They went through the gate, and
sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.
The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them. “What do you call this place?” the traveler asked.
“This is Heaven,” he answered. “Well, that’s confusing,” the traveler said. “The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.”
“Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That’s Hell.” “Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?” “No. I can see how you might think so, but we’re just happy that they screen out the folks who’ll leave their best friends behind.”
Soooo…
Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word, maybe this could explain: When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do?
- You forward jokes when you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact.
- You forward jokes when you have something to say, but don’t know what, and don’t know how
- You forward jokes to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still
important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get?
A forwarded joke.
So my friend, next time if you get a joke, don’t think that you’ve been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you’ve been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.
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