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Quick Jump Menu to this Issue’s ArticlesSeptember 1st, 2004 OverviewContent Protection and the Cable Programmer:Parks Associates View of Digital Rights Management:Underlying Fee: Be aware!:The Independent Telco Space According to Viodi:

THE VIODI VIEW

by Ken Pyle ([email protected]), Viodi, LLC

In this Issue: Content Protection, DRM, Market Size & More……

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September 1, 2004 Issue

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Content Protection and the Cable Programmer
Parks Associates View of Digital Rights Management
Underlying Fee: Be aware!
Digital Hollywood – Just a Few Weeks Away
Cruising with the Interactive Television Alliance
IP Video @ Telecom 04 – Time Running Out for Discount Pricing
Updated Market Numbers
The Korner – My Apologies to Bill, Sort Of

As mentioned in an earlier issue of the Viodi View, security is to this decade what quality was to the 1980s. Like quality, security has to be weaved into the fabric of an organization for it to be effective. In other words, the people in an organization must breathe security and systems must be designed around security. It does not matter whether we are trying to protect ourselves from terrorists or run of the mill hackers, security must be a priority.

As we saw with last week’s threat of a worldwide electronic jihad, security of the Internet is closely related to the security of our physical world. But security is like insurance; it is not much fun and it is a necessary evil. It adds cost, slows innovation and adds complexity to systems that are already pretty complex. A good security system, however, is like insurance in that it can make one sleep a little better at night.

Content Protection and the Cable Programmer

So, it really should be no surprise that entities wishing to deploy IPTV systems are getting feedback from cable programmers that content security is of paramount concern. Just like the lender that requires a homeowner to insure their mortgaged home, content providers are beginning to demand, in one form or another, some sort of protection to ensure their content is secure. Click here to read more about why programmers are demanding that independent telcos secure their IPTV networks.

Of course, independent telcos are mostly looking at deploying networks that are completely private. Although they may have Internet Protocol in their name, the television content that flows over independent telco, IPTV networks is contained within the confines of the physical network of the independent telco.

Parks Associates View of Digital Rights Management

Thus, the Digital Rights Management requirements for content flowing over the Internet have developed differently than those requirements associated with private networks. DRM requirements as they relate to both content and network configuration was the subject of a Parks Associates webinar I attended last week. Click here to get an overview of this virtual conference.

Underlying Fee: Be aware!

Regarding security, one of the advantages telcos have in using a point to point infrastructure with a copper physical media is the difficulty in tapping into the signals. It is not like the old cable days, where thieves would literally tap into the cable system with their own drops or “borrow” signal from a neighbor with a coax across their fence. A point to point architecture allows a telco to, without a truck roll, turn off signals to each subscriber, so the chance for theft is much less than with shared architectures.

One of the biggest challenges in building such a network is securing the rights of way. In this issue, Jerry Moran of NMI Management & Training Resources discusses the concept of the “underlying fee”. His article caught my eye, because it reminded me of a scheme I concocted in high school to acquire all of the mineral rights in the rural areas of Santa Clara County. I think you will find Jerry’s article a tab bit more practical and interesting than my hare-brained idea.

Digital Hollywood – Just a Few Weeks Away

With all this talk about security, it is fitting that Digital Hollywood is having day-long, Digital Rights Management & Anti-Piracy track during its September 27th to September 29th conference. I encourage independent telcos to attend and participate in this event with me, as it is part of a much broader effort by Digital Hollywood to create a formal DRM & Piracy Working Group. This group could have a big, long-term impact on an independent telco’s technology choices, so I encourage you to join this effort.

Cruising with the Interactive Television Alliance

Speaking of things an independent telco will be interested in, the Interactive Television Alliance is holding their Reinventing Television Summit, which culminates the iTV activities that begins with Digital Hollywood. This will be an interactive forum that will be a great way to learn the perspectives of advertisers, programmers and government officials regarding the current state of Interactive Television and its future. Viodi View readers are eligible for a discount, so please mention the Viodi View when registering.

IP Video @ Telecom 04 – Time Running Out for Discount Pricing

Regarding upcoming conferences, the IP Video @ Telecom 04 is just around the corner, October 12th and 13th. The complete list of speakers and detailed descriptions of the topics can be found here. As co-producer of this conference, I have been participating in conference calls with the various speakers this week and am very excited about their experience and enthusiasm they bring to this conference. I expect a well-rounded view of the challenges and opportunities telcos face as they add all kinds of new content, from voice to video.

On a related note, today’s San Jose Mercury News has an interesting article about 8×8’s new Video Over IP phone. Bryan Martin, the Chairman and CEO of 8×8, Inc. (aka Packet 8) will be giving his thoughts on the future of IP services.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/9551568.htm?1c

To check out the entire agenda in one convenient place and to find a link to low-cost Vegas accomodations, please click here.

IMPORTANT NOTE: PRICES INCREASE ON SEPTEBMER 9TH, SO REGISTER SOON.

Updated Market Numbers

I am pleased with the feedback I received from the last newsletter with regards to the independent telco market size for video (i.e. those telcos offering cable television services). After consulting with various people and doing a little more homework, the article was updated to reflect a more accurate view of the size of the independent telco market. Click here for the latest view of the market size.

The Korner – My Apologies to Bill, Sort Of

This article has been simmering all summer like the hot California sun. Earlier in the summer, a computer that had been hijacked by my kids started exhibiting strange behavior. One would be in the middle of doing something and, suddenly, the cursor would start dancing around the screen in an uncontrollable fashion, opening applications as it moved about. Troubleshooting was a challenge, as it seemed like every time I would open a diagnostic screen, the cursor would go crazy and a slew of programs would open and fill up the screen.

I was sure the problem was caused by a virus and I thought it was confirmed by the anti-virus software. I cleaned the computer with the anti-virus software only to find the problem still existed. So, I tried another anti-virus program to no avail. Not wanting to erase the hard-drive and start over, I decided to wait for the Service Pack 2 release from Microsoft and I hoped it would be the panacea to my computer’s ills.

In the meantime, many of my family members took Bill Gate’s name in vain, cursing him for cursing us with an operating system that has become a big target for evil-doers!

Just before I was to download the software, I noticed that SBC Yahoo! bundled an anti-virus package with their service at no extra charge. This was the third anti-virus software I tried and still no luck. I then downloaded Service Pack 2 and the computer still exhibited the same symptoms even though there were apparently no viruses. Just before I was about to erase everything and start over, the thought occurred to me that maybe it was a hardware problem.

Sure enough, I replaced the mouse and the problem seems to have gone away. So, I am not certain what the moral or the point to this story is, except I sure feel sorry for all of the staff at independent telcos who have to help people like me every day. And I feel sorry for all the users who spend countless hours fixing problems on devices that are supposed to be helping them be more productive. Oh yeah, and on behalf of my family, my apologies to Bill Gates for using his name in vain – at least for this incident.

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