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Viodi View Menu<\/strong><\/p>\n Current Issue<\/a><\/p>\n Emotions, Expectations, Win, Win, Win<\/a><\/p>\n Mobile WiMAX Plugfest & Sprint’s Nextel Next Gen Network(pdf)<\/a><\/p>\n Previous Issue<\/a> <\/p>\n Viodi View Subscribe<\/a> <\/p>\n Viodi Forums<\/strong> Club Viodi<\/a> Open Forum <\/a> <\/p>\n Multimedia Search <\/a> <\/p>\n Viodi Workshops<\/strong> Local Content<\/a> Telco Video 101<\/a> IPTV Training<\/a> Industry<\/strong> Industry Calendar<\/a> Viodi Links<\/a> Weissberger’s Wireless World & More<\/a> <\/p>\n About Viodi<\/a> Contact<\/a> Biographies<\/a> <\/p>\n Some Videos<\/a><\/p>\n Interested in Sponsoring the Viodi View? Send an email to: sponsor@viodi.com<\/strong><\/p>\n Please forward<\/strong> this free publication to anyone you know who is involved in some way with independent telephone companies. <\/p>\n Mission of the Viodi View:<\/strong><\/p>\n In this on-line publication, we share our analysis, opinions and direction on the interactive television news and views that we believe will be of interest and use to our friends associated directly or indirectly with independent telephone companies. For more information as to the various ways Viodi works with independent telephone companies, please go to http:\/\/www.viodi.com\/alliance\/<\/a><\/p>\n Disclaimer:<\/strong><\/p>\n The Viodi View [Viodi, LLC] and its associates used their best efforts in collecting and preparing the information published herein. However, the Viodi View [Viodi, LLC] does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any and all liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident, or other causes.<\/p>\n All displayed trademarks, logos and service marks are the property of their respective owners. \u00a9 2005Viodi, LLC<\/a>. All Rights Reserved. Viodi View Newsletter – October 18th, 2006<\/strong> <\/p>\n By Ken Pyle, ken.pyle@viodi.com, Managing Editor, Viodi View<\/p>\n \u201cBandwidth is King, while content is Queen\u201d, stated Ed McKell<\/strong> of Horizon Telecom<\/strong> at OPASTCO\u2019s 4th Annual Tech Symposium<\/strong> last week. In this one statement, he sums up the somewhat symbiotic relationship between the content owners and their distribution channels. Whether the path to the consumer is through retail outlets (e.g. Walmart<\/strong>), high-speed Internet or IPTV systems, content and distribution are intertwined. The underlying challenge for independent telcos is whether IPTV<\/strong>, at least in its \u201ctraditional\u201d form, will provide a timely and cost-effective business solution. <\/p>\n Speakers at the OPASTCO Tech Symposium explored these and other issues related to video delivery. Just as valuable as the commentary from the speakers were the hallway conversations. One of the impressions is the uncertainty<\/strong> that grips the industry will not leave us anytime soon. Some are questioning whether or not it makes sense to get involved with video at all; at least in the franchised approach that seems to be a fixation of the industry. Things are definitely not yet cookie cutter<\/strong>, so any sort of educational forum, such as OPASTCO\u2019s Tech Symposium, is very valuable. <\/p>\n Where Television Meets Internet: Trends & Technology of IPTV Deployment<\/b><\/p>\n Tuesday, October 24, 2006, 1 p.m. ET\u00a0 <\/p>\n As you start to plan and map out strategies for IPTV deployment, will you be ready with the knowledge and information you need to make the correct strategic decisions?\u00a0 In this Webinar, Kasenna, the IPTV Company, and renowned subject matter leaders will discuss market trends and technology that will deliver the 3rd generation web services for IPTV.\u00a0 Topic discussions include:<\/p>\n Presenters: <\/b><\/p>\n Registration:<\/b><\/p>\n <\/b><\/p>\n <\/strong>Emotions, Exceed Expectations and Win-Win-Win<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Win-Win-Win<\/strong> was a common theme of the speakers at the Technology of Local Content Workshop<\/strong>, which preceded OPASTCO\u2019s Tech Symposium. Both Mary Wilder and Tim Mahoney of Mahoney Media emphasized the importance of finding ways that a particular content production will benefit potential sponsors, talent and filming partners<\/strong> (e.g. site locations). They stressed the importance of flexibility and creativity gave examples of how they were able to create partnerships that allowed a production to move forward by removing budget and other roadblocks. Club Viodi members, click here<\/a><\/strong> to read the rest of the article. <\/p>\n Sponsoring Local Content<\/strong><\/p>\n I am proud to say that Viodi was able to remove a budget roadblock to bring the Local Content Workshop to Minneapolis. It started with cross-promotion with OPASTCO [thanks OPASTCO<\/strong>], which was very helpful in getting the word out to its membership. Our workshop sponsors, Entone<\/strong><\/a> and Tut Systems<\/strong><\/a>, were pivotal in helping Viodi bring together this workshop that consisted of a select group of independent telco industry leaders. Keith Wymbs<\/strong> of Tut Systems briefly discussed Tut Systems\u2019 local content solutions for independent telcos. <\/p>\n Gerry Pearce<\/strong>, Vice President of Sales for Entone (formerly<\/strong> of Next Level\/Motorola<\/strong>), was unable to change his schedule and could not make the conference. Through some very low cost production techniques, we were able to take his voiceover and overheads create a sponsor message which we played at the workshop. To see what we did, click here<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n Animation on a Shoestring<\/strong><\/p>\n The only disappointing thing about the workshop was we needed more time. Roger Bindl had a great presentation on a very low cost animation technique<\/strong> he has developed which a telco could use in a number of different ways. Animation has a number of advantages over film, as there are fewer releases required and one does not necessarily have to deal with actors, lighting, sets and all of the other things that makes video production challenging. We have decided to package Roger\u2019s techniques and they will soon be available as canned lessons. <\/p>\n The Merchant’s Pumpkin – A Video Contest Entry<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n To see Roger\u2019s latest animation effort and to help him win a very important prize, click here<\/a><\/strong>. Be sure to watch the entire video and click on the ad, so he can get paid $0.38 from Revver. .<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Click to Watch<\/a><\/p>\n The Best of Hard Times – Festival Award Winner<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n And congratulations to Roger Bindl for his award winning documentary, \u201cThe Best of Hard Times.\u201d This short film took the prize for “Best Depiction of the Generation as Adolescents in the 1930’s” in the Minnesota Historical Society Greatest Generation Film Festival. We have some ideas as to how independent telcos could join us as part of next year\u2019s festival. Independent telcos, email us for more information. Click here<\/a><\/strong> to see the video. <\/p>\n Click to Watch<\/a><\/p>\n Local Content and Interactive Television \u2013 The LA Edition<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n What excites me about the Local Content Workshops is that each one is different and the telcos all bring different perspectives and ideas. With representatives from over 60 telcos, we have a library of ideas, videos and techniques that could fill a couple of days.<\/p>\n Our next Local Content Workshop<\/a><\/strong> is November 16th in Los Angeles<\/strong> and will coincide with the DV West Expo. DV West is a great venue to see the low cost production equipment that independent telcos need to make the business case for local content. Special arrangements have been made with the organizers of the DV West Expo, such that Viodi attendees can receive a 10% discount on the DV West event. <\/p>\n Attendees could make a weekend of it and go to the Interactive Television Alliance’s Tech Walk<\/strong><\/a>. Viodi has negotiated discounts<\/strong> for Local Content Workshop attendees. The ITA events are an excellent way to get an insider’s view of the direction of the major advertisers, distributors and technology companies. This event is limited to only 100 executives and is an excellent opportunity for a telco person to meet and mix with a crowd that brings perspectives that are different than what is heard at the typical telco trade show. <\/p>\n More OPASTCO Tidbits \u2013 HD via \u201cVDSL Classic\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Lots of interesting gems at OPASTCO\u2019s Tech Symposium, including the announcement from Horizon Chillicothe Telecom\u2019s that they are delivering HDTV over their ATM VDSL<\/strong> system. Ed McKell<\/strong> of Horizon Chillicothe<\/strong> suggested that Caller ID on TV<\/strong> was a killer application. Ed Knudson<\/strong>, SVP Marketing Americas<\/strong> for Open TV<\/strong>, gave numerous examples of interactive television applications that Dish Network<\/strong> has already deployed. <\/p>\n There were several speakers who talked of the challenges of making money on video \u2013 in fact, one stated that they, \u201chaven\u2019t made a dime<\/strong> on video in the 20 years since they had a franchise.\u201d He did say that if they had not had video, someone else would have offered video and would have used that platform as a way to steal profitable voice and data customers. Or, as Larry Thomson, CEO of Vantage Point Solutions<\/strong>, said, \u201cDo a business plan to see what happens if you don\u2019t [have video<\/strong>]. <\/p>\n Back to the Future \u2013 A Hybrid Fiber Coaxial\/Copper System<\/strong><\/p>\n One audience member asked one of the panels when at what point will IPTV be a financially viable replacement for his 500 subscriber cable television system that uses one-way coaxial plant. His system uses copper for telephony\/hi-speed Internet<\/strong> and coax for broadcast video<\/strong>. <\/p>\n It seems like a telco could fashion a system that used the RF for the downstream and DSL for the interactive path<\/strong> \u2013 much like Verizon\u2019s FTTH approach. What would be required would be a set-top with an RF port for broadcast and an Ethernet port for interactivity. The biggest challenge for a very small system would probably be the costs of the headend components and controller for such a configuration. <\/p>\n Does anyone know of a telco that has tried this approach? If so, let us know by sounding off in the Viodi forum<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n iHollywood\u2019s IPTV World \u2013 Some Tidbits<\/strong><\/p>\n This iHollywood<\/strong> conference lived up to its name as it brought together a mix of executives from around the globe to discuss the various challenges and opportunities surrounding IPTV. Bryan McGuirk<\/strong>, President of North American Media Solutions for SES Americom<\/strong>, suggested that, \u201cIntegration is the big challenge\u2026..trend towards vertical integration in terms of vendors.\u201d <\/p>\n Along those lines, Dean Kashlan, General Manager and Vice President for Latens Americas<\/strong>, said that \u201cfragmentation in standards\u2026.really hampering [roll out of IPTV]. He did suggest that integration is improving, but intimated that IPTV is behind in features when he suggested that an HDTV PVR<\/strong> is needed.<\/p>\n Richard Yelen, General Manager of IPTV for Globecast<\/strong> took a bit of a contrarian view when he asked the question, \u201cCan telcos afford to wait?\u201d He stated that if you are trying to protect the relationship, then you probably need to build fiber to the home<\/strong> and use a proven technology [implying MPEG-2]. <\/p>\n One panel that was very unique was a focus group of \u201ctypical consumers\u201d, which was led by Lynn Rowe<\/strong>, CEO of One World Technologies<\/strong>. This panel might have been a bit skewed as the panelists all hail from the greater Silicon Valley area. The technical sophistication<\/strong> of these panelists was a bit humbling and the number of electronic devices each had was surprising<\/strong>. If they represent the coming demand, then the need for technologies like IMS [IP Multimedia Systems] and the increased bandwidth offered by FTTH will be critical. <\/p>\n WCA Leadership Briefing Highlights Interoperability From Mobile WiMAX PlugFest and Sprint Nextel\u2019s Next Generation Wireless Network<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n WCA\u2019s one-day Carrier & Enterprise Leadership Briefing was co-located with WCA\u2019s Fall 2006 Board of Directors meeting. It was held on October 4, 2005 in Reston, VA. The purpose of the one- day conference was for industry leaders most active within the WCA to share insights with one another following a summer of momentous developments in the broadband wireless industry. Selected members of the trade press were also invited to attend this important one-day conference. Click here<\/a><\/strong> to read about Sprint Nextel’s plan<\/strong> for implementing WiMAX<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Cable\u2019s Fiber Is Deeper Than Telco’s – Wireless Backhaul Opportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n According to a study about to be released by Narad Networks, a leading provider of Carrier Ethernet solutions for the access network, and Stratsoft LLC, a communications industry business and technology consultancy, cable, with their 500 home fiber nodes, generally has fiber deeper in the network than do the telcos (at least the big ones \u2013 probably not the case for the independents). The cable industry\u2019s fiber deep archictecture could be a big opportunity for Cellular and WiMAX back-haul. Narad and Stratsoft, LLC will be presenting this report at the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) Business Services Symposium. <\/p>\n Click here to see a graphical representation for telco and cable fiber nodes in the Atlanta market (pdf).<\/a><\/p>\n Moving and Shaking\u2026\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Jeremy Toeman<\/strong> moved on from SlingMedia and has struck out on his own. He has an excellent web site Living Digitally<\/a><\/strong> that has reviews and commentary regarding all of the cutting edge, digital gadgets. He is available for consulting.<\/p>\n Brian Sugar<\/strong>, who was with 2Wire<\/strong>, is a guy who was this close to speaking on a panel I had organized some years back. It was disappointing he could not participate, because his strong opinions would have made for a lively panel. He has channeled his energy into a new venture Sugar Publishing<\/strong><\/a> that is a sort of an interactive, online People Magazine. With over 12 million monthly page views from a collection of web sites geared to the 18 to 35 year old female, Team Sugar has definitely tapped into a lucrative market. <\/p>\n
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