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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 – November 29th, 2006<\/strong> <\/p>\n By Ken Pyle, ken.pyle at viodi.com, Managing Editor, Viodi View<\/p>\n Will Apple\u2019s iTV<\/strong> be the device that finally bridges the Internet and the television? That thought kept going through my mind over the Thanksgiving holiday as I observed the so-called echo boomer<\/a> generation close-up. Apple clearly has this generation\u2019s mindshare, as 100% of the group I was observing has an iPOD. With such an installed base of both iPODs and the iTunes network, it is not hard to imagine Apple\u2019s iTV box becoming the dominant way to move video from the Internet to the television. <\/p>\n Watching video on the Internet<\/strong> is as natural to this new generation as watching it on television. An image seared into my brain over the holiday is of my teenage niece and her friend sitting with my 7 year old watching Internet videos on a Mac portable. At the same time, the DVD for the movie Cars<\/strong><\/em> (which my son had never seen) was playing on the television. Interestingly, they paid closer attention to and seemed more entertained by the Internet videos as compared to the expensive Hollywood production. <\/p>\n Click This!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Another telling sign of this generation is the way they interact. Facebook or My Space accounts are a bigger must-have than a driver\u2019s license <\/strong>these days. Both of these sites are big on allowing interaction with media. An interesting service that adds interactivity to video is called ClickTV. ClickTV is allows for comments to effectively be added within a video. This service is based on the premise that user generated comments will become as important as the actual media. Click here<\/a><\/strong> to read and view the way Viodi recently used this innovative service [club viodi members only]. <\/p>\n News Flash \u2013 Microsoft Uses Flash <\/strong><\/p>\n Will Law<\/strong> of Hostcast<\/strong> suggested at the DV West Expo<\/strong> that people are willing to watch inferior quality content, if it is something they really want to watch. He also suggested that the reason Flash<\/strong> is winning the Internet video wars is ubiquity and availability. That is, it works across platforms (Mac, PC) as well as across browser (FireFox, Internet Explorer, etc.). As evidence of its domination, even Microsoft is using it for applications like their Soap Box video sharing service, as well as their Live Spaces service. <\/p>\n Law also provided a tutorial of how to generate Flash videos and previewed some of the upcoming features that will be available, including full-screen Flash sometime next year. He also discussed the trade-offs between streaming and downloadable Flash. Club Viodi <\/strong>members, we will be focusing on the different ways Flash is being used over the next few weeks, so stay tuned. <\/p>\n Chroma-Keying at DV West Expo<\/strong><\/p>\n I am always amazed by the quality of the reflecmedia<\/strong> chroma-keying product. It uses special fabric (the gray material shown above) for the background together with a special LED light ring (attached to the camera) to effectively create a perfect blue or green screen, despite poor lighting and or problems with shadows; fun stuff. Check out the monitor<\/strong> in the above picture to see how well the gray background is keyed out both in front of and behind the model. <\/p>\n High Definition Quality \u2013 a DV West Panel<\/strong><\/p>\n It still costs money to make a high quality, high definition television program. That summarizes the DV West Expo panel, HD Post Production<\/em><\/strong>. One of the panelists suggested that, \u201cWe are in the dark ages in terms of H.D. production flow.\u201d It was also suggested that this condition is quickly changing. <\/p>\n It is important to temper their words, as the panelists were coming from the perspective of production houses which work provide content to major cable networks. This is bit different situation, at least for now, that independent telcos and what they need for local content. They did admit that many people are capturing footage with HD or HDV for archival purposes (e.g. they output in Standard Definition for now, but have the original files to allow them to output to H.D. in the future). <\/p>\n Giddy Up \u2013Off to the Races with M2B World<\/strong><\/p>\n M2B World\u2019s<\/strong> video over the Internet television service<\/strong> and its associated PONY<\/strong> set-top box had its coming out party at the House of Blues in Hollywood on November 12th. This service was launched in Singapore last summer and has 5,000 subscribers, according to MB2World General Manager, Rebecca Binny. <\/p>\n Their parent company Amaru<\/strong>, Inc. is profitable and sported revenue of $14.3 million<\/a> in the first half of this year, which, at this point, are mostly derived from gaming services. The centerpiece of their IPTV service is a set-top box that has interactive capabilities (e.g., camera & microphone for two-way video calling, gaming and shopping), as well as the ability to pull streaming video from MB2 World\u2019s network of content providers. <\/p>\n Rebecca Binny, GM, M2B World<\/p>\n Their debut at the ever popular House of Blues<\/strong> was clearly positioned to gain favor with content providers. The content combined with the ability to make video phone calls makes this a natural for immigrants wanting to stay in touch with relatives in other countries. MB2 World has their eyes set on a broader market, as evidenced by their push to bring this to retail as well as their willingness to work with carriers. A high definition version of their set-top is in the works and is planned for next year, so M2B World apparently will not be a one-trick pony. <\/p>\n Jesse Miranda, M2B World, Ken Pyle – Viodi, LLC, Brian Stevenson – All Channel Films, Who Will Deploy WiMAX?<\/a> – By Alan Weissberger – alan at viodi.com<\/strong><\/p>\n Alan Weissberger<\/strong> attended ISPCON<\/strong> (see last issue of Viodi View<\/a>) and concludes that Mobile WiMAX will not be used by WISPs or Municipal Wireless networks anytime soon. And no one at ISPCON was talking about use of Mobile WiMAX to support mobile users. Please see his previous Viodi article: “Will the Real Mobile WiMAX Please Stand Up<\/a>!”.Click here<\/a><\/strong> to read more of Alan’s observation from ISPCON.<\/p>\n Both WISPs and municipalities speaking at ISPCON made no mention of using Mobile WiMAX. Instead they are deploying outdoor WiFi\/ mesh WiFi or proprietary broadband wireless technologies (primarily from Motorola) for wireless Internet access. Some are considering Fixed WiMAX for backhaul – from a Base Station to the telco central office. But that backhaul is on a point to point wireless link – not the point to multipoint links being promoted for WiMAX. None are looking at mobile WiMAX<\/strong> to support mobility. <\/p>\n One big problem<\/strong> is that WiMAX is intended for licensed spectrum<\/strong>. In the US, the 3.5GHz band is allocated for military use, while SPRINT-Nextel holds most of the licenses for the 2.5GHz band. The WISPs and municipalities that spoke at ISPCON use mostly unlicensed spectrum.<\/p>\n A recent Network World article<\/a><\/strong> confirms the slow road ahead for Mobile WiMAX (except for SPRINT or Clearwire). See ‘Waiting on mobile WiMAX’.<\/p>\n Yet there was one item of interest for WiMAX fans:<\/p>\n A Folsom, CA municipal wireless network trial will use WiMAX- but can you guess the reason why? Intel Corp<\/strong> is an anchor tenan<\/strong>t in Folsom (with over 7,000 employees) and will be building the network at no cost to the city! What better showcase for WiMAX then in Intel’s own backyard!<\/p>\n [Contact Weissberger at alan at viodi.com<\/strong> to inquire about his consulting services<\/strong>.]<\/p>\n <\/strong>New Rural Health Telecommunications Funding Source?<\/strong><\/p>\n The FCC<\/strong> issued a notice last Friday (while most of the U.S. were camped at out their big box retailer and\/or recovering from Thanksgiving feasts) on a new program intended to help finance rural health care initiatives. This program will pay up to 85%<\/strong> of the costs<\/strong> of constructing a broadband network to enable telemedicine applications. It favors regional and statewide solutions, so it seems like it could work hand-in-hand with the existing statewide and regional telco consortia. Applications must be filed 30 days after Office of Management and Budget approval, so check this out at http:\/\/www.fcc.gov\/cgb\/rural\/rhcp.html<\/a>. <\/p>\n It May Be Dumb Luck, But They Are Smart Enough to Exploit It<\/strong><\/p>\n In the last issue<\/a>, I wondered who was behind the uverserusers.com<\/a> web site. As it turns out, it is just a hobby for a guy who is extremely interested in AT&T\u2019s uVerse IPTV rollout. He indicated that the site is in no way affiliated with AT&T or its vendors. To their credit, AT&T has been smart enough to let this site flourish, even though there are critical comments on the site (it seems like there also might be trademark violations). From a marketing person’s perspective, this site is a dream, as it provides an authentic way to inform the public, while serving as a feedback mechanism to get real-time customer feedback on her service. <\/p>\n Full Disclosure \u2013 We Do Accept Sponsorships\/Advertisements<\/strong><\/p>\n Here I am questioning the motives of a person\u2019s web site and I have not fully disclosed Viodi\u2019s sources of revenue. Viodi\u2019s revenue has traditionally come from three primary sources; consulting, workshop\/conferences and sponsorships. The editorial decisions are based upon what I believe will be of interest to the independent telcos. We try to report on and provide analysis on topics that may not have been covered in the media typically consumed by independent telcos. <\/p>\n As much as possible, we try not to let sponsors influence the tone of articles and what is or is not published. If we do have a sponsor-specific article, we highlight it with a highlighted background, like the one behind this text. We have a number of unique sponsorship opportunities planned for 2007<\/strong>, such as a Content Pavilion<\/strong><\/a> and ViodiTV<\/a><\/strong>, so if you are interested in being part of these, please send us an email to sponsor at viodi.com<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Adobe<\/a> C-COR<\/a> Entone<\/a> ETI Software<\/a> Iacta<\/a> Integra5<\/a> Kasenna<\/a> NeoNova<\/a> NRTC<\/a> Packet8<\/a> Sencore<\/a> Sony<\/a> Tut Systems<\/a> ViewNow<\/a> Zhone<\/a> <\/p>\n The Korner \u2013 A Group Giving Thanks<\/strong><\/p>\n There is almost always that one uncovered gem that makes a tradeshow or conference worthwhile. At DV West Expo I expected I might find this gem on the tradeshow floor or in one of the many conference sessions. And, there were many good tips and tools for efficiently creating high quality video content. A booth that I almost overlooked turned out to be the highlight of the show. <\/p>\n The Quietly Working Foundation for The Children of Fallen Soldiers<\/strong><\/em><\/a> is, \u201ca non-political, non-denominational, non-profit, organization focused on meeting the needs of children who have lost a paren<\/strong>t serving in the United States Armed Forces<\/strong>.\u201d Their programs are designed to help the child both directly, as well as indirectly through a program, Relocation & Reintegration Assistance program, which helps the surviving parent. <\/p>\n This group is looking for additional corporate sponsorship<\/strong>, such that they can get to the point where all overhead expenses are covered, allowing individual donations to flow directly to helping the children. There are non-monetary<\/strong> ways that individuals or corporations can help. <\/p>\n For instance, on December 14th, the Quietly Working Foundation is organizing a Holiday Gift Drop<\/strong>. They are encouraging church groups, civic organizations and corporations to organize Holiday Gift Drops in their area<\/a><\/strong> (holidaygiftdrop@quietlyworking.org<\/strong> for more info). <\/p>\n Another simple thing that just about anyone can do is contribute a letter of appreciation <\/strong>on their web site. Quietly Working is planning on publishing a book of these letters and using the publishing proceeds to further their mission. <\/p>\n For those in the Washington D.C. area, you can get a closer look at this group at the Government Video Expo<\/a><\/strong>, December 5th-7th. <\/p>\n Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n Next Article<\/a> <\/p>\n Previous Issue<\/a><\/p>\n Viodi View Subscribe<\/strong><\/p>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The Video Business Case for Independent Telcos \u2013 The Report<\/strong> <\/p>\n Viodi\u2019s report, Video Business Case provides results to a survey of independent telcos and their business case for video. Most of the telcos that responded to the survey have figured out a way to deploy video services. This survey provides insight from the independent telcos as well as several of their Engineering firms. <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Viodi Job Board <\/p>\n Telco\/Cable Experience<\/strong> <\/p>\n An ambitious and goal-oriented professional with 10 years successful sales and marketing experience in the telecommunications industry. A committed leader with strong administrative, marketing and interpersonal skills. Willing to accept change, learn and promote new technologies and explore innovative concepts in marketing products and services. <\/p>\n Ken’s comment – this person is a great find <\/strong>for any telco wanting to get in the cable business! Contact us at jobs at viodi.com to meet this person. <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0 <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Viodi View Menu Current Issue Click This! Previous Issue Viodi View Subscribe Viodi Forums Club Viodi Open Forum Multimedia Search Viodi Workshops Local Content Telco Video 101 IPTV Training Industry Industry Calendar Viodi Links Weissberger’s Wireless World & More About Viodi Contact Biographies Some Videos Interested in Sponsoring the Viodi View? Send an email to: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newsletter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/viodi.com\/classic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/viodi.com\/classic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/viodi.com\/classic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viodi.com\/classic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viodi.com\/classic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=440"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/viodi.com\/classic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":999,"href":"https:\/\/viodi.com\/classic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440\/revisions\/999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/viodi.com\/classic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viodi.com\/classic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viodi.com\/classic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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