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Viodi View Menu<\/strong><\/p>\n Current Issue<\/a><\/p>\n Previous Issue<\/a> <\/p>\n ViodiTV<\/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> Viodi Links<\/a> Southwest Venture<\/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 – March 14th, 2007<\/strong> <\/p>\n By Ken Pyle, ken.pyle at viodi.com, Managing Editor, Viodi View<\/p>\n In the previous issue of the Viodi View, I hinted that universal broadband is more important than universal postal service. Broadband, coupled with intelligent endpoint devices, is probably our best hope of educating our young and providing continuing education to our adult population. As a society, we should be shifting resources to create a broadband infrastructure, which includes innovative devices [instead, we are subsidizing people to watch TV<\/a>] that will allow all citizens equal opportunity to succeed. [Note, Steve Hawley<\/strong> chimed in with some insightful comments on this topic \u2013 I would love to see some more comments from Viodi View readers regarding this topic \u2013 click here<\/strong><\/a> to chime in].<\/p>\n Those are easy words to write, but the challenge is finding a solution that works. I am sure big government organizations probably are not the right answer for allocating resources to ensure equality of opportunity, because, by nature, big government organizations are the antithesis of innovation and change. I would also argue, for similar reasons, that programs administered by large corporations are probably not effective, because the people responsible for the corporate bottom line are too far away from the customer. <\/p>\n Return to Local <\/strong><\/p>\n The answer to creating a broadband nirvana lies with smaller organizations where upper management lives with the customer. Robert Keen<\/strong>, General Manager of Hancock Memorial Hospital indicated at the NTCA Annual Meeting, \u201cthat the 21st Century as a return to local<\/strong>.\u201d He found the only way his facility could meet its goals was to with a carrier that had local management. Urban Communications<\/strong> in New York<\/strong> is another example of a community-driven organization that brought an area a level of broadband that it would not have had if not for them.<\/p>\n A Truly Independent & Sovereign Communications Company<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Another example of a telecommunications company created specifically because of the needs of its people is Gila River Telecom<\/strong>, outside of Phoenix, Arizona. In this video interview, Cecil Antone <\/strong>explains how the people of this Native American community took control of their telecommunications infrastructure some 20 years ago and now it is paying explicit dividends (some $400k in profits were returned to the community last year) as well as implicit dividends, such as a stronger community. Listen and watch as he explains how local content that preserves the past will be a big part of their future. \u00a0 <\/p>\n Brought to you by Innovative Systems <\/a><\/p>\n My MTA Report by Roger Bindl<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The community of one \u2013 the my generation \u2013 was the theme of the Minnesota Telecom Association\u2019s<\/strong> recent tradeshow. Roger Bindl\u2019s video coverage of this event includes highlights of the breakout sessions and keynote speaker. The breakouts include IPTV, Open Source Technologies, FTTH Challenges, and Broadband as a core service. The report also highlights the keynote speaker Tom Woldum<\/strong> of MRM Worldwide on social networking, mobility, and video sharing followed by an interview response as to how telcos can embrace these over the top services.<\/p>\n \n IP and Broadcast\u2026\u2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n While Roger was in Minnesota, I was in San Jose attending S2 Data\u2019s IPTV 2007<\/strong>. As mentioned in the previous issue of the Viodi View, this conference is unique because the audience consists largely of the people who make the chips for powering the devices associated with IPTV and broadband networks. A much talked about topic was the convergence of broadcast and IP and could be indicative that this type of approach to IPTV<\/strong> may catch on here in the U.S. the way it has in Europe. Click here<\/strong><\/a> for more tidbits from this conference.<\/p>\n Telecom@ NAB 2007 conferences + NAB 2007 hundreds of exhibits showcasing video equipment = An unparalleled video experience.<\/strong><\/p>\n There is no other place to learn more about video than at the annual NAB Show.Every industry that relies on video attends\u2026cable, broadcast, satellite and telecom. You cannot afford to miss Telecom@ NAB 2007<\/strong> a highly targeted series of conferences and networking events is programmed specifically for telecom carriers who are deploying video services. Your video competitors have been attending the NAB Show for years. Isn\u2019t it time that you joined them?<\/strong><\/p>\n Telecom Video Production Crash Course<\/a> <\/strong> – Wednesday, April 18 <\/p>\n Produced by Viodi, this valuable day-long workshop addresses the basics of techniques and technology for producing original content and covers parameters important for selecting equipment such as cameras, audio, lighting, media asset management and editing. Sessions include: <\/p>\n SEE MORE SESSIONS AND FULL DESCRIPTIONS AND REGISTER<\/a><\/p>\n Telecom@ NAB 2007<\/strong> is about learning how to be competitive with cable and satellite video providers. <\/p>\n To learn more and register, go to www.nabshow.com\/telecom<\/a>. <\/p>\n Telecom @ NAB Advertisement <\/p>\n Weissberger on IP Video Surveillance, Business Ethics & ATCA<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n On March 12th Alan Weissberger attended a seminar on IP Video Solutions from Industrial Video Control Corp (IV &C).\u00a0 Scalable IP video surveillance systems\u00a0for various applications were described.\u00a0 The applications included:\u00a0industrial security, marine and maritime surveillance, traffic monitoring, water works and other remote\u00a0monitoring, homeland security, and surveillance of public buildings- including schools, hospitals, and prisons.\u00a0<\/p>\n Weissberger was also an invited\u00a0guest at Santa Clara University’s prestigious Business Ethics Conference on India and China .\u00a0 The three day\u00a0conference\u00a0explored the cultural, economic, and social factors that form the ethical business practices in these countries and the challenges facing global business organizations in creating a consistent and effective ethical culture capable of crossing national boundaries. <\/p>\n On March 7th, Alan Weissberger attended a full day Light Reading seminar on ATCA, AMC, & MicroTCA 2007: Moving to Deployment.<\/strong>\u00a0 Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (ATCA) <\/strong>is a new series of industry standard specifications for components and sub-systems to be used in next generation carrier grade communications equipment. Instead of all the proprietary card and chasis interconnects, the objective here is to provide a common platform for high-availability telecom and computing applications. Click here<\/strong><\/a> to read summaries of the two seminars and the SCU conference.<\/p>\n For further details on the presentations and talks referenced above, please contact Alan directly at 408 247 9102\u00a0 or alan at viodi.com.<\/p>\n Club Viodi Articles from the past two weeks <\/strong><\/p>\n People on the Move <\/p>\n Industry veteran, Mark Gray<\/strong> reports that he has been busy providing consulting on a strategic, financial or technical level to several start-ups and is on the board of EGT, Inc<\/strong>. and Giant Studios<\/strong>. His contact information is 650.265.0804 and markcgray at gmail.com.<\/p>\n Anthony Bontranger<\/strong>, another industry veteran and formerly with Broadstream, sent me a note letting me know that his company, Axis Partners, LLC<\/a>, is busy providing consulting services on topics such as content and strategic positioning for telecom providers. You might get to see him at the IP Possibilities<\/a> [early bird pricing for that event ends this week] or VON. <\/p>\n VON<\/a> Next Week \u2013 Independent Telcos \u2013 Meet Me There<\/strong><\/p>\n More information forthcoming as this fun conference makes its annual pilgrimage to my hometown of San Jose. Independent telco friends, contact me if you are going to be here for this event. ken.pyle at viodi.com or 408 551 0320.<\/p>\n The End of VoIP as We Know It?<\/strong><\/p>\n The patent ruling in favor of Verizon<\/strong> and against Vonage<\/strong> promises to be a big topic of discussion at next week\u2019s VON, especially at Monday\u2019s VoIP Policy Summit<\/em><\/strong>. The affect of this ruling on small VoIP players – many of them are independent telcos – which have deployed VoIP is uncertain. Viodi caught up with Packet8<\/strong> via email last week and got their impression of this ruling:<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, the U.S. jury ruling in favor of Verizon\u2019s patent infringement claims ultimately affects consumers, as large telcos continue to seek out ways to thwart the availability of lower priced, competitive VoIP phone services,\u201d said 8×8 Vice President of Marketing & Sales Huw Rees. \u201cThat being said, 8×8 is confident in the defense of its own proprietary technology which has been awarded 66 U.S. patents and remains at the core of our Packet8 residential and business Internet phone service.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The Korner \u2013 Picture Phone or Picture Frame \u2013 An Exclusive ViodiTV Interview <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n A digital picture frame: that was my first impression upon glancing at the Packet8\u2019s latest generation video communications device, Tango. The sleek styling (less than 1 inch deep and approximately 6\u201dx9\u201d) and self-supporting base make it an attractive addition to any desktop. The second impression was how easy it was to set-up. In less than one television commercial break, I had removed it from the package and had made my first call (and I did not consult the manual).<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to read some more impressions of this new phone and watch Viodi\u2019s exclusive video interview with Packet8<\/strong> Chairman and CEO, Bryan Martin<\/strong> as he discusses how this phone uses h.264 encoding to produce remarkably high quality video at a relatively low price and discusses how, in future revisions, this picture phone may morph into an interactive picture frame.<\/p>\n What makes this video report somewhat entertaining is my recording technique, which provides some interesting effects \u2013 effects that are somewhat reminiscent of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Ok, these effects were unintended. As can be seen from this screenshot, my head kept moving in front of the camcorder creating natural transitions. This head movement wreaked havoc with my camcorder\u2019s auto focus causing occasional blurriness and other \u201cartistic effects<\/strong>.\u201d <\/p>\n Click to View <\/a><\/p>\n The other accident is the unintended inclusion of multiple ad breaks. The intent was to split the video into multiple pieces to make it easier to find particular topics. As it turns out, this provided more opportunities for advertisements from the host video streaming service. The advertisements<\/strong> provided by the host video streaming service, for the most part, are contextual<\/strong> and some of them even advertise Packet8, which is about as contextual as you can get.<\/p>\n Lastly, I caught up with Martin as he was recovering from a bad cold. His minor coughing attack in the middle of our interview provides a real life demonstration of how a device like this could be used for telemedicine<\/strong> purposes.<\/p>\n Click here<\/strong><\/a> to view this exclusive video interview. <\/p>\n Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n Next Article<\/a> <\/p>\n Previous Issue<\/a><\/p>\n Viodi View Subscribe<\/strong><\/p>\n * Email * First Name * Last Name Business * = Required Field <\/p>\n
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