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Untitled-1 1 11/13/2012 12:15:23 PM 1004RMG02-12 Contents

TV apps: Viewpoint

winners 23 CSI awards CSI awards www.csimagazine.com

EPG evolution A developer calls for manufacturers to abandon their TV analytics

IBC review platforms and adopt a more unified app environment

24 EPGs We look at the evolution and upcoming advances in Editor Smart TV apps special

november/december 2012 TV guides, where integration of broadcast and Goran Nastic cover.indd 1 11/13/2012 10:43:53 AM broadband is becoming key 12 Analyst corner Commercial manager The march towards OTT requires new business models Tiro Bestonso and platform relationships to support it 28 TV analytics The quality of metadata varies widely, but is essential Design and production for intelligent navigation and personalised recommen- Matt Mills (Manager) 14 IBC review dations. Some other tips for service providers to keep Jason Tucker A recap of some of the floor highlights and talking in mind too Matleena Lilja-Pelling points at this year’s show Keem Chung

30 Guest column Regular contributors 18 Apps World As their popularity grows, the DTG explains how it Adrian Pennington, Philip Hunter, What is being done to tackle fragmentation plaguing has started work on exploring companion screen David Adams, Stephen Cousins, Joe O’Halloran the cross platform space? technologies and TV apps

Circulation 20 COVER STORY: Smart TV apps 31 CSI Awards Joel Whitefoot (Manager) Coming under attack from all quarters, what lessons A profile of all the winners of the CSI Awards 2012, can Smart TV learn to replicate the success of the which this year celebrated their 10th anniversary Accounts billion-dollar mobile apps market? Marilou Tait, Lynta Kamaray

Editorial tel +44(0)20 7562 2401 Editor’s report: fax +44(0)20 7374 2701 [email protected] As 2012 draws to an abrupt close, it is time to once again reflect on some of the main indus- try developments of the last 12 months or so. This year’s mega-deal came in the shape of Advertising tel +44(0)20 7562 2427 Cisco’s $5bn acquisition of NDS, which opens up some intriguing synergies as Cisco pursues fax +44(0)20 7374 2701 its end-to-end multi-screen strategy. It will be very interesting to see how the combined com- [email protected] pany evolves in 2013 but the overall reception, at least from a TV standpoint, was broadly positive, especially when compared to the Google-Motorola combination that arose last year. Meanwhile, Subscriptions tel +44 (0)20 7562 2420 UPC’s Horizon TV project finally saw the light of day and is set for a massive consumer push across fax +44 (0)20 7374 2701 European (and perhaps global) markets in the coming months. UPC, incidentally, like many other service [email protected] providers had negative experiences with smart TVs, and this subject forms a large part of this issue, It will Website www.csimagazine.com also be worth keeping an eye on how this space reacts to many of its challenges next year. Goran Nastic Subscription rates Per year: Europe £88; UK £68; Rest Perspective Publishing Managing Director of World £98. Cheques payable to 3 London Wall Buildings John Woods Perspective Publishing Limited and London Publishing Director addressed to the Circulation Department EC2M 5PD Mark Evans www.perspectivepublishing.com ISSN 1467-5935 CSI is audited by ABC Printed by Buxton Press 05 December 2012, BFI Southbank, London

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access_advert.indd 1 11/13/2012 9:41:42 AM News

BBC opens up TV app layer news in brief

The BBC has invited interested turned on across the hundreds of we are not the only ones making YouTube to launch Euro channels companies to look at the new TV devices the broadcaster has worked the Red Button, but that everybody YouTube will launch dozens of application layer it has developed, on, according to Daniel Danker, the is able to do so.” European channels in the next which it hopes will reduce connected BBC’s general manager of The BBC hopes its approach few months as it looks to extend TV fragmentation through the use of programmes and , will hope overcome some of the its original programming push. Red Button services. speaking at this week’s Apps World fragmentation plaguing the The launch will see at least 46 The technology lies behind the show in London’s Earl Court. connected TV landscape. Danker channels to the UK, France and broadcaster’s upcoming Connected Danker said the BBC was sharing reiterated the message of how the German markets from major Red Button service, which is due to this TV app layer with partners like iPlayer delivered 2.6 million partners such as All3Media, roll out before the end of the year, , 5 and ITV and has requests across 600 types of Zodiak Active and BBC and it is designed to help minimise welcomed other content owners and connected TV in one month, Worldwide, UFA/ the amount of times apps developers manufacturers to come on board. compared to 12 million requests on FremantleMedia and Kabo spend tweaking features for each “The idea is to make it easier for iPad tablets due to the latter’s Productions and Air Productions. connected TV platform, decoupling everybody to build experiences on simplicity and ease of use. In total, YouTube today revealed the applications from the underlying TV so that we are not an island, so Connected Red Button was 13 new premium channels in device complexities announced earlier this year, France, 12 in Germany and 21 in The abstraction layer effectively combining the traditional Red the UK, ranging from sports to sits between the BBC’s products and Button with certain features of news. The European channels connected devices they are on and BBC Online, without bringing the roll-out follows the launch of “normalises” them, so the connected whole internet into the TV YouTube’s 100 channels scheme Red Button will sit as just another experience however, as it runs out in the US last year, with $100m application that can automatically be of broadcast spectrum. in upfront payments.

5_News.indd 1 11/8/2012 12:37:43 PM News

news in brief Harmonic unveils CCAP product

Dish planning OTT service Harmonic is taking the plunge into traction in the embryonic CCAP delivering space savings, low power Dish Network is in talks with the Converged Cable Access space, however, unlike some of its consumption, and optimised fibre major US broadcasters about a Platform space, introducing its larger rivals such as Cisco, Motorola usage and network efficiency. proposed over-the-top video CCAP-compliant product at the and Arris, the company has no This capacity immediately subscription service that offer a SCTE Cable-Tec Expo show. legacy CMTS experience. addresses the demands for limited number of liver TV Harmonic is taking the lid of its Matatyaou, who was involved in downstream bandwidth (with channels. The satellite operator is platform, called NSG Pro, the some of the early CMAP meetings, upstream only becoming an issue in talking to networks including solution is a high density 9RU noted that the original goals and the future), as well as environmental, MTV, Spanish-language chassis that combines port density aims of the specification is saving power and cooling concerns, said Gil broadcaster Univision and QAM capacity to give MSOs headend space have not changed Katz, the company’s VP of cable Communications and Scripps the ability to converge linear video, much, with only a few “minor strategy, who pointed out that this is Networks Interactive, owner of on-demand video, and data onto a tweaks” expected before full-CCAP driving early MSO interest with trials the and HGTV. single system, according to Asaf compliant products come out on the in place in both the US and Europe. Similar to Sky’s TV Matatyaou, director of Harmonic’s market in the coming months. While not initially suited to all streaming service in the UK, the cable edge and access solutions, As the name suggests, the CCAP MSOs, it does widely pave the way companies would offer an online who also led the vendor’s CCAP platform will allow any mix of for narrowcast delivery and cable IP, product at a lower price for a product development. converged services, and MSO are he added. smaller bundle of channels The NSG Pro supports universal likely to use it in a variety of ways, viewable on connected devices. EdgeQAM capabilities and according to Matatyaou. integrated CMTS capabilities in the To complement its CCAP HbbTV trials in Middle East future via line cards that can be initiative, Harmonic is also GlobeCast and France 24 will added to the chassis. introducing a new family of compact expand their exploratory HbbTV Harmonic will use its position in forward-path transmitter modules service to the Middle East before the edgeQAM market to gain featuring ultra-high-density optics, the end of the year with the support of Orange and Arabsat. The service will add a layer of interactivity to satellite TV BBC’s Olympic streaming architecture programming by harnessing the capability of connected TVs, The BBC has revealed how it “We wanted to use tried and The BBC built its own origin allowing satellite TV viewers in guaranteed quality of service and tested technology but when we cache with a significant capacity that the region to use their connected experience for its video streaming looked at the complexity of what we was fed onto two CDNs, those of TVs to interact with France 24’s service during the London Olympic had to do for online video we built Akamai and Limelight, whose role linear and non-linear content, Games, with CDNs just a part of all of it from scratch,” said Cooper. was to cache and deliver streams at using a combination of traditional the overall equation. BBC took all the feeds from “spectacular volume”. The BBC also broadcast delivery and CDNs. Speaking at the CDN World Olympic Broadcasting Services as skipped between the two CDNs Summit, Richard Cooper, who acts well as its own cameras and delivered depending on network congestion STB makers go to Comcast RDK as controller of digital distribution them to its new sport facility in and availability. Cisco, Technicolor and Humax at the Corporation, provided Salford where the metadata was Everything was delivered with are the latest set-top vendors to details of how the public service added, and where they were sent to adaptive bit rate streaming (ABRS), confirm they have licensed the broadcaster overcame the the encoding farms. These were with bit rates ranging from 56kbps to Comcast Reference Design Kit challenges of delivering the massive also located in Salford and 3.2Mbps. To ensure an optimised (RDK), a pre-packaged bundle of volumes of live and on-demand comprised of two encoding farms: service, bit rate caps were software for IP-capable set-tops traffic. one for broadcast and a host of implemented depending on device and gateways that aims to cut the This was the BBC’s first truly online encoders that made the type and window size, as well as development cycle for such multi-screen Olympics, involving streams available in all the different network technology. products down to a year or less. over 2,500 hours of live coverage, bit rates. These were then delivered The average video bit rate The RDK is expected to help including 24 HD live streams of to the data centres, where they will delivered over the CDNs was Comcast usher in new hybrid content, and Cooper explained split into the different formats 1.2Mbps, and this was maintained QAM/IP gateways, IP-only video how most of the heavy lifting required for the various devices, even during peaks, which hit over clients and possibly a new type of was done prior to the final including conversion to RTMP, 700 Gbps (the BBC provisioned for “headless” gateway that acts as a distribution to ease the workload of Adobe HDS, and HLS for iOS and 1TB) when Team GB won one if its central point in the home. the CDNs. some connected TVs. cycling gold medals.

06 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com 2013 News

news in brief zeebox debuts in US

Sky CEO questions 3D TV Having recently expanded into Viacom, for instance, hopes the Features include a seven-day TV Sky Deutschland CEO Brian Australia, zeebox has launched its move will help its socially engaged program guide across all major US Sullivan has blamed a lack of companion app service in the US in audiences to discover and connect TV channels, integration with content and a poor user partnership with broadcasters and with its content. Facebook and Twitter, information experience on the slow take up of service providers. The start-up, in which BSkyB has about shows and e-commerce links to 3D among consumers. “The TV Comcast, Viaco, NBCUniversal, a 10% stake, is launching in the US relevant digital and physical products experience with special 3D HBO and Cinemax are all teaming with strategic investment from related to content. glasses is simply not comfortable with zeebox for a universal, cross- Comcast and NBC Universal. By “As the Olympics demonstrated, enough and viewers have to do channel TV viewing companion enabling contextualised viewing with the second screen experience has way too much to be able to enjoy app for iOS and Android users. relevant content and experiences become an increasingly important 3D. In general, TV is a relaxing, HBO will use the technology to from across the Web, TV platform to engage audiences. We passive enjoyment after all.” provide customised experiences programmers, social networks and think the zeebox technology presents around its shows. All the partners advertisers, the company’s model is tremendous opportunities for our Samsung smart TVs get Spotify are preparing to enhance hundreds to monetise the social TV and viewers and our advertisers,” said Samsung is adding the Spotify of their top TV shows on zeebox. second screen experience. Steve Burke, CEO of NBCUniversal. music streaming service to its smart TVs, the first TV manufacturer to do so. Spotify will appear as an app on Samsung Accenture acquires NSN’s IPTV assets smart televisions and Blu-ray players later this year, bringing Accenture has acquired the software The newly-acquired IPTV soft- ers such as Mediaset in Italy in millions of music tracks on and skills of the IPTV business from ware, assets and capabilities will be combination with traditional broad- demand to consumer living Nokia Siemens Networks to boost integrated with the Accenture Video cast networks. rooms. Users will only have to its over-the-top offer. Solution, a software product and a Additionally, Accenture’s services download the app and sign in, Accenture said the acquisition suite of services that enables compa- will be enhanced with multi-screen with an initial 30-day free trial adds key IPTV skills and experi- nies to launch new OTT TV and ser- functionality, such as the ability for available. Spotify will appear on ence to the company’s existing vices, broadening the interactive end-users to control their viewing Samsung’s E series TVs first, with over-the-top video capabilities, ena- video experience with virtually any experience, including accessing con- other connected TVs to follow. bling it to provide end-to-end tech- video content, format, network tent through a tablet, pausing a pro- nology integration services to any and device. The solution powers gramme and continuing to view that Discovery in dual-screen play vendor for any video platform. existing OTT offers from broadcast- content on another device. Discovery News International (DNI) will adopt the Brightcove App Cloud mobile app platform to develop and manage dual- Eutelsat talks SNG, looks at backhaul screen catch-up TV services. Its Italian property, DMAX Italy, Satellite operator Eutelsat provided Lightweight Fly-Away or vehicle- Eutelsat is looking for the right will be the first DNI network to CSI with an update at IBC of its mounted equipment can be used to partners across Europe, where the use a dual-screen solution for NewsSpotter satellite newsgathering access Ka-Sat and the service is Ka-Sat provides coverage. The com- Apple TV, and will use the (SNG) service, which is delivered designed to allow broadcasters or pany is also looking at ways in which platform to build and launch an via the company’s Ka-Sat high service providers to transmit HD or it can enhance the service and is interactive, video-rich app which throughput satellite by its Skylogic SD live video quickly and cost-effi- interested in potential applications enables viewers to discover and subsidiary. ciently – on average for one third of such as trunking, contribution, crisis wirelessly stream full episodes of Launched in March this year, the cost of the average occasional management and especially backhaul. past and present seasons of NewsSpotter is a Ka-band service use of a Ku-based SNG service, popular Discovery shows directly providing native IP connectivity according to Arduino Patacchini, to an Apple TV-enabled HDTV, aimed at broadcasters, webcasters director for multimedia and added using their iPad or iPhone. The and governmental services. Its flexi- value services at Eutelsat. The termi- app also delivers remote control bility has seen it used for news nals, meanwhile, come in at under functionality and enables viewers event coverage of The London EUR10,000 versus EUR150,000 for to select programming for Olympics, the UK Diamond legacy SNG. They can be set up playback. Jubilee, the Italian Earthquake and anywhere in an average time of two the Athens riots. minutes.

08 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com Untitled-33 1 11/13/2012 3:39:56 PM News

news in brief Euro HD growth continues

4k TV demand There are currently 941 HD TV important HD channels, followed by Graph 1:1: Growth Growth of of HD HD channels channels in in 2009-2012 2009-2012 Consumer demand for new ultra- channels on air across Europe, up documentary, entertainment and 10001000 941941 900900 hi-definition 4K TVs will remain from 612 at the end of last year, television fiction channels. Moreover, 800800 700700 “negligible for the foreseeable according to the latest survey by the the gap between sport and the other 612612 600600 future,” and not account for more European Audiovisual Observatory. genres has increased in the last year. 500500 423423 400400 than 1% of the global LCD TV The figure represents growth of While cable and satellite remain 300300 274 market during the next five years, 54% in the number of HD channels the main platforms for HD, in 200200 100100 0 according to IHS iSuppli . The over nine months, following three October 2012, there were 116 HD End 2009 End End 2010 2010 End End 2011 2011 Sept Sept 2012 2012 Source: European Audiovisual Observatory / MAVISE research firm expects global strong years of growth – and there channels available on DTT networks Source: European Audiovisual Observatory / MAVISE shipments of 4K LCD-TVs to rise is still room left for further growth. throughout Europe (free and pay), HD content by genree to 2.1m in 2017, up from 4,000 From 274 at the end of 2009, the with the generalist public service and 2009 2010 2011 2012 2009 2010 2011 2012 Sport 59 86 126 215 Sport 59 86 126 215 in 2012. There’s very little number of channels raised to 612 private channels being the most Film 55 60 92 144 Film 55 60 92 144 Generalist 45 79 87 108 Generalist 45 79 87 108 4K-ready content and sets such as at the end of 2011 and 941 end of present on the free DTT networks. Documentary 27 37 56 73 Documentary 27 37 56 73 TV Fiction 14 16 42 76 TV Fiction 14 16 42 76 Sony’s 84-inch 4K TV are priced September 2012, up 54%. Regarding the origin and licensing Entertainment 16 29 51 70 Entertainment 16 29 51 70 Lifestyle/travel 9 15 27 41 Lifestyle/travel 9 15 27 41 Music 10 14 15 28 at $25,000. The research firm Sport, film and generalist of HD channels, the UK (with 229) Music 10 14 15 28 Children 6 9 12 28 Children 6 9 12 28 Cultural / International 10 9 13 21 added that 1080p resolution is channels (the main private and emerges as the most important home Cultural / International 10 9 13 21 Adult 4 5 11 20 4 5 11 20 AdultOthers 19 64 80 117 “good enough” for most people. public service channels) have of HD channels, followed by Others 19 64 80 117 Total 274 423 612 941 consistently been the most Germany (108) and France (95). Total 274 423 612 941 Connected devices growth There will be 9.6bn internet connected devices by the end of 2012, which will grow to 28bn by 1.5bn TV homes in 2016 2020, according to IMS Research. Around three quarters today are The number of TV households Cable will remain the chief access with a 26% share of the global fixed and mobile comms, worldwide will grow by almost 10% channel but will gradually lose market. computers, and CE but these to reach 1.502 billion in 2016, ground to satellite and IPTV which The global TV industry’s revenue segments will only account for according to Idate. will account for 30% and 7.3% of TV will come to EUR340.1 billion in half of the total installed base by Over three quarter of homes will homes respectively by that time. 2012, while pay-TV revenue will grow the end of the decade, as internet be digital by that date, with the Despite the development of hybrid by 12.1% between 2012 and 2016. connectivity becomes more penetration of digital TV TV systems, terrestrial TV will Despite the economic climate, ad common in the medical, households worldwide coming to continue its decline and drop revenue will also grow, at a rate of industrial, and automotive 77.6% of TV households in 2016. down to number three spot by 2016, 21.2% between 2012 and 2016. sectors. This new growth wave to have more devices IP addressable is driven by advances in processor Users see value in synchronous apps technologies, IPv6, and the roll out of next-gen cellular networks. Although the majority of TV viewers Just one in five of respondents to screen activity and build engagement. now partake in dual screen activity Red Bee’s survey have used a However, there remains uncertainty Cable rules US VoD rentals whole watching TV, the industry has synchronous companion app among viewers about where to find Almost half of all paid VoD been slow to take up of synchronous although 78% of this group believe TV-related synchronous apps; 29% of movie rentals were generated apps, according to new research that smart devices are a better way respondents would look to a TV from cable platforms in H1 2012, from Red Bee Media. to engage with TV shows as opposed channel or platform as the app according to The NPD Group, It is relatively common to traditional methods such as red aggregator, while 21% would search with Comcast leading the way knowledge that most people spend button or telephone call-ins, with the for apps individually. with 23% of the market. Telco a fair amount of time with laptops, most appealing functionality being More than half are open to VoD is the fastest growing tablet, smartphones and other the ability to respond to TV shows receiving targeted ads through segment of the VoD market, with devices in the living room in front through polls or voting (55%) and synchronous apps based on products a 24% rental-order growth rate of the main TV. This is behaviour the ability to participate or influence featured on TV, while nearly a third year-over-year (outpacing even the that broadcasters are keen to tap a show by playing along (52%). would be more inclined to engage internet VoD growth rate of into but many have failed to take Synchronous companion apps can with ads if offered via a smart device 15%). The figures do not include any action so far, despite an in this respect be seen as a primary while they’re watching TV. subscription video rentals and estimated 86% dual screening in way for broadcasters and platforms Over 2,000 smart device owners video purchases. the UK. to consistently own viewers’ second were polled across the UK.

10 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com Untitled-1 1 11/14/2012 12:27:47 PM Analyst corner OTT streaming: The future channel, the channel future? The issue of payment is complicated, relating to the cost of Hybridisation of business models scaling OTT to a mass market via CDNs – and those costs The channel future will thus get bigger and bigger as the number of viewers grows differ depending on the strategic direction that the provider takes. Full blown hat does the an elephant with two trunks. The first is the issue OTT ‘channels’ will likely start to invest in their future channel of ‘who’s going to pay’ and the second, closely own infrastructure; channels for which OTT look like? Is the related, is without the answer to the first, what becomes an increasingly important part of the democratised, happens to quality of content? distribution model will more likely continue to disaggregated The issue of payment is a complicated one, align themselves with platform providers on a future of because the economic issues are multilayered. It, traditional affiliate model, where scalable OTT Wtelevision predicted by some pie in the sky (or of course, relates to content and both the funding capacity becomes part of the deal. more accurately the cloud) or an imminent of production and the existing economic We forecast that by 2015, in the most reality? To many the future of television means an roadblocks around valuable content rights. But it developed markets, non-linear viewing will end to scheduling; an unlimited choice also relates to the cost of scaling OTT to a mass account for only around 15% of viewing. So while on-demand, consumed anywhere on any device at market. OTT transmission is not free. The OTT is most certainly a disruptor of traditional anytime; and an end to the annual contract with channels or content owners incur Content business models, and an increasingly noisy one at content bought piece meal or through a short Delivery Network (CDN) costs for every piece of that, there is still time for the issues around term customer relationship that can be ended at content they stream. And because on-demand platform relationships to be resolved. any time. streaming is unicast, those costs get bigger and The future, then, continues to see a strong role Developments in IP over-the-top (OTT) bigger as the number of viewers grows. for infrastructure providers, indeed a role that is distribution and the rapid roll-out of multi-screen, The implications for channels are numerous. If perhaps even stronger than it was before. along with customer relationship developments we accept that the relentless march towards OTT Increasingly infrastructure solutions will be such as the short-termism of Sky’s Now TV or of continues, then models will have to be found to hybrid, allowing also hybridisation of business the recently launched Talk Talk Youview TV support it. One model that a number of OTT models. And with free-to-air channels chasing certainly point in this direction. providers are already beginning to explore is the advertising eyeballs and pay channels chasing creation of their own CDNs to reduce the burden subscription eyeballs into the OTT arena, the two An elephant with two trunks as OTT consumption begins to scale. Network camps face a convergent problem that will bring But there remains an elephant in the room that infrastructure control suddenly begins to assume them increasingly into each other’s OTT space. many go out of their way not to notice. And it is an importance that it never held before for both The future channel and the channel future: a cost and quality control. mash-up in every sense of the word. Indeed, it rapidly becomes considerably more expensive to stream content OTT than to broadcast it once audience begins to scale. The traditional channel cost model then begins to break down. Channels have traditionally borne their own distribution costs on satellite and terrestrial broadcast technologies with a fixed cost. But when it comes to wired infrastructure, the Guy Bisson is research relationship has been more complex and director, television, at IHS based heavily on the value of the channel to Screen Digest. In this regular the platform. With an IP network for OTT column, he gives CSI readers exclusive insight from the delivery, that sort of relationship is likely to company’s new channel strategies service continue.

12 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com Untitled-1 1 10/9/2012 2:33:49 PM IBC review Stars in their eyes MPEG-DASH and HEVC were the stars of this year’s IBC show. Goran Nastic reports

n a sign of things to come, IBC kicked off platforms such as YouView and HbbTV to extend with a major announcement from Dutch their reach as OTT becomes a buzzword with cablenet Ziggo, which became one of the positive rather than negative connotations. first European service providers to deliver According to Red Bee Media, in North America an advanced VoD user interface entirely and Western Europe alone there are already more from the network cloud, giving ammunition connected devices (0.6 billion) than traditional to those who believe the future to be cloud unconnected TV sets worldwide, which makes based. Ziggo will deploy ActiveVideo’s CloudTV access to these devices a significant strategic IH5 virtual set-top box (STB) platform to enable a priority for broadcasters. consistent user experience to its subscribers across The question is also one of service devices. differentiation and how to attract viewers in a Together with the closely-related trends of world of increasing choice and competition. multi-screen and over-the-top video, such internet Together with offering the right (but not Motorola’s Flux capacitor, at the stand to delivery provided the core backdrop of IBC 2012, necessarily premium) content, quality of service/ illustrate the time travel element in its DVRs as the industry struggles to re-align with new experience is probably the main way of achieving business models and work out where things are this so it was not a surprise to see a great many “OTT is interesting from a TV context,” noted going and what the impact will be. companies focusing on this area. MPEG-DASH Pixelmetrix CEO Danny Wilson. “It’s completely Most are waking up to the fact that they have and HEVC next-gen coding emerged as key backwards. Unlike traditional broadcast, OTT is to be flexible in this new world and adapt and underlying technologies to enable such quality in pull not push. If there are no clients, the bit rate respond quickly to any changes the future may the internet domain, and both are set to see the is zero.” Pixelmetrix has identified seven key bring. As the argument goes, the cloud opens new first products roll out towards the end of 2013 metrics that quantify the performance of OTT opportunities for revenues and faster (again, more details are available online). systems, and the company has developed the OTT implementations of these changes. As Abe Peled, ex-NDS CEO and now SVP and MediaGrinder as a test & measurement tool. The On the other hand, has hedged chief strategist for Cisco’s Video & Collaboration Grinder, which started shipping in September, is a its bets on sophisticated gateways bringing this Group, put it: “Consumers expect more and are client simulator that reports back on the seven flexibility, and the Horizon TV platform finally conditioned to a level of UIs and experience that key KPIs. 1RU can cover 2,000 clients and has saw the light of day at the show (see CSI online is increasingly amazing. PayTV has to bring that been integrated with the Verimatrix DRM SDK. for detailed coverage). as well.” To this end, HTML5 was another hot Worth highlighting here is Motorola’s new But whatever the mix of cloud versus in-home topic at the show which promises to make multi- VideoFlow solution (part of the Medios multi- CPEs, the point is that broadcasters and service screen easier to deploy through common screen product suite), which automates the providers in general are embracing connected interfaces across devices. workflow process. This is useful in multi-screen scenarios where, for example, multiple versions of ABRS exist and managing complex content rights can be a headache. It also performs payment reconciliation at the back end and ultimately allows for scaling services cost-effectively.

CDNs and the home network Network capability and capacity is a crucial element in on-demand and especially live environments, and it was interesting to see such a strong focus on CDNs at IBC. CDNs form a part of Cisco’s drive to provide a full end-to-end one- stop shop in operators’ multi-screen ambitions The Cisco/NDS ‘Project Fresco’ demo (last year known as Surfaces), which looks to exploit space in the home and help TV become more immersive. The company is working to and transition to hybrid broadband as elegantly as make this a reality by 2016. possible.

14 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com IBC review

This is also where solutions such as Edgeware’s tools they need to manage devices inside the multiple languages and metadata. Convoy VDN (Video Delivery Network) come in, home and ADB’s Epicentro-PMP is one such Never.no had on show the Prompter, an iPad which features functionality such as session setup, remote management solution to support this. app designed to help television presenters, automated popularity-based content propagation Such functionality will likely become more broadcast anchors, studio hosts or anyone else on and support for nPVR. Used by Ziggo, as well as popular as there was a widespread belief that camera to work with social media and interactive Elisa’s recently launched Epic TV OTT service, it multi-room PVR will finally take off in Europe content. Slightly cheating perhaps, but it looks to essentially tries to make the internet experience next year. address a real worry by broadcasters of not more like the managed delivery one. Indeed, the looking bad in public by allowing production staff Swedish company believes such parity will be Companion devices and synchronisation to aggregate, filter and edit social media. achievable in only a few years’ time. A large driver of multi-screen growth – and All in all, organisers claim that a record 50,937 A novel approach to CDNs came from France- subsequent industry focus - has come from the attendees walked through the doors of the RAI, based Broadpeak, which showed off its nanoCDN emergence of tablets and the way in which they narrowly beating the 50,462 reported in 2011. concept that transforms in-home devices into are influencing viewer behaviour and interaction IBC returns next year to Amsterdam at a slightly miniature CDNs through so-called ‘Agents’. It is with the main TV screen. later date from 12 to 17 September 2013. designed to address the key problem around OTT An ecosystem is emerging around social delivery, which is live content at peak recommendations via the 2nd screen, and the consumption, and aimed at operator-owned same goes for content synchronisation and the CDNs to help them differentiate against the likes opportunities this offers in terms of live viewing, of Akamai and Limelight. The company argues advertising, sponsorships, merchandising etc. that it overcomes the issues of backbone and edge Kit demonstrated its new VoD store, which networks becoming overloaded even with millions boasts a number of enhancements including a of simultaneous sessions. new editorial and media workflow interface. One of the pioneers in this space is systems Based on the Cosmos video management integrator Visual Unity, which was together with platform, it also supports live linear content, as Netgem’s cosy and homely demo room, part PSB Czech TV the first company in Eastern well as different OD payment mechanisms, of its award-winning stand Europe to engage in IP delivery, back in the late 1990s, for on-demand and live OTT streaming. will.i.am pitches X Factor for tech “Why is there not a TV show which discovers Czech TV uses VU’s CDN in the Czech Republic innovators… and intelligent hardware and showcases the next software genius or for multi-platform services, while CDN also Technology has been shown to inspire creative computing talent?” he asks. “TV operates CDNs in a number of other Middle creativity but can creativity inspire new content is too narrow. I can’t remember the Eastern and CEE markets where it helps technology? Intel certainly think so, having new songs that winners of The Voice or The X broadcasters embrace multi-screen. hired musician and media personality will.i.am Factor put out there. There are millions of Away from pure networking, headend provider to help them devise and promote their people with ideas in technology and creativity Appear TV is positioning itself as the ‘new kid on products, writes Adrian Pennington. On Intel’s who we should be helping.” the block’ in the multi-screen space, launching a ticket at IBC the 37-year old gave his As Intel’s Director of Creative Innovation, scalable and dense chassis at IBC. Unlike many of idiosyncratic take on the subject. the Black Eyed Peas frontman has collaborated its competitors, the Norwegian company is taking His advice to broadcasters for example: with the chip maker’s scientists, programmers a hardware-based approach, which it argues is “Technology now makes an instant connection and marketers to promote content, technology easier to integrate into existing systems and for people to watch what they want anywhere and hardware strategies, chief among Intel’s operationally more reliable than software, and appointment to view is over. What I would notebook line Ultrabook. especially in live streaming. do if I were a broadcaster is surround myself “The music industry has moved from selling Of course, Pace is still a big believer in with brilliant software coders and platform music on gramophones to selling songs as files. hardware and the role it will play in the future. An builders to create change. Imagine if ABC had I want to move from selling songs on iTunes to STB or gateway is the best mechanism for getting created YouTube or Kodak had bought selling hardware – intelligent hardware. The the content in and around the home. Quality of Instagram? They didn’t – but they could have. biggest pieces of hardware in anyone’s life are experience is one of payTV operators’ strongest The problem in big organisations is that the their house and car yet these are also the advantages, but many remain extremely reluctant CFO blocks innovation because they want to dumbest. The car should be the most intelligent to embrace the home network. see monetisation. That’s why start-ups like thing you own and it should talk to the house As software house S3 Group found out in a Google or Twitter can impact change by which is even more intelligent. Instead of giving survey it undertook, service providers are evenly creating tools that become adopted only by all the content and data which we consume split between wanting to take control of the home thinking about monetization later.” and create to private organisations we should network and those unwilling to take the plunge He even revealed an idea for a new TV be able to keep and access them via cloud due to the cost and complexity involved. For format to encourage the next generation of storage in our own homes powered by servers those brave enough, TR-069 gives some of the inventors, possibly with Intel as the sponsor. kept in the fridge.”

www.csimagazine.com November-December 2012 15 IBC review Content is king IBC’s plenary session, featuring a heavyweight panel from “The on demand market is the thing that keeps us up Walt Disney, Sky and Discovery, argued that the predicted at night. It could be great decline of broadcasting at the hands of the internet has been boon for the business but it could also be a great bust if proved wrong, while laying out their own OTT strategies. not managed correctly,” Adrian Pennington reports said. Hollinger. Brian Sullivan he contention of the plenary confounded all the experts by turning the News to the IBC convention - The Corp-backed German pay-TV service Sky Rise and Rise of Deutschland from huge losses into breakeven and Broadcasting? The Next with profits now firmly in sight. Chapter - was that the “We’re investing heavily in placing lots of the predicted decline of technology onto the TV screen, especially around broadcasting at the hands of things like sports apps. To us, this isn’t about old the internet has been proved wrong - so go figure. fashioned interactivity because we know that TThere was clear acknowledgement from the viewers want to be relatively passive while heavyweight panel assembled that the sands of watching TV but this technology allows their distribution are shifting online but confidence too experience to be customised by them - if they want that consumers will continue to want to pay for to play around more with the system, they can.” quality content. Sky Deutschland is already the biggest OTT Walt Disney’s SVP Media Distribution, “It’s time to redefine supplier in Germany with close to 1 million Catherine Powell, was firmly of the opinion that regular customers to . the rapid adoption of new technologies has placed broadcasting. For “All we have to do is to get the packaging right consumers in “an unprecedented position of and then it becomes another growth opportunity authority and control over their entertainment Disney, it is not just for us,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, if the experiences.” about linear TV any customer wants to get my content, I’m happy to Her prescription for success was that media deliver it to them however they want it. In fact, it companies “must be focused on serving more. But content is is one of the reasons why we launched Sky Go so consumers on a well-timed, well-priced basis with early in our development cycle. We saw it as a big the highest quality content. In today’s world of more important than opportunity for us. From where I sit, the more increasing choice and fragmentation, exceptional connected devices there are in German homes, creative content from trusted brands is more ever.” the happier I am. The more connected devices out important than ever.” there, the greater the opportunity for us to deliver “It’s time to redefine broadcasting. For Disney, we’ve come late to striking deals with online our products to those devices.” it is not just about linear TV anymore,” she said, providers.” Connected device usage is soaring. BBC iPlayer adding that Disney is looking closely at creating “The big questions from our standpoint are alone has grown 40% in a year, almost all on TVs, both free and pay channels on YouTube. ‘What is the business model behind any new form mobiles and tablets. Usage of connected devices Discovery Communications, CEO Mark of distribution?’ and ‘What is the knock-on effect during the Olympics was staggering, with mobile Hollinger declared that even if the models of on our existing business?’” he said. “I am a firm up 50% and connected TV over 100%. distribution have changed there remains an believer in the old adage that you get what you But challenges remain, and for John Tate, BBC underlining desire for quality content. pay for, so while we remain open to any Group Director, Strategic Operations, black holes “The contribution to our business of new [distribution] opportunity, we will judge each one in connectivity are a big one. versus traditional platforms is very small so from against those two criteria.” “Connected devices need to be connected – a near term perspective we will continue to supply Discovery will spend $1.2bn this year on still fewer than half of IP-enabled TVs are,” he payTV as our number one priority,” he said. content and interestingly, advertising is “as said. “Built-in Wi-Fi will help, but isn’t yet “We’ve been cautious about putting long form important” as affiliate fees. One third of standard. The best devices will come with content out on broadband - either for free or for Discovery’s international operating profit comes broadcast access and local storage. And no-one download. We do make short form content from advertising and the figure in the US is half has cracked how connectivity makes story-telling available for free but with respect to long form from advertising. better.”

16 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com Keep ahead in this

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Untitled-1 1 11/8/2012 3:40:24 PM Smart TV apps In apps we trust recommendations have Apps World 2012 was awash with the now familiar complaints to play in helping users of fragmentation. So what’s the industry doing about it? make their choices easier. Goran Nastic reports “We’ve pivoted our business to be mobile he Apps World show, held in Accedo CEO Michael Lantz expects HTML5 to focused. From a technical perspective, the two London’s Earls Court, is reach around 30-40% of the market with most biggest opportunities that we see with the 2nd now in its third year, browser platforms converging towards some sort screen as a compliment are the ability to drive attracting over 170 exhibitors of HTML5 platform. engagement through identity, knowing who the and 5,000 attendees, The BBC, which is evolving the Red Button audience is, and also measurement, the quality according to organisers Six into a connected TV service, also came to the data you get off identity,” said Geci. Degrees. Although it rescue, inviting interested companies to look at Expanding on the identity opportunity, Geci promoted a tagline of “Discover the future of the new TV application layer it has developed. added: “The challenge for big broadcasters Tmulti-platform apps” there was very little cross- This abstraction layer is designed to help launching these experiences is they have legacy platform developments on show, and very few minimise the amount of time apps developers log-in systems. They have numerous profiles they stands dedicated to smart TV in general, a spend tweaking features for each connected TV have created for you as a user. The challenge is reflection of where the TV industry currently platform, decoupling the applications from the how do they re-architect that to take advantage of stands on the apps front. underlying device complexities. The BBC is things like Facebook log-in? Zeebox and other The conference track dedicated to TV apps did sharing this TV app layer with partners like start-ups have the ability to ramp up this boast high quality speakers from the likes of Channel 4, 5 and ITV and used the event to experience.” Facebook, Google TV, Liberty Global, BBC and welcome other content owners and manufacturers Her sentiments were echoed by Bjarne Thelin, the BARB but focused almost exclusively on the to come on board. The public broadcaster is also the chief executive at BARB, which is taking its many barriers that stand in the way of this hoping that standards bodies like the W3C can measurement beyond the TV to incorporate PCs, emerging market, which again is a reflection of help fill some of the gaps associated with tablets and other devices. “One of the big issues where the industry stands at this moment in time. HTML5, such as the ability to connect to a for industry is lots of data that is going to be Openness and standards were the key themes, broadcast stream. generated by lots of different services and how the dominated by the now familiar complaints that industry can look at that data and connect it to broadcasters, payTV operators and most Companion devices... and the value of data what’s going on in the real world and how it developers are not able to support smart TV en The other big talking point centred on the role relates together.” masse in light of current fragmentation. The hope that second screen experiences and apps can play Thelin also noted how the BARB struggles with is for consolidation into three main ecosystems in making the TV more personal and social at the identifying exactly which service has provided the (Apple, Google and Microsoft), with each app same time. viewing, so with for instance, it ecosystem being cross device compatible, Karla Geci, strategic partner development at can’t distinguish between PVR playback and VoD including desktop OS, so that developers need Facebook, explained how the social networking access. only compile three instances of the app, one for giant was particularly excited about the The other interesting question is around the iOS, one for Android and one for Windows 8. integration of 2nd screen experiences on personal commercial opportunities presented by this data, On a user interface level, there was a lot of love devices and the potential role that social and who is best placed to exploit the swathes of shown towards the open HTML5 standard, which data that is available around individuals and most participants argued can help overcome households - is it the service provider or much of the fragmentation plaguing connected companies like Facebook? devices. BT Vision and Google TV noted that Ivo Lochtman, the VP of content products at their respective YouView and YouTube platforms cable operator Liberty Global, was honest enough are both evolving towards HTML5 while the new to admit he doesn’t know the answer. “Time will Freeview user interface and Liberty Global’s tell. The sheer volume of data is so overwhelming Horizon TV gateway are both fully HTML5-based. we don’t know what to do with it, it’s too much,” The arguments goes that HTML5 enables content he said, adding that Liberty does not see itself as owners to develop and design the UI once and a digital gatekeeper of 2nd screen experiences, deploy it across a range of devices (see www. preferring instead a win-win scenario with csimagazine.com for more detailed coverage). broadcasters.

18 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com 7th DECEMBER 2012

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KEY TOPICS n Loudness normalisation: misunderstandings, dangers, pitfalls n Loudness work in live productions like sports; case studies, n Different standards: R 128, A/85, etc. are they different? Are experiences, Upmix, Downmix they the same? What are the differences? What are the pros n Loudness normalisation for music: the loudness war in its and cons? purest form; strategies, steps taken, iTunes/iCloud, sptoify, n Current status of loudness implementations in Europe, lessons, GoogleMusic etc. experiences n The M-word (Metadata): things to be aware of Supported by: n Loudness normalisation in Radio: the next step - differences to n Loudness in distribution: the safety net TV, analog vs. digital, pop vs. classic n Loudness at the consumer’s end: we’ve done everything right, n File-based solutions, workflows why is it still wrong? n Broadcaster Case Study SPEAKERS TO INCLUDE: Florian Camerer Richard van Everdingen Senior Sound Engineer, ORF, EBU-PLOUD & VDT Broadcast & Audio Consultant, Delta Sigma Consultancy Simon Tuff Thomas Lund Principal Technologist, BBC TC Electronics Created and organised by HE BROADCA E BROADC HE BROADCA T ST TH AST TFOR FURTHERST INFORMATION ON: & & & A A A U U SPONSORSHIP &U PROMOTION OPPORTUNITIES, BOOKING ENQUIRES, EVENT INFORMATION or SPEAKING OPPORTUNITES: D D D I I O I O O

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Untitled-3LS full page 1 advert 271x204.indd 1 10/8/201210/5/2012 1:07:137:56:41 PMPM Smart TV apps Not smart enough

Can Smart TV replicate the success of the billion-dollar experience that enables users to access parts of their mobile apps market? Early feedback from industry and content,” says Lantz, whose end users suggests not, says Stephen Cousins, who finds company has deployed smart TV apps for the likes of much room for improvement Telstar in Australia, PCCW in Hong Kong, ABC in Australia, he explosion in sales of smart industry, and are not at all used to internet and the MTV and Discovery channels in the US. TV sets is driving interest content, the app market and the monetisation “We have seen tier 2 companies targeting apps from operators, broadcasters issues behind it. If they can figure it out and on all of the major platforms simultaneously, but and content owners keen to deliver more robust content, the potential revenue typically customers come to us when they have develop TV apps for the they can take some ownership on is massive, already deployed tablet apps and a PC website internet-connected platform. we’re talking billions of dollars. They’re all now and want to replicate the Smart TV apps offer a actively trying to bring in right people and change chance to tap into a much broader audience established processes to make it Trelatively cheaply, and if the medium comes close happen,” he says. to matching the impressive take up of apps on The number of apps available for mobile phones, set to reach over 45.6 billion smart TVs currently pales in downloads worldwide by the end of 2012 comparison to the some 500,000 - (Gartner) the potential revenues are huge. 700,000 apps and games available via At first glance, the outlook appears promising. Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Strategy Analytics predicts that 1.6 billion store, although the market is growing. Connected TVs will be installed worldwide by There are currently four 2014, and with mobile app pioneers Google and predominant camps in the smart TV Apple entering the space, the prospect of a app market: Apple, Samsung, Google thriving apps market seems inevitable. TV, and a range of other entities However, early feedback from app developers trying to develop their own app and end users has proved patchy at best. stores. Consumers have criticised the lack of compelling A recent poll of 2,634 adults in the premium apps on smart TVs, poor content US by market research company discoverability and early apps’ failure to exploit Harris Interactive, found that video the specific benefits of a smart TV’s UI. streaming apps were the most popular Earlier this year, Daniel Danker, head of the among smart TV owners, with 47% BBC iPlayer catch-up service, complained that the and 44% saying and YouTube iPlayer app was getting four times more traffic on were the “must have” apps on the iPad than via the plethora of connected TVs on smart TV respectively. That’s more the market. He blamed TV makers for failing to than social networking site Facebook make smart TVs simple enough to use. Cable (35%) and online marketplace companies UPC and Zon Multimedia have also Amazon (34%). complained about their smart TV experiences Consumer desire for video content (see box out). is driving great interest from payTV The blame, in part, must lie with smart TV operators and broadcasters wanting to manufacturers’ in their attempts to maintain a create apps capable of delivering OTT hold over TV, one of the last bastions of services, according to Michael Lantz, entertainment not yet revolutionised by the CEO of smart TV and IPTV app internet, explains Zachary Weiner, co-founder of developer Accedo. “By far the biggest the new Connected TV Marketing Association. driver of business for us right now is “OEMs are these hulking beasts that have so far broadcasters wanting to provide some managed to stay outside of many aspects of the sort of catch up TV or on demand

20 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com Smart TV apps

experience on around ten different TV platforms, content using a TV remote is much slower than including game consoles and smart TVs,” says using a touch-screen and TV apps typically take Lantz. much longer to load than on mobiles. The With roughly 1,000 pay TV operators and absence of fully-functioning TV app stores, 10,000 TV channels worldwide, each wanting to similar to Google Play or Apple’s App Store on launch on ten different platforms, there are a mobiles, also makes discovery and purchase of potentially huge number of apps to be developed, content difficult and time consuming. he notes. “At present, smart TV app store functionality is horrible,” argues Lantz. “Some apps, like Netflix, Dumb and dumber? BBC iPlayer, or ITV Player are pre-defined in UIs, Disproportionately low app usage so far on smart but users don’t bother to search for additional TVs compared to other connected devices can, in apps because it takes time using the virtual part, be explained by the specific nature of the keyboard, or they are required to log on to TV experience. Navigating do it,” he says. Monetisation is another issue. Where buying an app on mobiles requires a simple click of a button to charge a purchase to a credit or debit card, most smart TV users are not yet comfortable with paying for content directly through the EPG, so apps are paid for via PC websites as an extension to an existing subscription. However, these factors will become less of an issue as the market evolves, says Veronica Thayer, analyst at IMS Research (now part of IHS) and author of the report Connected TV Sets. “As OEMs form partnerships with broadcasters and content providers, apps will become more visible will fail to create a uniform user experience and within the UI. Manufacturers are also Quality of Service (QoS),” says Mark Hyland, VP improving their marketing efforts to better of sales and marketing for QuickPlay Media. “The communicate how smart TVs can be used best mobile apps enable consumers to utilise the by consumers. Tablets and smart phones unique characteristics of mobile, so smart TV will evolve into more of a companion device should do the same in its environment,” he says. used as an EPG, a remote control, or a This is proving a major challenge for Google, source of additional TV content - after all, as it struggles to make the thousands of mobile consumers want to watch TV content on a apps available on Google TV relevant and big screen,” she says. accessible to a TV-based audience. Companion mobile device applications Despite the many differences between mobile designed to complement the TV viewing and smart TV platforms, there’s much technology experience might also emerge. For example, and knowledge that can transfer between the two. QuickPlay Media recently developed an The back-end preparation of video and audio for IndyCar app for Verizon, designed to OTT delivery follows similar steps, and content provide viewers with extra information on collection, ingestion, transcoding, encryption and cars and drivers during a race. publishing are the same across both media. Successful apps of the future are likely to “Managing QoS for video and audio is be the ones that are specifically tailored to transferable from mobile to a smart TV platform,” the TV-watching environment, and make says Hyland. “For example, Samsung uses our use of new smart TV technologies such as managed services to prepare video for its app voice or hand gesture input. services on smart TVs, tablets, and smartphones “Providers that take a ‘code once and in the US.” run everywhere’ approach to app However, Hyland points out that today’s development on different connected devices consumers expect that the majority of video

www.csimagazine.com November-December 2012 21 Smart TV apps delivered to smart TV is of HD or near-HD collaborate more through 2013. By 2014-2015 we quality, which carries more stringent licensing expect to see deployments on a much larger “There is a sense that requirements and complex operational needs, scale,” says Peter Hutchins, product marketing such as Motion Picture Association of America manager at IPTV software provider Espial. “The more innovative apps compliance and DRM technology. “This can add fact that apps exploded on smart phones and to the cost and complexity of providing OTT tablets is partly due to the fact that platform will be hitting the services to smart TVs,” he adds. manufacturers created successful development ecosystems - developer programs, tools, emulators market soon, enabled and revenue-share opportunities - that enabled and propelled content providers and application by powerful browsers developers to quickly develop apps,” he adds. Widespread adoption of the powerful open and maturing source browser technology HTML5 could also help alleviate compatibility issues, unlike native developer ecosystems.” code which requires that developers maintain it across every target platform. “I believe strongly in HTML5, which I expect enabled by powerful browsers and maturing to reach around 30-40% of the market,” says developer ecosystems. Accedo’s Lantz. “Over time most browser For pay TV operators, broadcasters and platforms will converge towards some sort of content owners now may be the ideal time to get HTML5 platform anyway, although at present in on the act, says The CTVMA’s Weiner. “I get Microsoft’s Xbox uses its own technology, there the feeling that thus far many companies have are Flash-powered smart TV devices like TiVo, seen smart TV as this buzz word and rushed to and Samsung smart TVs use a proprietary just get something on there, which has resulted in browser.” many poorly-developed apps. What’s needed right Smart TV apps may be struggling to match now is more research into consumer behaviour, fledgling technologies with high consumer and more robust development to create the real expectations, but there is a sense that more killer apps, because evidence suggests that people innovative apps will be hitting the market soon, will use them,” he concludes.

Easing fragmentation issues CI+ wins over smart TV, says Liberty iterations on the software in their device, Fragmentation poses a major challenge to the Global from the browser to the DRM they would smart TV app market as OEMs have each striven Liberty Global has experimented with smart support. to differentiate themselves by developing TV apps but decided that the TV set is best “We launched our EPG and VoD service individual purpose-built app stores, a situation kept dumb, preferring CI Plus as a far better on LG TVs in one of our countries and went that puts pressure on content developers to route in this respect. in with one specific DRM to support that manage the software optimisation and The cable operator’s CTO Balan Nair TV set. That was in early 2011. The 2012 customisation required to run apps on a multitude outlined his case for CI+ at IBC, while model no longer supported that so now I of platforms. admitting that a smart TV software strategy have to support two DRMs. I have a legacy New industry organisations, like the Smart TV might still have some part to play in the of about seven different STBs and the last Alliance, aim to alleviate that issue by bringing company’s future thinking. Below is an thing I need is seven STBs and 15 TV sets together content owners, developers and CE excerpt of Nair’s speech given to media and so I’m not a big fan of building software manufacturers, such as LG Electronics, Philips, analysts at the show: directly on the TV. We’ll do that and play and Sharp, to help create a common developer “The question we have been wrestling around with it but you can quickly see what framework for smart TV apps. To engage with is do we put our interface on a smart our challenges are. application developers, the Alliance recently TV and eliminate the STB. There are many “The way we would do it in Europe, published a Software Development Kit (SDK) on schools of thought on that. My personal there is a CI+ standard and we are working its website intended to improve consistency in the view is it’s stupid to do that. TV hard on a means to get interactivity onto development and deployment of smart TV apps. manufacturers build TV sets to sell and once CI+, which already has Conditional Access “While there is still a great deal of it’s sold it’s sold, they don’t care about it. If (CA). It’s the best way to go and the TV fragmentation in the market, it will start to you look at Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and goes to where it should be - a dumb display become less fragmented as CE manufacturers LG they have gone through various device.”

22 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com Viewpoint The smart TV apps revolution has begun Matt Vidmar argues that manufacturers abandon their platforms and simply adopt a more unified application development environment

he latest generation of smart you have to accept that the manufacturer, content bureaucratic and their development tools are too TVs and streaming players owner and distributor are all locked into an weak or badly documented. access branded portals and interdependent circle. This means there is a “TV manufacturers try to reinvent the wheel, services, not just available danger of collapse if you try to remove one from but so far all of them make the process too platforms such as YouTube the mix. This equality is undermining the old bureaucratic and their development tools are too or broadcaster services. They industry statement that ‘content is king’, weak or badly documented.” enable viewers to customise especially if you introduce user generated content At Vision247, the creation of our white label their TV viewing by downloading and installing into the equation as this remains a major driver of TV channel apps has required the creation of a Tapplications which can deliver a range of on-line video expansion. complete back office solution to drive the online additional interactive multimedia services to In this maturing market, manufacturers have video platform (OVP). We had to innovate with a extend or upgrade the viewing experience. failed to create app marketplaces of their own, so unified back-end via singular API to drive any According to NPD DisplaySearch, more than they face an immediate choice: concentrate on version of the front end app for any platform, 20% of television sets shipped in Q1 of 2012 were manufacturing devices which require custom including legacy STB, connected TVs, smart TV smart TVs, and the global market according to apps; or devices (with or without a screen) which (via store apps) and ‘dumb’ TV (via MHEG or researchers marketsandmarkets is expected to be are compatible with major app ecosystems such as HbbTV apps). Working with this level of worth $265 billion by 2016. Paid applications Play, App Store and Win8 store. complexity demands considerable investment in alone are anticipated to generate $1.9 billion by Content creators have already abandoned the R&D, which is time consuming and costly. 2015 from just $10 million in 2010. dream of in-house created app ecosystems and As a developer I would strongly recommend The disruptive nature of smart TV apps on the now need to maximise their revenues by exposing manufacturers abandon their platforms and broadcast landscape should be seen primarily as their content on as many platforms as possible. simply adopt a more unified app development positive one, because TV apps enable operators to Those distribution channels will remain the environment. The hope is for consolidation into expand audience reach without the need to dominant driver of revenue, but since none of the three main ecosystems (Apple, Google and subsidise custom ‘walled garden’ set-top-boxes producers have so far demonstrated success in Microsoft), with each app ecosystem being cross (STB). Apps are a more user friendly and cost distribution, aggregators and distributors will device compatible, including desktop OS, so that effective way to utilise existing smart players in remain a key requirement in the value chain. developers need only compile three instances of the house, from smart TVs to mobile devices. The real beneficiary is going to be the end- the app, one for iOS, Android and Windows 8. users, who gain ease of access to on-line published The interdependent circle content at lower prices driven by large volumes in The platform battle shrinks to three How is this proliferation of apps impacting on the a constantly expanding distribution. There has been considerable noise around the varied elements of what is a complex value chain? Smart TV Alliance recently. But developers will If you exclude the end user, TV apps for all your devices follow the volume, and as we have observed, none From the app developers’ perspective, the main of the manufacturers could aggregate any sizeable development environments have now matured. app store of their own. From my perspective, it is However, the vast number of devices, the all too little, too late. The platform battle has tremendous pace of change, and the variety of already shrunk to three dominant players, and the software development kits (SDKs) for popular consensus is that the remainder will account for player devices is still the major stumbling block less than 5% of the market. The only question is before this market can hit those billion what the market share will be two years from now dollar figures. TV manufacturers simply do not between those three players. have practical experience in dealing with mass market app developers. They try to reinvent the wheel, but so far all of them make the process too • Matt Vidmar is chairman and CTO of Vision247

www.csimagazine.com November-December 2012 23 EPGs Transforming the EPG

David Adams looks at the evolution and upcoming based companion devices, advancements of the once humble EPG, where integration allowing viewers to use an EPG and manage or view PVR of broadcast and broadband is becoming key recordings with trick play capabilities, without disrupting t seems a little strange to think how catch-up services into the guide makes catch-up the main TV screen. Other applications on a impressively hi-tech the first electronic TV part of the normal viewing experience.” tablet or other companion device could also be programme guides (EPGs) looked even a That presents a technical challenge, as the EPG used to monitor content being consumed and few years ago. Yet today, as channels and has to sit on top of a hybrid environment. But then exploit advertising opportunities. online sources of content proliferate - and vendors have already produced some effective The EPG will also need to become a more ever more people use tablets and other solutions: when someone clicks on an item in the sophisticated, yet user friendly navigation/search companion devices to access information or NDS/Cisco Snowflake EPG solution it tool, encompassing linear and recorded content social media discussion about TV shows - the automatically offers viewers details of related or via both broadcast and broadband. This will mean Itextual grid EPG may be on its way out. recommended recorded or catch-up content. NDS a more prominent role for companies able to One fundamental change helping drive claims its clients, such as Portuguese operator provide good metadata for the EPG, such as development is new chip technology with ZON, have seen significant increases in on Rovi or Tribune Media Services, says ANT’s enhanced graphical capabilities. Steve Plunkett, demand content viewing after implementation Steve Morris. CTO at Red Bee Media, says an increasing of Snowflake. number of his clients now want EPGs to include much richer content, including short trailers and/ Second screen EPGs or cast and crew profiles, bandwidth permitting. The other big change is that in the future EPGs Growing use of HTML5 may also play a role. will be accessed via a companion device more Another change will be a shift away from an often, whether a more sophisticated remote EPG that starts in the present and only moves control, a tablet, smartphone, or something else. forward. Steve Morris, systems architect at ANT “EPGs have been limited because they’re on your Software, believes the integration of catch-up big screen,” says Lucy Gill, principal consultant at services via ‘backwards’ functionality into the Serco ExperienceLab. “That can be improved by EPG, as already offered in UK services like smart TVs, but that market’s massively YouView and , will have profound effects fragmented. On a second screen you have the on the way consumers use these guides. opportunity for some sort of control over your TV. If you look at innovations like the Sky+ app, you can get more graphics and information on “Integrating catch-up there and it’s easier to search for content.” She also highlights the value of ‘catch and send’ services into the guide functions which allow users to flip web or TV content between the two (or more) devices. makes catch-up TV “Second screen EPGs are advancing much more quickly than the EPG on the TV,” says Red part of the normal Bee’s Plunkett. In part, he notes, this is because it can be easier to offer and use a more personalised viewing experience.” EPG experience on a companion device; and personalised search and recommendation is “Breaking down the barriers between scheduled something that operators find alluring, both as a and catch-up TV is going to make it easier to use service enhancement and as a source of valuable catch-up services,” he says. “There’s still a large information about viewing and EPG navigation part of the population who finds it difficult to use behaviour. the traditional type of catch-up services, even Solutions able to help in this area include when they’re built into a smart TV, because it’s ANT’s Galio Move. It streams live or recorded not how they choose what to watch. Integrating content straight from the TV to iOS and Android-

24 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com EPGs

EPGs may also offer access to social media. and history, recommendations from friends and TV is a very poor user experience, so less Netgem’s tablet app is designed to be “social video ranking. obtrusive ways of identifying who’s watching, such TV-enabled”, says Yann Courqueux, the Jonathan Beavon, vice-president for marketing as facial recognition, may become important.” company’s vice-president of sales and marketing. at NDS, thinks there may be more potential in There has also been some speculation about In future, he says, many viewers will be focusing crowd-sourcing recommendations from platforms the EPG of the future incorporating some other on programme brands rather than channels like Twitter than from smaller networks such as a more radically different interface technologies, and on recommendations coming via social consumer’s Facebook friends. After all, just such as motion sensors or voice recognition. “I networks. because your friend likes something doesn’t mean think we’re going to see more natural user “The most recent version of Netgem’s second you will. interfaces appear on the TV,” says Plunkett. “The screen EPG has been developed to make the TV A more sophisticated EPG also means more EPG still has a role, but the way you interact with experience more personal,” notes Corqueux. sophisticated data about viewing behaviour and it may include gestures, multiple cameras, or voice “Those channels that the user’s Facebook friends preferences can be sent back to operators (or based controls.” are watching are pushed to the top of the listings, whoever is providing the EPG), to be used for Gill isn’t sure about this yet. “My feeling is that while those not relevant to the individual’s profile various purposes, including informing perso- voice control is a definite possibility,” she says. can be filtered out.” nalised recommendations. “But with gestures, if you’re playing a game it has “Recommendations could come from friends a place, but it doesn’t offer the fine control you Personalised search and social and family through social networking, a need – and people just feel a bit stupid waving recommendations recommendation service, or from a service their arms about.” Elsewhere, Inview’s integrated EPG/media provider or broadcaster,” says Morris. “The nature Beavon is also cautious. “People used to browser incorporates a recommendation engine of TV as a social and shared medium will make it interacting with games think it’s a natural way of which automatically searches for broadcast and harder to consistently offer appropriate and useful doing things,” he says. “Others might find flailing internet content to match a user’s viewing profile recommendations. Forcing people to log-into the their arms around to change the channel a bit odd

www.csimagazine.com November-December 2012 25 EPGs when they can just push a button. With voice success. “Success will depend on very good Beavon. “Platforms which get that tight recognition some people feel a bit self-conscious integration and users not really knowing whether integration right will succeed. The way the user talking to the TV. they are watching broadband or broadcast,” says experience is designed is absolutely key.” “We have taken the same technology that was in the games area and tested it on STBs. We’ve shown it to customers, but it’s not top of their list of priorities. Search and recommendation and personalised search are.”

Online TV guides Meanwhile, as the EPG becomes less attached to the TV set or STB, opportunities will arise for other service providers to develop EPGs. “TVs will differentiate themselves with more advanced EPGs, as will broadcast platforms,” says Plunkett. “There’s a genuine possibility that some consumers will take their preferred EPG from something other than TV sets. Restrictions around advertising on the EPG stipulated by don’t apply to other screens, so the ability to monetise the EPG is greater. We’ve seen print publishers looking to develop EPGs.” Red Bee’s The schedule still rules We do have a choice but choice can be a RedDiscover content discovery platform is already This is an excerpt of a speech that Andrew chore. We want it but not too much; the more used by both London media company Time Out Neil, a BBC presenter and ex-editor of Sunday choice we have the more we default to a guide. and Dutch company Veronica Publishing to Times, gave on the value of the EPG at an SES This is the opposite of what all the forecasters power integrated online social TV guides. event earlier this year: would say would happen. The TV schedule in “TV guides online tend to be among the most “Around 95% of TV shows are still watched the multi channel age still curates what we viewed pages on broadcasters’ websites,” Plunkett live or near live, within 24 hours of being watch and is therefore still enormously continues. “Brands with no direct involvement in broadcast live. Little has changed despite the significant. It explains why millions of payTV providing content can see the TV guide attracts explosion in channels and the explosion of subscribers take hundreds of channels they an audience. We have clients building TV guides alternative ways of watching television, and never watch. The ability to contribute to the who are not the people you would usually that figure has barely changed for a decade. So water cooler conversation still matters and we associate with providing a TV guide. They see the TV schedule - the schedule of linear want to be able to talk about programmes the doing it as a way of attracting people to an app.” channels that we were all told was going to go next day. I ask to whom he is referring but Plunkett will down the pothole - still dominates. Last year I talked about how social only say: “They could be brands but there are one Technology hasn’t shattered the TV networking is the new EPG. It is now clear that or two who are pretty left field.” He says schedule; it simply strengthened it by making it online social networks reinforce the traditional announcements will follow. more flexible for the viewers. We used to say schedule. Because people want to talk about Yet we may be getting a bit ahead of ourselves that with more choice and more platforms and things, they are no longer passive viewers, they here. After all, says Plunkett, “most people will VoD we would all be able to be our own TV want to talk to their friends online about what still pick up the TV remote and press the Guide schedulers rather than be subject to the tyranny they are watching and you can only do that if button, so incumbent operators are still in a from aggregators to determine where and when your friends are watching the same thing at the good position”. we get to watch things. But it turned out we same time. If you want to be part of that buzz “I think the established players already in the didn’t want to be our own TV schedulers; we’ve you need to be part of that schedule and you market have an opportunity to lead this,” says got other things to do. This is despite the fact need to watch with everyone else. It’s quite Gill at ExperienceLab. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that in the UK, DVR penetration is now in well strange and entirely unpredicted that online in a few years one of the big names has done over half of all households. social networking - which is now a ubiquitous something clever and everyone else is copying It turns out that perhaps because of the part of watching TV, especially with the them. But equally I think there is room for plethora of choice and platforms, people prefer younger generation who engage in email, someone new to come in and do a really good structure, stability, predictability and routine. Twitter, Facebook – has reinforced the job.” The TV schedule seems to signal to our brains traditional schedule. In the end, the ease with which the EPG the time of day, day of the week, even the So my message is don’t bet against the enables access to content from different broadcast season, and crafty schedulers can reinforce schedule. It still dominates TV, even in a multi and broadband sources will be the key to its these signals with the programmes they put on. channel, multi platform world.”

26 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com Multi-channel Too many channels...?

media providers struggle to deliver new digital Make sure your IT infrastructure can deliver on services because they are simply do not have the the multi-channel promise, says Martin Redington technical capabilities. A classic scenario is when a business builds he London Olympics in channels can be added without jeopardising the new applications in isolation from both their 2012 has not only been management and distribution of rights and existing services because it is perceived to be record-breaking for athletes, royalties. The industry has already acknowledged faster. These applications then sit in silos leaving but also cemented the the pressing need for standardisation. In Europe providers with disparate IT systems and making prominence of multi-channel for example, the Linked Content Coalition brings impossible to deliver unified services. A much content delivery. The BBC together leading media firms to build the more effective approach would be to find ways of recently reported that it had standards and infrastructure required to discover delivering new services that leverage their existing record-breaking figures of over 55 million visits and deliver content across a more dynamic set of IT systems and enable data to be shared across Tfrom different connected devices globally over the distribution channels. different channels. two week period, and 106 million requests for Standardisation offers the benefit of a clear It sounds daunting; yet firms can unify their IT online video in comparison to 32 million during and traceable royalties revenue that can be infrastructures with new enterprise application the Beijing Olympics. calculated more easily. For this to be achieved, integration tools and overcome the challenge of Despite the BBC already being established in however, content providers will need to lead with siloed legacy systems. With this approach, the online world, the Olympics has demonstrated technology solutions that will be able to adapt to software applications that underlie new services desire to access content is moving at such a pace the fast-pace of change experienced by the digital are able to share data and content with a firm’s that all broadcasters and content providers must media industry and ensure content is monetised existing infrastructure and – ultimately – providers seize the opportunity and deliver an effective accurately. are able to more quickly and more consistently multi-channel content delivery strategy. Providing distribute content across multiple channels. an instant replay of a contentious goal from the It’s all down to the IT With unified IT infrastructure, content match, for example, to a phone, a laptop or a In the past, building the front and back-end providers also find that they can more easily desktop device, will make the provider a winner in systems to monetise content was seen as the automate back-office processes to satisfy supply the viewers’ eyes. domain of tech titans such as Apple, Netflix and, and distribution partners. As with all opportunities, digital presents most recently, Facebook. These companies content providers with new challenges. invested in the technology at the core of their Unify the applications Complexity in both supply and distribution businesses in order to build the applications A unified IT infrastructure will also bring the channels increases as more platforms and needed to deliver the best services quickly and benefit of providing a holistic overview of the divergent services are added that must be collaboratively. business. This can include clear insight into efficiently monetised. Beyond the technology industry, however, customers, products, services, profitability, As is fundamental in the media industry, software is often positioned as the tool to transactions and finance, all accessible in one content providers and producers need to ensure implement what the business demands, but many place and together. This coordinated and in-depth insight can in turn lead to a better understanding of the business and customer needs and the easier creation of new offerings in the future. Content providers need to leverage smarter ways of implementing new software so that they can deliver new services and satisfy consumer demand. Content providers need to do this whilst continuing to ensure the overall integrity of their business and IT landscape. An agile, easily adaptable and integrated infrastructure is essential to quickly and cost-effectively fulfil these requirements without building a maintenance and support nightmare for the future.

Martin Redington is senior vice president at Microgen

www.csimagazine.com November-December 2012 27 TV analytics

Navigating the labyrinth

The quality of metadata varies widely, but is essential for enhance existing metadata. By processing the title, synopsis intelligent navigation and personalised recommendations to and other ‘natural language’ enhance the user experience, argues Peter Docherty text, it is possible to extract more meaning and understanding from this hiny user interfaces (UIs) The harsh reality is that for service providers in unstructured information and improve the promising personalised many parts of the world the quality of metadata metadata keywords and tags. Any system used to recommendations abound, available to them is relatively poor. In Europe, for do this needs to be built to handle not just but look under the hood example, metadata is by definition different for English but other languages too – an important and things may not be as every country and within each country there is factor for larger service providers with properties they first seem. In the TV the need to consider regional programming, in multiple countries and in single-country equivalent of the making economies of scale for metadata providers deployments with multiple languages used in Emperor’s New Clothes, it is all too easy for impossible. By contrast, service providers in that country. Sservice providers to choose a recommendations North America are fortunate enough to have Another area worth highlighting is the engine that does nothing to enhance consumers’ access to much better quality metadata due to the importance of using the service provider’s own viewing experience and can frequently have the homogeneity and sheer size of the target market. metadata rather than only the metadata offered by opposite effect. In extreme cases it can literally While quite a lot of the metadata we come the recommendations engine vendor. The drive people to switch service provider. across is sub-optimal, it is possible in many metadata provided by a recommendations engine Helping consumers to find content they want instances to enhance it. However, programme vendor will by definition not be specific to a to watch in today’s ‘anytime, anywhere’ world is synopses that have fewer than ten words, or service provider’s requirements. It will be great at of course good for customer loyalty, churn catalogues where more than 50% of content has serving up recommendations based on its current reduction and ultimately increased ARPU, but been placed in the ‘other’ category - rather than in VoD catalogue and the latest blockbuster series, only if it works. It’s better to have no ‘comedy’, ‘current affairs’ or ‘documentaries’ etc - but what about local/regional programming and recommendations engine than a bad one. The make it much harder. In many such situations, other more specialised content? What about all quality of the underlying metadata is critical and service providers have no choice but to deploy the content in the recommendations engine has a direct impact on a service provider’s bottom basic recommendations based on collaborative vendor’s metadata that the service provider line. If you put garbage in, then you get garbage filtering of the “people who watch this watch doesn’t have, and vice versa? It may seem out, as the old adage goes. that” type. This is just not good enough for startlingly obvious, but it’s surprising how often a Metadata’s day in the spotlight has duly today’s sophisticated consumers on linear TV and recommendations engine is used simply to arrived. No longer perceived as the essential VoD content. promote the most popular new content in the plumbing needed to drive a VoD catalogue, it is VoD library or the latest glossy American series, now being feted as the new oil. Without good Cleaning up the data despite the fact that these types of content benefit metadata, the holy grail of intelligent navigation So what can be done to overcome the issues from reams of publicity anyway. and personalised recommendations is much arising from sub-optimal metadata? The good To get the most out of a recommendations harder to reach. news is that there are ways to clean up and engine it’s important to include the broadest

28 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com TV analytics

range of content – regional programmes for a recommendations for dynamic, linear TV and requirement for a broad array of automated, Canadian consumer in Quebec and Provencal then personalising it to the individual, not just the interacting algorithmic techniques, consider the shows for a consumer in Aix en Provence – and household, is a considerably bigger challenge. case of a pay-TV provider with ten million to serve up recommendations from the linear The sheer scale of the content involved – subscribers and 80,000 programmes on offer; the EPG, not just from on-demand content. typically 500 or so channels in an EPG offering number of possible combinations here would be We are all to a large extent creatures of habit - up to 200,000 programmes over a two-week 800 billion. something that needs to be remembered when period - makes this a much harder nut to crack; deploying a recommendations engine. Consider the fact that the content is constantly updated, Flexibility is key how comfortable you would be with being served being live TV, makes it harder still. A typical Talking about algorithms and metadata is all very up only premium content recommendations on linear EPG catalogue is updated every 15 well, but fundamentally any deployment needs to your first few encounters? Trying to push a minutes, meaning that the recommendations support the service provider’s current business consumer too far away from her comfort zone – engine and intelligent navigation system needs to objectives and have the inherent flexibility and her favourite channels and programmes - will not work much harder than in a VoD environment. scalability needed to allow the system to work build up trust between service provider and Those old buzzwords of scalability, flexibility effectively for five to ten years. An extensible and consumer and could actually end up reducing and reliability are critical in a linear EPG configurable platform that can be added to and loyalty. By far the best approach is to start by environment: serve up one poor set of modified to reflect a service provider’s specific recommending programmes from the linear EPG recommendations - or fail to provide a set of requirements should be a prerequisite. Opting for and then gradually introduce premium content recommendations instantaneously - and the a one-size-fits-all ‘black box’ hosted system that over time. damage is done. The consumer will probably not offers the same recommendations engine to every use the system again and the opportunity to service provider in a specific country doesn’t Don’t forget linear TV increase ARPU in this way is greatly diminished. allow for any flexibility or configurability to meet This throws up another challenge: the need to Adding personalised recommendations to the a service provider’s evolving needs. The black box support intelligent navigation and personalised linear EPG mix increases the complexity still approach also of course removes any potential for recommendations in the live, linear EPG. With so further, but it’s an essential tool for service true consumer personalisation and operator much media focus on VoD and catch-up TV, it’s providers looking for recommendations nirvana. differentiation because every service provider easy to forget that the majority of content viewed A sophisticated recommendations engine for using that system in a given country is serving up by consumers is still courtesy of the linear EPG. linear EPGs will build up multiple viewer profiles the same underlying data to all subscribers. Despite the flurry of operator announcements of based on factors such as time of day, the type of Furthermore, only by using a service provider’s recommendations engines for VoD libraries or programming and the viewing device being used, own metadata can a recommendations engine be OTT content, the reality is that cataloguing and in order to propose new personalised content to sure of serving up content to view on an iPad or serving up recommendations based on around different family members. an Android phone that it is actually possible to 5,000 individual pieces of content that are only While the linear EPG is a good place to start, watch on that device. Metadata that is coming updated intermittently is not rocket science. By the need to support automated intelligent from a hosted black box system will not have the contrast, supporting ‘on the fly’ real-time navigation and personalised recommendations on breadth and depth of information needed to multiple devices and platforms is also essential. determine whether a specific service provider’s Service providers are expected to create great user customers can watch the new series of Dallas on experiences on smartphones, tablets, PCs, their iPads right now - or whether it is only Connected TVs and games consoles, as well as currently available on the linear EPG. via the set-top box. A comprehensive range of Harnessing the power of metadata to enhance algorithms - covering areas such as metadata and the viewing experience, improve customer loyalty behaviour - and designed to interact in many and ultimately raise ARPU by helping consumers different combinations to enable multiple to remove their individual viewing straightjackets Think Analytics recommendations on a Pace recommendations techniques across different is the over-arching goal. It’s important not to set-top box devices/platforms is vital. To demonstrate the believe all the hype and not to lose sight of specific business goals when choosing the right long-term recommendations partner.

Peter Docherty is founder and CTO of ThinkAnalytics

www.csimagazine.com November-December 2012 29 Guest column Extending the TV experience

As their popularity grows, the DTG has begun exploring device makers and technology companies are all currently companion screen technologies and TV apps, both of which vying for a position in the presently suffer from fragmentation TV apps market. All have different business and ith the and streaming music, movies and TV shows technical models and most CE manufacturers ongoing (Spotify, Filmflex) and access to user-generated require different formats for building applications success of content from platforms such as Youtube, Vimeo on TVs. smartphone and Flickr. There is currently no overriding standard for and tablet The recent drive towards second screen TV apps but it is clear from their growing devices, the services has seen an increase in applications that popularity and the current fragmented offerings TV industry support this technology. Such apps allow users to that a standard needs to be implemented. In has begun to see a raft of mobile-like applications connect to social networks and websites that are contrast, using industry agreed profiles of open Wbeing developed for TVs. related to the TV content their watching on their Web standards like HTML5 (HTML, CSS and With the ongoing success of smartphone and TV screen via a tablet or mobile device. An Javascript) would allow developers to create tablet devices, the TV industry has begun to see a example of this is Zeebox which has partnered applications once while having the ability to reach raft of mobile-like applications being developed with Channel 4 to provide a second screen multiple platforms. Reduced development costs for TVs. experience around TV documentary Desperate would allow all players in the ecosystem to focus TV Apps are downloadable applications that Scousewives. on designing rich, engaging and integrated enable users to search, discover, watch and Similar to second screen apps are companion connected TV experiences. interact with internet-delivered content on their apps. These allow the viewer to consume Following the publication of D-Book 7: the connected TVs. With research firm In-Stat additional content offered on a companion screen technical specification for Freeview HD and predicting that the global connected TV market (PC, mobile, tablet, red button) related to the connected TV, the Digital TV Group (the will be worth $1.4 billion by 2014, TV apps are television programme they’re currently watching industry association for digital TV in the UK), becoming hugely popular with service providers on their primary TV screen. has begun exploring companion screen and device manufacturers. TV apps can be monetised by offering free and technologies and TV apps with industry experts Currently, the most popular type of apps paid versions, subscription options and through from its membership. available on connected TVs are video-on-demand advertising. The latter is currently the most The DTG held a technical seminar on TV (VoD) services. These allow the viewer to stream preferred as it offers new revenue opportunities Apps in early October, exploring the development content and watch it on their primary TV screen for all players within the ecosystem. In the near cycle of TV apps, the user experience and or handheld device and include catch-up TV future we will see ads on TV apps, especially targeting apps for different devices. applications (BBC iPlayer, 4OD, Sky Go), second screen, complement those viewed on the premium content applications for buying primary TV screen.

Vying for a slice of the pie Broadcasters, film studios, television manufactures, advertisers, social networks,

Simon Gauntlett is technology director at the DTG, the industry association for DTV in the UK. This is the latest in a line of regular guest columns to provide CSI readers with updates on the DTG’s initiatives and activities.

30 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com CSI Awards winners 2012 2012 AWARDS 10th ANNIVERSARY CSI Awards 2012 Awards winners 2012

Introduction

Welcome to the winners profile section of the beyond, reflecting an industry landscape that is continually CSI awards for 2012, which this year celebrated changing - and at an accelerating pace as the power of the its tenth birthday. To mark this special internet brings about a transformative shift to product anniversary (how time flies!), we celebrated the innovation and resulting end-user experiences. occasion with a champagne reception after the In the meantime, the 2012 awards saw another mix of a awards ceremony, which took place at IBC in range of products and companies, from the very largest and Amsterdam as per usual. Attendees were also given goodie established names to some of the very smallest and youngest, bags that included a commemorative supplement that some of which entered for the first time to give the awards an highlighted all the companies that made this year's shortlist. extra dose of freshness. Winners this year include the likes of Of course, not everyone can win and competition this year Ericsson, Harmonic, Grass Valley, Verimatrix and Nagra, as well was harder than ever with a record number of entries spread as Broadpeak, HBO Go, Vodafone, and the Digital Living across 15 categories, including a new one dedicated to Social Network Alliance (DLNA). TV as excitement builds around the opportunities on offer in Needless to say that all the winners impressed the judges this space. The inaugural award here was won by KIT digital (an independent panel of industry experts, whose details can for the company's Social Program Guide, the first social TV be viewed online at www.csimagazine.com/awards), solution to overlay social functionality on top of a network demonstrating ingenuity and leadership across a number of operator’s EPG. Among the clever feature it offers viewers is criteria, from technical innovation all the way through to the ability to take the information they are getting from their responding to real-world market needs social graph and use it to change the channel, which most A huge congratulations to all the winners and we welcome applications lack. As this space matures, we look forward to the new and the old entering again in 2013. Keep your eyes receiving more and more interesting entries in this category in and ears tuned for announcements with all the details and the future. deadlines for what should once again prove an exciting year. We will also likely add other new categories next year and Goran Nastic, editor

page thirty two CSI magazine l Awards www.csimagazine.com Awards 2012 2012 AWARDS 10th ANNIVERSARY

Best outside broadcast or playout technology or service

WINNER be used, or mixed, giving OB companies much more flexibility and productivity from their trucks. Grass Valley - 3G Transmission Solution (Fibre or Triax) The 3G Transmission system is a unique and innovative solution to one of the most pressing challenges for OB operators. Until now, broadcasters have been forced to make a decision between triax cable’s highly rugged, reliable and pre-installed in many venues and fibre’s additional functionality and greater range. 3G Transmission means either fibre or triax can

Best digital video processing technology WINNER the market to support multiple codecs and multiple interfaces out of the same chassis and Ericsson - AVP Platform provides the only realistic path to capture and The Ericsson AVP Family of products is based exchange future services in 1080p50/60, 3D around a single, modular and powerful platform TV and even 4K TV. The AVP Family of products capable of delivering unmatched flexibility, provides a single, highly-configurable platform usability and future-proof. It is the only one in to address a multitude of applications.

Best cable or fibre contribution/distribution/transmission solution

WINNER the node via the traditional HFC/Fibre Deep network. Aurora Networks - Remote QAM Module Aurora’s module is the industry’s first distributed Edge QAM device. It is designed for installation in the cable TV node platform and connects to the headend or hub via a digital link. The Remote QAM takes the full spectrum, up to 1 GHz, and creates QAM-RF channels from the IP stream in the node. Operators have the option of generating a full gigahertz of QAM-RF output in the node, or combining node-generated channels with legacy headend-generated channels carried to

page thirty three CSI magazine l Awards Awards 2012 www.cable-satellite.com 2012 AWARDS 10th ANNIVERSARY CSI Awards 2012

Best satellite contribution/distribution/transmission solution WINNER distribution of video streams and IP services to connected devices in the digital home ecosystem. Broadcom - BCM4528 40nm Satellite SoC Unlike any other solution being deployed in the Broadcom's solution delivers breakthrough digital market today, Broadcom's solution digitises the tuning for satellite TV by simplifying design while entire 950-2150 MHz spectrum, replacing lowering overall system cost and power multiple discrete tuners with only one FBC requirements. Broadcom's FBC technology, which chipset, which reduces overall system cost and replaces multiple discrete tuners with one system- power in the home while enabling design on-a-chip, enables new levels of bandwidth efficiency and scalable bandwidth to the satellite scalability and flexibility, resulting in more efficient TV market.

Best monitoring or network management solution

Quality of Experience WINNER analytic dashboards that can be customised to specific needs. Witbe – Witbe MultiScreen Quality Manager Quality Manager is an end-to-end quality management solution designed for the specific complexities of OTT video delivery. It provides key metrics on the entire delivery infrastructure, from content source, to the CDN and within the connected device. Leveraging on its ability to replicate users’ behaviours on any device, it also gives factual information on the actual user-experience. Service providers, broadcasters and content owners now have clear insights to improve customer care and accelerate troubleshooting. All data are aggregated in

Best customer premises technology WINNER Since launch in early 2011, Vodafone TV has successfully been positioned on the German Vodafone D2 - Vodafone TV market and gained a base of more than Vodafone TV is a new hybrid broadcast / IPTV 100.000 customers after 12 months. The system, launched in Germany in early 2011 technical reach in Germany covers more than with a hybrid set-top-box combining IP with 30 million households. Future-proof functions broadcast (satellite, cable). Smart delivery include on-demand content over LTE, Sky allows even low-bandwidth customers to integration, DLNA, second-screen approach, access all on-demand content, including HD. and remote PVR to come.

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Best workflow/asset management/automation solution

WINNER tools, and a deep ecosystem of third-party technology partners. New features include Digital Rapids - Digital Rapids Transcode exceptionally granular modularity with Manager 2.0 powered by Kayak technologies and functionality as building-block- The latest version of the processing software like components and a catalogue-based combines intelligent automation, quality and architecture that makes integrating new and efficiency for transforming, processing and custom-designed technologies much easier. packaging high volumes of media for applications from multi-screen distribution to post production and archive. Powered by the new Kayak workflow platform, it combines transcoding, logic-driven workflow automation, dynamic, on-demand licensing and deployment, visual workflow design

Best content protection technology WINNER set-top box (STB) or embedded CE device in a pay-TV system to provide a single logical point Verimatrix - ViewRight ONE of control for content streams from multiple Multi-network, multi-screen video services are services. ViewRIght ONE supports the full range becoming must have features on the roadmap of DVB, IPTV and OTT hybrid network security of video service operators around the world. As configurations. A single operational client a key component of the Verimatrix VCAS 3 subsystem provides benefits for both the platform, ViewRight ONE is a new secure client integration partner and the operator. management framework integrated within each

Best content-on-demand solution

WINNER it first went live in the middle of 2011. It has been deployed with over 20 large operators, HBO Europe - HBO GO and further deployments continue on a HBO GO is a unified, web-based, multi- monthly basis. platform video streaming service designed, EUROPE EUROPE developed and operated by HBO Europe. The product is available throughout the European region wherever HBO operates, and offers high quality digital video and other media content in VoD and Live Stream formats on a range of internet-enabled devices. HBO GO has been launched in ten countries throughout the European region (Hungary, Romania, The Netherlands and Poland, among others), since

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Best interactive TV technology or application

WINNER automatic identification of the TV channel being watched and the content being played. It also Civolution - SyncNow includes an integrated application in media Based on watermarking and fingerprinting devices such as smart TVs and set-top-boxes that technologies, SyncNow is a content identification allows content (re)placement or precise triggering technology platform which powers a range of of events based on identifying the viewed devices. These automatic content recognition content, as well as ‘Smart Services’, which applications include advertisement (re)placement, provides real-time content recognition for live voting, content overlays etc. The solution advertisements, movies, TV series etc. includes a second screen component that enables

Best IPTV technology or service

WINNER services without a major investment in television specific network infrastructure. It Nagra - MediaLive OTT addresses a variety of over-the-top (OTT) use This is an IPTV extension to the Nagra cases for new pay-TV entrants and incumbents MediaLive multi-screen solution, supporting alike. pure OTT based video delivery to IP set-top boxes using adaptive bitrate streaming. This is achieved with an IP-only set-top box reference design combined with Nagra’s new generation of middleware, OpenTV 4.2. It has been deployed first at Jazztel in Spain for its JAZZBOX service. This solution addresses new Pay TV entrants and telecom operators who are looking at adding a TV offering as part of their

Best mobile TV technology or service

WINNER integrated with leading DRMs, asset management systems and CDNs. It has been Harmonic - ProMedia Suite deployed at numerous customer sites for live The ProMedia Suite of software solutions and file-based multi-screen processing, optimises multi-screen and production video including NBC Olympics. workflows, performing a range of processing and streaming functions to enable high quality video creation and delivery to IP-connected devices. A unique and fully integrated suite of software products that can be deployed individually or as an end-to-end video processing solution, ProMedia is also

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Best Web TV technology or service

WINNER scalably deliver live OTT video services to any device. It has the capability to serve millions of broadpeak - nanoCDN simultaneous viewers using only a few Mbps from nanoCDN is a revolutionary content delivery the operator network. It is compatible with all network technology that enables network service adaptive bitrate formats, including DASH, as well providers to more efficiently deliver live OTT TV as most popular DRM such as PlayReady, Marlin content. Harnessing the multicast capability of and encoding systems compliant with H264 IPTV networks, nanoCDN transparently works with standards. a subscriber’s home broadband gateway to

Best TV Everywhere/multi-screen video

WINNER and shared. Today, hundreds of companies are involved. Most recently, the alliance included Digital Living Network Alliance - DLNA Premium Video Guidelines into their DLNA has developed a robust set of technical Interoperability guidelines, which will allow guidelines that allow consumers to connect and consumers to stream their favourite television enjoy high-quality content over wireless and programmes and movies to DLNA Certified wired connections between products. Service Products. providers, developers, and manufacturers are leveraging these features to enable the delivery of content to a range of consumer electronics. The Alliance was founded in 2003 with the understanding that technology consumers are happier when their content can be connected

Best Social TV technology, service or application

WINNER network operators who are seeking a next generation EPG with full social functionality KIT digital - Social Program Guide and want a white label product they can The SPG is the first social TV solution to customise and release under their own name. overlay social functionality on top of a A secondary target will be VoD operators and network operator’s EPG. This allows viewers to broadcasters who wish to add social take the information they are getting from functionality to their solutions. their social graph and use it to change the channel, which most app solutions lack. The SPG is a white label solution that can be branded as a second screen solution by the operator, providing features from social recommendations and chat to a VoD store and discovery engine. The primary target will be

page thirty seven CSI magazine l Awards Awards 2012 www.cable-satellite.com Business To advertise contact Tiro Bestonso +44 (0)20 7562 2427 Directory [email protected]

ATX Networks designs, manufactures, markets and delivers a broad range of products to the global cable television industry. Other sectors served include hospitality, education, institutional, government and health care.

ATX Networks offers a broad range of products from the headend to the home including digital video processing systems, bulk video transition solutions, multichannel encoding and Corneliusstr. 22, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland transmission, multiscreen and traditional offerings, audio/video deletion and insertion, RF Tel: +49-17-1998-3676 filters, signal management equipment (RF, L-Band, Optical), transmitters/receivers, headend Email: [email protected] and MDU amplifiers, node segmentation, node/amp upgrades, monitor/control equipment, Web: www.atxnetworks.com pads/EQs, drop amps, drop passives, digital voice switches, and connectors.

VISLINK plc is a global business, strategically focussed on providing secure communication technologies to customers in our chosen markets. We have three international business units organised to serve our customers in Broadcast, Surveillance, and the related Services markets. Our world renowned brands of ADVENT, GIGAWAVE, LINK, MRC and PMR lead the way with award winning products including IP Address: 27 Maylands Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, gateways, microwave radio, satellite transmission and wireless cameras. Hertfordshire HP2 7DE, UK With offices in the UK, USA, Dubai, South Africa and Singapore, and dedicated sales and Phone: +44 (0)14 42 43 13 00 Fax: +44 (0) 14 42 43 13 01 engineering teams, VISLINK has the experience and expertise to deliver the most Website: www.vislink.com Email: [email protected] comprehensive solutions for today’s challenges.

Irdeto empowers companies to protect and monetize their digital assets and maximize return on content with innovative and reliable software technologies end-to-end solution and services. The company’s products include conditional access, digital rights management, business support systems, set-top box software solutions and, through its Cloakware subsidiary, software and datacenter security. More than 400 customers worldwide trust Irdeto to secure delivery of their valuable content across digital broadcast, IP, Mobile, enterprise and government networks. Irdeto solutions currently enable simple to advanced business models on more than one billion Taurus Avenue 105, 2132 LS Hoofddorp devices and applications. The Netherlands Tel: +31 23 556 22 22 Fax: +31 23 556 22 40 For more information, please visit www.irdeto.com. Email: [email protected] Web: www.irdeto.com

NDS, now part of Cisco, creates the technologies and applications that enable pay-TV operators to securely deliver digital content to TV STBs (set-top boxes), DVRs (digital video recorders), PCs, mobiles and other multimedia devices. Over 90 of the world’s leading pay-TV platforms rely on NDS solutions to protect and enhance their business.

NDS Group Ltd, One London Road, Staines, Middlesex TW18 4EX Tel +44 (0)178 484 8500 Fax +44 (0)178 484 8600 Web: www.nds.com Email: [email protected]

ADB designs, manufactures and deploys solutions to distribute pay-TV and multimedia services to the connected home, for all types of networks, providing an amazing user experience.

ADB believes in a future where multi-media content will come from multiple sources and seamlessly move between multiple screens and devices, at the user’s preference. The Company has delivered over 30 million consumer premise devices to a global customer base. ADB’s innovations and software expertise have been recognized by numerous industry awards. Advanced Digital Broadcast S.A. Avenue de Tournay 7, CH-1292 Chambesy, Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 799 0799 Fax: +41 22 799 0790 Web: www.adbglobal.com

38 November-December 2012 www.csimagazine.com www.csimagazine.com November-December 2012 39 Business To advertise contact Tiro Bestonso +44 (0)20 7562 2427 Directory [email protected]

Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services worldwide. Intelsat supplies video, data and voice connectivity for leading media and communications companies, Internet Service Providers and government organizations. Intelsat’s valuable regional video neighborhoods deliver more television channels than any other system. Intelsat’s terrestrial network of eight strategically-located teleports and over 36,000 miles of leased fiber complements a global satellite fleet of more than 50 satellites, covering 99% of the world’s population. Intelsat utilizes a fully integrated satellite operations model, enabling global delivery from a single platform. 3400 International Drive, NW, Washington D.C. 20008 USA With Intelsat, communications with your customers are closer, by far. Tel: +1 202 944 6800 Fax: +1 202 944 7898 Web: www.intelsat.com

Bridge Technologies designs, develops, and manufactures advanced analysis, measurement, and monitoring solutions for the digital media, broadcast and telecommunications industries.

The award-winning VideoBRIDGE series provides an advanced platform for converging TV Sandakerveien 24c, Building D5 services employing stream-based IP packets and all other Digital TV interfaces within DVB and NO-0473 Oslo ATSC for Cable, Terrestrial and Satellite. Compatible with all major industrial standards such as Tel: +47 22 38 51 00 Office Switchboard MPEG-2, h.264/AVC, HTTP based streaming and ETSI TR 101 290, the VideoBRIDGE series Tel: +47 22 38 51 01 Office Fax offers a complete end-to-end system for the continuous quality assurance of media services. Web: www.bridgetech.tv

The Humax range of award-winning digital TV set-top boxes and recorders for Freeview and Freesat has a product to suit any TV viewer. Feature rich and technologically advanced, yet intuitive and easy to use, the Humax range offers the ultimate way to enjoy multi-channel, subscription-free digital TV, from high definition (HD) and on-demand content, to recording Humax Electronics Co., Ltd, The Mille Building (8th Floor), features and multi-media services. 1000 Great West Road, Brentford, London TW8 9HH Web: www.humaxdigital.com

Verimatrix specializes in securing and enhancing revenue for multi-screen digital TV services for more than 500 operators around the globe. The award-winning and independently audited Verimatrix Video Content Authority System (VCAS™) and ViewRight® solutions offer an innovative approach for cable, satellite, terrestrial and IPTV operators to cost-effectively extend their networks and enable new business models. As the recognized leader in software-based security solutions for premier service providers, Verimatrix has pioneered the 3-Dimensional Security approach that offers flexible layers of protection techniques to address evolving business needs and revenue threats. Maintaining close relationships with major studios, 6825 Flanders Drive, San Diego, CA 92121, USA broadcasters, industry organizations, and its unmatched partner ecosystem enables Verimatrix Tel: +1-858-677-7800 Fax: +1-858-677-7804 to provide a unique perspective on digital TV business issues beyond content security as Web: www.verimatrix.com operators seek to deliver compelling new services. www.verimatrix.com

EchoStar Europe is dedicated to enabling digital entertainment providers to optimise revenues by delivering added-value connected device solutions, services and applications. Through a comprehensive product range, including STBs, DVRs, home networking and TV anywhere technology, our solutions enable the provision of state-of-the-art and cost effective entertainment services.

Headquartered in the UK, EchoStar Europe comprises a number of business units and is Beckside Design Centre, Millennium Business Park, Station Road, affiliated with EchoStar Technologies, a subsidiary of the publicly traded EchoStar Corporation Steeton, Keighley BD20 6QW, United Kingdom (NASDAQ: SATS). Tel: +44 1535 659000 Fax: +44 1535 659100 Web: www.echostar.com

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erimatrixAs video services become more diverse and ubiquitous, system operators are faced with an expanding range of network and device challenges to effectively securing their revenue streams. You need innovation that takes you beyond traditional one dimensional security solutions.

Verimatrix VCAS™ and its novel MultiRights™ architecture represents a new breed of security solution that fully addresses multi-network, multi-screen and multi-DRM challenges to achieve truly transparent and engaging TV Everywhere experiences.

www.verimatrix.com/multinetwork

Beyond Content Protection to Revenue Security™