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Connected DVR will shape future TV as we wait for cloud
We are now in the fourth stage of TV evolution and it will be 10-15 years before the fifth, which will be defined by ‘the cloud’, according to media consultancy Decipher. Connected DVRs are therefore an important part of where we go next. ...
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Viaplay’s CEO believes more households will subscribe to one primary Pay TV bouquet and a smaller complementary online service. Netflix could be the second offer, without prompting cord cutting. Equally, Viaplay could be the second offer in a…
Broadcasters will be able to cover more live events and other content owners or brands can provide outdoor ‘broadcasts’ for the first time as barriers to entry are reduced, partly thanks to the cloud.
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Pay TV platforms need complete channel line-ups on multiscreen devices to differentiate themselves from OTT services. ARRIS is paving the way, from dense transcoders to ABR clients that are less ‘selfish’.…
ActiveVideo Networks pioneered the concept of rendering a User Interface in the network. The idea now has the backing of ARRIS, whose customers do not want legacy STBs to be completely upstaged by next-generation receivers. …
If Pay TV operators want to stream more video to their STBs or into connected TV devices, they need the audio quality to match what you get on broadcast. That means 5.1 and now Dolby Digital Plus.…
YouView looked like the next-generation of Freeview but the two platforms seem to be taking different paths. Freeview HD offers a separate route into the HBB market for content owners, and Synapse TV can help them deliver services.…
Harmonic has been helping customers cope with sudden increases in their transcoding requirements using cloud services, and went public with the Amazon Web Services offer this spring. …
The broadcaster says VOD is additive, is taking leisure time previously spent on games, accounted for 38% of all views on one cult show, and means it can lose the battle for the family remote control in prime…
Connected TV Summit comes to London May 22-23, with 90+ speakers providing insights into how connected Pay TV, CE connected TV and Hybrid Broadcast Broadband will evolve, including the role of ‘Operator as an App’ and ‘Pay TV…
The broadcast group explains its connected and on-demand strategy, including catch-up TV, connected devices, HbbTV, and a determination to create win-win-situations for both broadcaster and platform operator.…
The incumbent UK telco is rolling out 18 pay linear channels, delivered as multicast IPTV over fibre. It has invested in top-tier sports rights and has a compelling next-gen platform in the form of YouView. It claims…
The UK satellite operator is using the multiscreen service to reach out to new customers. The 24 hour Sky Sports pass demonstrates how pay packages are becoming more flexible. NOW TV is part of a significant change in…
The UK’s largest TV platform, Freeview, is worried that the government consultations on the future of the 700MHz frequencies could leave less room for DTT to innovate, like offering more HD. Letting it stagnate would be bad for…
Decipher predicts that Connected TV apps developers will eventually be able to focus on Apple, Android or Windows environments. Major TV makers will fight for their proprietary systems but then accept consolidation in the long-term.…
The CEO of Time Warner, which includes HBO and Turner, is delighted with the opportunities presented by ‘digital’ including on-demand syndication. He says the real revolution is VOD and argues that Pay TV multiscreen should remain free.…
From online movies to TV library content to original blockbuster programming, Netflix is positioning itself to fight off online competition, but thinks it can co-exist with HBO and Pay TV operators.…
Forrester Research says media companies have to compete as the new digital disruptors. It has highlighted how they could engage consumers more directly, including through a bathroom ‘mirror’.…
Traditional middleware providers could play a greater role in the Connected TV market looking ahead, working with best-of-breed client apps that can reach all devices, while there is a trend towards virtual STB implementations that put multicast video…
Premium channel owners agreed to TV Everywhere but it is only a temporary fix and more will look to target consumers direct, going OTT, says one media investor. He and others are also predicting a place for ‘a…
With platform operators unable to partner with Netflix, more content owners looking to go direct-to-consumer OTT, and CE vendors driving device innovation, Jeff Binder of Genovation Capital argues that CE Connected TV will become more important, not less,…
The culture channel is using its show-related websites and social media to attract younger viewers and is focused on browser-based experiences rather than downloadable second screen apps as it looks to enrich programming. …
What was originally called Surfaces, the wall-sized interactive displays showing video, social media, calendars, traffic news and more, could evolve into the User Interface for our lives as we move towards the Internet of everything.…
Canadian broadcaster CBC has taken onboard some important lessons from its first big reality TV second screen app for the ‘Over the Rainbow’ talent show. The company is pushing the boundaries of interactive TV, like encouraging real-world participation…
The Danish cable operator is targeting the 45% of homes that its network does not cover with an off-net service called YouBio, offering movies and series via Smart TVs, its own STB and multi-screen devices.…
Panasonic, one of the most innovative Smart TV manufacturers, explains how it is helping to rationalize the apps environment while giving developers choice, and how UI advances and tablet/TV content sharing will make the Smart TV offer more…
The Timewarp set-top box catch-up service from ZON in Portugal is one of the most advanced on-demand services anywhere, bordering on full network PVR. Its impact on the business has been immediate.…
The Swedish triple-play provider is confident it can thrive in the competitive Scandinavian market because its new platform will provide more of what customers want in one place, with single billing.…
Paul Berriman, CTO at the Hong Kong quad-play provider, warns that unless illegal streaming is blocked the premium content industry will be wrecked, and only governments, regulators, broadband operators and content providers working together can tackle a potential…
When people talk about TV functions moving to the cloud it usually means storage and network DVR today. One benefit is reduced hardware but even greater utilisation of the cloud will not kill Customer Premise Equipment.…
Retiring HBO Chief Technology Officer Bob Zitter says you need 60+ inch TVs to benefit from 4K pictures and only 30% of the U.S. market has room for them, so there are no grounds for investing….unless we get…
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