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Swapping out the OS can extend useful life of STB
There is a growing focus on how the cost of ownership for STBs can be reduced and how legacy set-tops can be upgraded in the field. The solution offered by Zenterio means swapping out the existing OS for theirs and working towards one OS for all makes of...
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Making its first big public outing since acquiring the Motorola Home business, ARRIS used ANGA COM to explain the hybrid CPE/cloud environment we are moving into and why it is well placed to help operators navigate it.…
Pay TV operators are making their content available on more screens to boost customer loyalty. One of the next big steps is DVR content sharing to smartphones and tablets, and the DRM and DLNA technology enablers are in…
The two U.S. platform operators agree that there is no philosophical objection to getting rid of STBs, even for the primary television, but there is a long list of caveats including channel change times, consistent UIs and reliability.…
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.…
Cable operators still have a few years in which to enjoy their broadband advantage. After that the key to continued success is delivering all the entertainment people want in one place through a great UI.…
The cable giant looks set to acquire Virgin Media and has been explaining how it will take a strong-performing operation in a competitive and mature market and still generate growth without relying on content as a differentiator.…
Customers are already using Samsung Smart TVs to watch HD recordings in different rooms. Sony televisions and the PS3 console will follow as Remote User Interface proves its value to Pay TV operators and their customers.…
At CES Technicolor has unveiled a new interoperability language called Qeo that it claims will enable any app to interrogate any other, breaking down the barriers between OS, middleware and device ecosystems. The truly connected life beckons.…
ACCESS has been demonstrating how DLNA Premium Video combined with content security integrations opens the way for the distribution of paid content from media hubs to multiple devices around the home.…
The company used IBC to demonstrate the concept of the broadband services app store, where customers can sign up for energy management, home security and other services designed to increase ARPU.…
In the beginning was the wire, and the home network consisted of a router and a PC, possibly linked to a printer. It was data-centric, with streaming video an incidental byproduct. Pay TV first became networked when operators…
The growing number of connected devices has created more complexity in the home and reduced operator control over the delivery of related services. To counteract those effects, operators have standardized their use of physical (PHY) layer technologies and…
Partly thanks to the acquisition of Pirelli Broadband, ADB Group is focused on complete connected home solutions rather than just devices, enabling service providers to target every screen with QoS guaranteed services.…
Microsoft has outlined its vision for the Xbox 360 at the heart of a connected, multi-screen home where anyone can cope with more content choice and interactivity thanks to Kinect, and where tablets become a companion.…
The power of tablets as companion devices is becoming clear and as prices fall you cannot help but wonder about the future for ‘traditional’ remote controls. At ANGA, Ruwido gave an impressive vision of the future for remotes.…
There is growing interest in multi-room DVR in Europe, including using the new server/client architecture that means one recorder per home. Polish satellite operator n says it is a breakthrough service, and multi-screen TV is next.…
Satellite video provider racked up awards at CES 2012 for its Hopper whole-home DVR system; now it has launched the Hopper and Joey combo to win customers and move its video business back into positive territory. …
Liberty Global’s CEO thinks the cable industry can afford to pause when it hits speeds of 50Mbps. With telcos on the run and regulators happy with cable, it is time to figure out the business model for 50+Mbps.…
Pay TV operators need to reach more screens at home. As we approach Cable Congress, Charles Cheevers at ARRIS explains why cloud delivery or whole-home software falls short, and why cable operators need powerful new gateways.…
Customer experience could be the key to reducing churn and maximising ARPU in increasingly competitive Pay TV and broadband markets. Despite the risks, service providers are being advised to take more responsibility for the multi-screen home network.…
The new portfolio of Motive-branded customer experience solutions from Alcatel-Lucent are designed to improve customer satisfaction, enabling service providers to grow their business in maturing broadband and Pay TV markets where it is getting harder to differentiate.…
IPTV set-top provider Amino is using devices powered by enhanced Wi-Fi chips to retrofit deployed boxes with enhanced wireless video networking, including whole-home PVR and OTT content sharing.…
The U.S. satellite operator is taking on cable and OTT with a powerful whole-home HD DVR, the ability to record all four major broadcast networks for instant catch-up viewing, plus an expansion of on-demand content.
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DIRECTV is making it possible for subscribers to enjoy DVR or even HD DVR on all televisions in the home, using the RVU server/client approach to harness thin client IP set-top boxes or connected TVs. Here, Alan Smith,…
Two of Europe’s major telecoms operators, BT and Telefonica, hope ‘smart home’ applications like energy management, home security and home automation can boost revenues. The UK incumbent BT is actively looking for partners to deliver new broadband applications…
Swisscom, in collaboration with iControl Networks, the American provider of the OpenHome Software Platform, is developing new Smart Living applications so that electrical home appliances can be controlled via smartphones or via the web. The first ‘Smart Living’…
Video across multiple screens in the home is one of the factors driving demand for ultra-fast broadband. Bruce McClelland, President, Broadband Communications Systems at ARRIS Group, whose company helped UPC Austria achieve 1.3Gbps broadband in tests, explains what…
Multi-screen TV is notable for being a rare Pay TV defensive play, which is why some commentators are starting to ask where future revenues will come from if it gets harder to make a profit on video.…
Connected home technologies have struggled to keep pace with expanding ambitions among operators and broadcasters, but that may have changed, judging by various announcements at IBC2011. The home network initially evolved across two parallel but initially separate movements,…
YES, the Israeli satellite TV provider, expanded its multi-screen offering this year to include a compelling Apple iPad app with linear TV, VOD, EPG and social TV functions. But to accompany this, the company will introduce a media…
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