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tablets and cellphones. HDMI plug-in
devices open the opportunity for
travellers to use their subscribed
accounts in a lean-back TV
environment.
This is particularly desired in
Europe, where borders are easily
crossed and travellers would like to
watch content in their native language
while in other countries. This also
bumps into content rights issues that
can be complicated to negotiate, but
the industry can expect a trend in
this direction allowing better
access to local content in a TV
Everywhere model.
While it is obvious that the
availability of content from the
cloud for IP devices is
paramount to the success, in particular for
out-of-home viewing, there are other cloudbased technologies that further this model.
The virtual or cloud DVR capability
mentioned above not only allows for nonlinear viewing, but also provides users with
a depository for any video they want to
preserve. This also provides a potential
revenue stream for operators as they can
charge for additional easily expandable
cloud storage space.
Another feature that can support both
legacy and new devices is the availability of
a Server-Client User Experience
architecture, often known as Cloud UI. In
this architecture the server takes on the
burden of preprocessing the UX and
delivering a small set of instructions to the
device for rendering using the client
software.
This takes the UX CPU
burden off the client,
letting the client be lower
powered and lower cost.
The support costs are also
lower, as the software
profile on the device is
reduced and all the
complex operations are
moved into the operator’s
core domain. It also helps
operators centrally address the complexities
that might be in any one home, supporting
both legacy STBs and newer devices.
One of the greater cost savings in new
small devices is in security. Traditional
embedded smart card based CA systems
have locked operators into single vendors,
restricting choice and preventing operators
from benefiting from market pricing. Whilst
the model has supported the traditional
delivery of broadcast pay-TV to STBs, the
changing landscape of new video service
providers and the plethora of viewing
devices have meant a fragmentation of
security solutions.
However, with the
advance of technology
and standardisation, the
market is moving to software-based and
exchangeable CA/DRM systems suited to
on-demand and live content business
models for all types of delivery. These
solutions offer cost benefits through the
removal of hardware and economies of scale
through the wider field of applications and
vendor choices.
Maximising interoperability, through
adoption of MPEG-DASH and common
encryption, will bring further cost
optimisation in the packaging and delivery
of content to a wide range of devices with
various DRM schemes. As DRM secured
devices can be added seamlessly to their
existing network, subscribers can be spared
any inconvenience by the variety of content
protection schemes in the household.
IP devices do not have to be seen solely
as a replacement, but can be
used to enhance and extend
the viewing experience.
Operators have an advantage
over the ‘one-off’ devices, as
they often also have a Gateway
STB in the household that may
have optional DVR/PVR
functionality for content
recording and storage. With
this emergence of a central
multi-tuner gateway in the household,
smaller devices become cost effective
secondary screen extensions in the house
that can take advantage of the central
gateway for live distribution to the IP
devices.
These secondary devices are much less
expensive, and operators could consider
modelling the hardware sale after the
cellphone industry, where the customer
turns the devices over quickly as technology
advances. This also supports countries that
have a retail model, making it easy for endusers to go into their local electronics store
Looking ahead,
many operators
are considering or
have started to
supply Internet of
Things offerings to
their subscribers.
ADVANCED TELEVISION
and add on services.
While it is certain that
media are consumed on more
devices using myriad services,
and there has been some
flattening of traditional
subscribers, it seems equally
true that viewers are using
more services, whether paid or
free. Operators can capitalise on
the mobile and miniature
devices by providing even more
functionality than their OTT
counterparts. In an opposite position
in some smaller markets,
operators are taking advantage
of some of the OTT catalogues
available as add-on content to their
own services.
Small devices will make it easy for them
to extend these partnerships while extending
their businesses. Their ability to control the
quality of the service while extending the
subscribers' ability to watch TV when and
where they want is an attractive and
competitive necessity. Providing that ability
using miniature devices and allowing a leanback experience is important to keeping
their audience while also improving their
results for advertising clients.
Looking ahead, many operators are
considering or have started to supply
Internet of Things (IoT) offerings to their
subscribers. This may not be the primary
usage of IP devices in the house, but
considering that such things as sensors for
appliance control are already Wi-Fi
connected, it isn’t a stretch to consider that
a proliferation of small STB-like devices will
play a part in new services for IoT in the
house. The operator may become the critical
hub for securing the data in the IoT
network, and all of the operator- provided
connected devices in the house would play a
part.
Alticast was recently awarded a Diamond
Technology rating of '4' for its HDMI Media
Express device allowing operators to take
advantage of the IP delivery model. They can
integrate the user experience delivery,
whether an operator chooses to use an RDK
(HTML5), JAVA or Android delivery model.
Alticast has additional offerings to enhance
and extend the offering including Cloud UI
and Cloud DVR/PVR products.
It also has expert security software that
can provide content protection for all the
operator devices. As the STB becomes a
smaller and less complex device through IP
technology, operators will be