December 16th, 2003 - Viodi View

Even though, as Gladys Knight might say, LA may proved too much for the man, I managed to survive the last two weeks of tradeshows in the City of Angels and surrounding environs. Nothing like 60 and 70 degree Winter days to give one the feeling of the Holiday season. Writing this missive from the road gives me the opportunity to reflect on the riches of family and friends I enjoyed in 2003 and to anticipate new adventures for 2004. So, now let me tell you about some of the adventures from the past two weeks.

NTCA IOC 2003 Wireless Symposium CD-ROM Released:

If, as the song says, video killed the radio stars, then what will wireless do? NTCA’s Tech Net briefing, the IOC 2003 Wireless Symposium, provided insight as to the direction of wireless as it covered topics such as regulatory, marketing, technology and implementation. This conference was relevant to anyone involved with telecom. NTCA has just released a CD-ROM which features over 19 hours of audio synchronized to the speakers' presentations from this conference. Click here to experience a sample of the content from that CD-ROM.

As mentioned in the last newsletter, I knew the last Western Show would be a bittersweet experience. I realized as I was talking to a friend on the show floor that the reason for my sentimentality was that it was the people, I would be missing. The Western Show was always a place where I could be guaranteed to see friends with whom I might not otherwise see for the rest of the year. In the end, the Western Show, like probably all face-to-face confabs, was more about people than products and services.

Speaking of people, the turnout – one source suggested 6,700 attendees - was tiny, compared to years past. At times, it was very vibrant as the show floor was physically much smaller than in any Western Show I attended. The conference sessions were beyond vibrant – they were more like crushing. Every session I attended was standing or sitting-on-the-floor crowded. And even though this was the final year, there were several nuggets that could be uncovered from the sessions. There was so too much good information to cram into this issue, so please look for tidbits to appear in future issues of the Viodi View.

The first time I did anything with Cable in the Classroom (CIC) was back in 1991. I had read about some of the cool things they were doing and thought it would make for an effective demonstration of how a hybrid fiber coaxial network could provide information services. As I recall, I had to directly contact CIC to obtain a modem. This was long before the World Wide Web or the modern cable modem, but CIC had figured out how to use a one-way cable system to provide news, lesson plans and other pertinent information to cable connected schools.

Most of the telcos who saw the CIC demonstration system I assembled in the early 90s, came away impressed and surprised. The CIC update that was provided at the Western Show would still surprise and impress most telcos. Click here to read some of the details of that presentation (must be a club.viodi member).

One of the things that made the Western Show fun was the cable television networks. They always had the most exciting booths and outrageous parties. All of the traditional networks were absent this time, but there were several upstart networks of interest. Probably the most significant network announcement, at least from an independent telco’s perspective, only appeared as a press release. To learn more about this and other programming, click here.

Despite the size of the show, there were a number of companies with products and services of interest to independent telephone companies. VoIP was huge at this show. An article about one VoIP service Viodi has trialed will be in the next issue of the Viodi View. One of the technology companies I did get a chance to meet with at the show is ICTV, which has a product that could find application with telcos looking at deploying HFC or IP video access networks. Click here to learn how this company's product could be applicable to independent telcos.

Proving that HDTV has gone from a technological challenge to must-have content, the NTCA released figures that HDTV is now available from cable operators in 96 of the top 100 U.S. markets and in 143 markets overall. Another indicator that High Definition is quickly moving to the mainstream is the increasing popularity of H.D. in the post-production process. This was some of the insight from the DV West Expo that will be shared in the next issue.

In the meantime, as noticed by the readers who clicked through last issue’s article on HDTV, Viodi is providing to its readers a HOLIDAY GIFT of the HDTV PRESENTATION from October’s Independent Telco Content Conference. It is really worth a listen/view, as Peter Lowten and Doug Mielke did a great job of informing the telco community regarding the current state of HDTV. So, for the next week, click here to listen to the audio from that presentation which is synchronized to the presentation slides.

One of the traditions of the Western Show was the obligatory Polaroid shot. In years past, I had the pleasure of posing for the camera with Martha Quinn of MTV, Michael Palin of Monty Python fame and Mickey Mouse (yes, I am name dropping, since this is Krazy Ken’s Korner). It seemed fitting that I end the Western Show with a shot from some of the celebrities from various reality television shows. This photo is courtesy of the folks of the new, upstart cable channel, Reality Central (read more about them here).

P.S. Please allow this to be my electronic Christmas card. Some may suggest that I am too cheap to send a Christmas card, but think of how many trees I am saving by sending this electronically. So, to all of the readers of the Viodi View, best wishes to you and your loved ones this Holiday Season.

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