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Next Stop, Chicago

by Ken Pyle ([email protected]), Viodi, LLC

 


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June 9th, 2004 Issue

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Internet Protocol transport of any sort of content is obviously hot right now and that is the topic of discussion at the IP Video @ Supercomm conference. I am very privileged to be co-producing this conference with USTA at this year’s Supercomm in Chicago. Chicago is a great town for a convention, as there is energy in the air not found in other cities. We have an energetic group of speakers that will enlighten us on various topics surrounding VoIP, content and various technologies.

Kicking off the conference will be a panel called VoIP to VOD. Both voice over IP and VOD have been called “killer applications”. To some extent, 2004 has been a year when both have finally come to fruition. Rob Hull of British Telecom will speak regarding his company’s somewhat radical efforts to remake itself as an innovative provider of all kinds of IP services. Dave Lewis, President of ANPI – a long distance minutes aggregator, will share some of the things his organization is doing to make VoIP a reality for its independent telco owners. Finally, Shandit ZZZZZXXX will show how a company with a handful of people can shake up the telecom world by applying Internet technology to create an entirely new telephone network.

The Cable 101 panel, moderated by Steve Klein of Zhone, will feature several operators that have successfully deployed video over telco networks. Steve recently gave his presentation at the California Telephone Association’s Focused Technical Symposium and I heard good reviews. Leif Street of Wood County will discuss their success in marketing cable services against an entrenched competitor, while Paul Bertino will follow-up on his well received Telecom ’03 presentation regarding Hickory Tech’s empirical study that suggested that a CLEC operation that includes a video component is more likely to be successful.

What is cable if not for the programming? That question will be answered by panelists on the Programming and Content Options panel. Sean Riley from Fox Cable Networks will discuss their viewpoint of where things are going with regards to programming. Chris Wimmer will talk about Microsoft’s IPTV strategy and their role in the network. Andrew Wajs of Irdeto Access will talk about the increasing importance of content protection.

HDTV is another hot topic that will on the agenda. My good friend Peter Lowten is moderating a panel of heavy hitters that include Paul Connoly of Scientific Atlanta, Matt Byrd of Net-to-Net and Craig Bender of Tut Systems. SA, of course, has HD set-tops that they are supplying to the cable operators. Net-to-net has done some interesting things with HD over copper. Finally, I have been touring the country with Tut and have enjoyed their fair and balanced presentation on HD.

“Alternative Content Distribution” is next on the agenda and, no, this is not about content that you have to buy from a guy name Louie in a dark ally. The panelists in this session will discuss different ways to deliver content. As mentioned in a previous issue, Mary Coller from Sony Digital Pictures will be discussing what they are doing with their offering, Soapcity. Bruce Eisen of CinemaNow will give us an update of where they are at with regards to delivering movies over the Internet to the television. Mike Fugate from Kingdom Telephone will discuss how an independent telco operator is planning on embracing an alternative approach to distributing content. Finally, Fabrice Beer-Gabel of Big Band Networks will tie it all together as to how a telco might be able to start with a download strategy and add the components necessary to allow real time streaming to the television.

Interactive television is something that has been tried for at least 25 years with the debut of Warner-Amex’s Qube system in Ohio. Slowly, the attributes of iTV are starting to creep into television in shows, such as American Idol. This panel, moderated by Allison Dollar, co-President of the Interactive Television Alliance, will delve into iTV and look at its impact on telcos. George Hillier, of Ucentric, will review their efforts to store and distribute video content within the home. Frank Wiener of Calix will talk about the access network and what a telco requires to support future iTV services. Finally, I don’t want to give away Brian Strunk's presentation, but it will be fun as his company, CT Communications, has just deployed an application that could be called POD.

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