video

Netflix Steps Further Away From The DVD

by Daniel Taylor on 19 April, 2011

It’s the little things that mean a lot. Streaming audiences just don’t care which season and which disc of a TV show they’re watching. Netflix finally got rid of the vestiges of DVD meta-meta-data for streaming customers. Viewers no longer have to search for individual seasons — adding a show to the instant queue is all it takes to gain access to the entire run of a TV show.

Goodbye Flip & Eos

by Daniel Taylor on 14 April, 2011

We’ve spent the past several years trying to reconcile Cisco’s core network equipment business with the company’s movements in the consumer space. And honestly, we’ve stopped subscribing to the feeds and announcements, because there’s all this talk about how Cisco is enabling social media and so on and so forth.

It’s All About Content

4 April 2011

We’ve all heard various permutations of the “content is king” expression, and even though it’s become cliche, it’s still true. We watch TV because of the content.

So next time we get dragged into a discussion about how everything should be free, let’s remember the basic blocking and tackling of this business: ‘Mad Men’ Delayed to 2012 Due to Contract Negotiations.

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OTT + Multiscreen = Check Your License

4 April 2011

Cablevision and Time Warner Cable have both introduced iPad applications, but the response from the media industry has been very different. To the average person (and sadly the lay-journalists, as well), an App is an App is an App. And video on an iPad is a good thing. Except when there’s nothing to watch. So why is there such a different reception for these two — seemingly identical — multiscreen video solutions? The answer is simple: Multiscreen over cable = OK. OTT + Multiscreen (not over cable) = Not Okay.

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The Multiscreen Double Standard

1 April 2011

We’re still trying to understand the logic through which a service provider can argue that Internet streaming TO A TABLET is something they’ve bought a license for. Next thing you know, they’ll argue that it’s okay to stream content over the Internet to any device in the home. Then will come the explanation that OTT Video audiences just aren’t paying the same amount for subscriptions…and that’s why the carriage fees have to diminish. Do they really think that media companies are that stupid?

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720p Better Than 1080i?

31 March 2011

A few years ago, the European Broadcasting Union did a study about the best bang-for-the-buck combination of display format and encoding technology. Most people would expect higher numbers (e.g. 1080 vs. 720) to be better, but no, the EBU demonstrated otherwise.

It turns out that the EBU recommendation (based upon consumer studies) was that the best format for DVB broadcasting was 1280 x 720 at 50 fps progressive scan encoded with MPEG4/AVC compression. Their conclusions were that 720p was better, more efficient (in terms of bandwidth, PSTN ratio, and so on and so forth), and otherwise preferable to other HD choices — specifically the next step up in resolution, 1920 x 1080 at 25 fps (1080i).

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The Future: OTT Throttling

30 March 2011

Here’s a window into the future of OTT — bandwidth throttling and download/usage caps. Sure, we’ve been talking about this for…forever. But it’s getting closer to reality as announced earlier this week by Netflix in Canada: Netflix Lowers Data Usage By 2/3 For Members In Canada.

Even if this looks like the end of the world, it isn’t. For OTT, it means that there’s always a way. For Pay TV, it’s a sign that live sports will be a solid anchor for years to come.

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An OTT Content Mantra

29 March 2011

Repeat after me: Platforms and Geographies. Platforms and Geographies. Just because you have a license for cable…doesn’t mean that you have it for multiscreen. Here’s one of the key holdups for OTT, multiscreen and Internet video — the cost of content licensing for different platforms in different places.

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Thanks Netflix!

23 March 2011

Who you gonna call when Netflix goes out? All we can say to Netflix is “Thank You!” for making our jobs just that much easier. Because this is something that service providers need to know — that Netflix goes out now and then, and it’s just not the same as Pay TV. When it’s out, there’s absolutely nothing to watch, and there’s nobody to call. And, by the way, service providers who think they’re going to go Through The Middle and offer QoS for OTT video, here’s the type of stuff that you’re going to get into.

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OTT Failure: Netflix Outage…Again

22 March 2011

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this picture is worth several million. Netflix services are out. And. To add insult to injury. The site that Netflix recommends (www.netflix.com/tvhelp) is also out.

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