CONNECTIONS EU, Value-added services session features IBM, Cisco, Accedo Broadband, Cloudberry Associates

The integration of interactive services and two-way communications with TV services has become a key part of service provider strategies worldwide. Parks Associates is hosting CONNECTIONS™ Europe on November 15-16, 2010, at the Mövenpick Hotel in Amsterdam, and the agenda includes the session “Value-added Services & the Video Ecosystem.”

This session will examine strategies behind advanced video service options, including online video on the TV, TV Everywhere, and hybrid set-top boxes that offer broadcast and broadband/IPTV options.

Session Participants:

Rob van den Dam, Global Telecom Sector Leader IBV, IBM

Jean-Michel Demoulin, Cable, Digital Media & IPTV Strategy - European Markets, Cisco

Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo Broadband

Trond Neergaard, Founder and Managing Partner, Cloudberry Associates

Moderator: Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates

For more information about the CONNECTIONS Europe Summit, click here.

Solution expected to bring enhanced interactive TV experience to millions of homes

Leveraging ActiveVideo’s CloudTV Platform and Cisco’s multi-screen Content Delivery System (CDS), an end-user will be able to navigate the Interactive Program Guide (IPG) application on an iPad to select live, time-shifted or VOD content to be displayed seamlessly on their TV or directly on their iPad anywhere throughout the home, through a Wi-Fi network.

The companies anticipate the combination of ActiveVideo’s cloud-based platform and Cisco’s multi-screen Content Delivery System (CDS) will allow cable system operators and IPTV providers throughout the world to quickly introduce innovative interactive applications to digital set-top boxes (EBIF and tru2way), CI+ connected televisions and IP-Connected devices.

BT Collaborates With Cisco To Deliver Online Video Platform

British Telecommunications Wholesale has announced it has chosen Cisco's Content Delivery System as the 'backbone' for its, open online video delivery network - Content Connect - designed to improve the experience of watching and listening to digital content on the web.

The Cisco Content Delivery System (CDS) using medianet technologies enables BT Wholesale to establish broadband as a TV platform. Content Connect will deliver digital content to any computer, TV or mobile device on behalf of UK internet service providers giving broadcasters access to a large end user base – irrespective of service provider or technology.

Media groups already use content delivery networks but in many cases these services only reach the edge of the ISP network, with the final stage delivered 'over the top' with no guarantees on the quality of service. The collaboration with Cisco helps ensure that BT's next generation Content Connect platform can cache content deep in the broadband network and so deliver it much closer to the end user – avoiding congested areas of the network. This, in turn, enables broadcasters to provide video content – and in the future live TV - with an assured level of service all the way to the viewer, providing uninterrupted access even at peak times. This provides broadcasters with the predictable user experience critical to supporting advertising or pay models.

Based on Cisco CDS, BT Wholesale's Content Connect service can offer a UK-wide service with quality of service (QoS) assurance and detailed reporting and analytics on how the customers' content is being consumed. CDS also enables customers using BT Wholesale's platform to monitor network status, and a broad array of details about the broadband user experience – all available on a single portal-based view. And, security concerns are reduced as content delivery will take place within a private network, avoiding the internet altogether.

Technicolor, ADB, IBM, Cisco, Cable Europe Labs, Deutsche Telekom, and more to speak at CONNECTIONS Europe 2010

Parks Associates announced the new dates and preliminary list of speakers for CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit: Monetizing Connectivity and User Experiences, an executive summit offering insights into business strategies for digital content, value-added services, mobile and connected CE, and advanced video devices and services. The event will take place November 15-16, 2010, at the Mövenpick Hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The expanded agenda for the two-day event includes the following topics:

• Enhancing Broadband Services: Connected Home and Customer Support

• Mobile Internet Devices

• Operator-provided Video Services

• Connected CE and Content Delivery

• Extending the Video Experience to Multiple Screens

• Value-added Services & the Video Ecosystem

• Controlling the Experience

• Mobile Video: The Cloud, the App Store, & the Connected Home

Benoit Joly, Vice-President, Home Network & Applications, Technicolor, will present the morning keynote on November 16, 2010.

Confirmed speakers:

David Noguer Bau, Head of Carrier Ethernet & Multiplay Marketing, Juniper Networks

Regina Bernhaupt, Director, User Experience Research, ruwido

Paul Bristow, VP Strategy, Middleware & Consumer Experience, ADB

Ronald Brockmann, Managing Director, Europe, ActiveVideo Networks

Rob van den Dam, Global Telecom Sector Leader IBV, IBM

Jean-Michel Demoulin, Cable, Digital Media & IPTV Strategy - European Markets, Cisco

Keith Donovan, Sales & Marketing Director, Intamac Systems Ltd

Tim Hadley, Director, Corporate Communications, Omnifone

Pierre Hunter, VP, EMEA, Verimatrix

Klaus Illgner-Fehns, Managing Director, Institut fuer Rundfunktechnik GmbH; HbbTV

Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo Broadband

Michael Leigh, Director, Business, Northern Europe, Latens Systems
Kevin Meagher, CEO, Intamac Systems

Klaus Milczewsky, Senior Manager, Deutsche Telekom AG

Trond Neergaard, Founder & Managing Partner, Cloudberry Associates

Peter Percosan, CTO, Cable Europe Labs

Rolf Uwe Placzek, CEO, Acetrax

Kurt Scherf, VP, Principal Analyst, Parks Associates

Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates

Anthony Smith-Chaigneau, Managing Director, SVP Business Development, Alticast

Andy Tiller, Marketing Vice Chair, FEMTO Forum; VP, Marketing, ip.access

Milya Timergaleyeva, VP Market Strategy, Oregan Networks Ltd

Christopher Townsley, Director, European Sales, Limelight Networks

Harry Wang, Director, Health & Mobile Product Research, Parks Associates

Olivier Wellmann, VP, Product Management, OpenTV

To register for CONNECTIONS™ Europe or to submit to speak, visit http://www.connectionseurope.com.

Cisco Simplifies Mobile Collaboration With First-of-Its-Kind HD Video-Capable Business Tablet

Cisco unveiled Cisco Cius, a first-of-its-kind mobile collaboration business tablet that delivers virtual desktop integration with anywhere, anytime access to the full range of Cisco collaboration and communication applications, including HD video.

Cisco Cius is an ultra-portable device weighing just 1.15lbs that extends the productivity benefits of Cisco collaboration applications to a highly secure mobile platform. In addition to full telepresence interoperability, Cisco Cius offers HD video streaming and real-time video, multi-party conferencing, email, messaging, browsing, and the ability to produce, edit and share content stored locally or centrally in the cloud.

Based on the Android operating system, Cisco Cius is an open platform for communication and collaboration whose form factor and applications are designed to more securely connect employees on-the-go with the right people in real-time, and to provide those workers with the ability to access and share the content they need from any place on the network.

Cisco Cius offers IT professionals new options when it comes to equipping mobile workers with computing devices. Through virtual desktop integration, Cisco Cius offers flexible computing options with cloud-based services, providing dramatically lower capital costs and cost-per-user for desktop maintenance.

Businesses can also tap into the growing Android developer community that is building business-class productivity applications with appropriate IT controls. The combination of applications and flexible computing options provides a compelling alternative to today's PC-on-every-desktop paradigm.

For more information, click here.

New Content Available from CONNECTIONS 2010 Speakers & Sponsors

The 2010 CONNECTIONS Speakers and Sponsors have shared marketing materials, product information, company media kits, and lots more.

The U.S CONNECTIONS Sponsors include Verizon Wireless, Cisco, Intel, Accenture, ActiveVideo Networks, Allegro, DivX, D-Link, Gigle Networks, Intamac, ProVision Communications, PacketVideo, RedMere, Rovi, Support.com, 4Home, Accedo Broadband, Affinegy, AlertMe, Arxan, IBM, iTOK, LEVEL Studios, PlumChoice, Vuze, Zenverge, and Roxio.

Speakers (that submitted information to share) include Cedric Arnaud-Battandier, VP, Strategy & Corporate Development, Technicolor; Cathy Bradley, Global Lead, Customer Contact Business Process Outsourcing Services, Accenture; Savinay Berry, Vice President, Granite Ventures; William C. Brown, Assoc. VP Technology and GM, Service Provider Business Unit, North America, D-Link; Mike Buckingham, Director of Marketing, SmartLabs, Inc.; Alfredo Choperena, President, SimpleHomeNet; Martin Flusberg, CEO, Powerhouse Dynamics; Todd Hinders, Senior Vice President, ExtendMedia; Scott Hublou, Co-Founder, SVP of Products, EcoFactor; Tony Masterson, COO, CTO and Co-founder, Zenverge; Kevin Meagher, CEO, Intamac Systems; Andy Melder, Vice President Business Development, Gigle Networks; Kevin Morgan, CTO, Arxan Technologies, Inc.; Tom Pollard, Director of Product Management, Verimatrix Inc.; Yaron Raz, Director of Video Solutions Marketing, BigBand Networks; Rick Schwartz, Senior Product Manager, PacketVideo (PV); Loren Shade, VP Marketing, Allegro Software Development Corporation; Melissa Simpler, CEO, Affinegy; Peter Smyth, CEO, RedMere; Steve Tranter, VP Interactive and Broadband, NDS; Edgar Villalpando, SVP, Marketing, ActiveVideo Networks; Dr. Kenneth Wacks, Member, GridWise Architecture Council, U.S. Department of Energy; and Nate Williams, CMO, 4Home.

To view all materials, click here.

TELUS Builds IP Next-Generation Network Cloud Services Using Cisco Unified Service Delivery Technology

Cisco announced that TELUS is enhancing its service delivery network using Cisco Unified Service Delivery. The solution combines the power of the data center with the power of the network to transform service delivery and build a foundation for cloud services.

This deployment is central to TELUS' primary goal of further expanding delivery of best-in-class managed services and delivering a comprehensive range of world-class, innovative data and communications services.

As customer demand for advanced managed services increases along with a growing interest in flexible cloud-based services, TELUS has been building its national infrastructure to enable expansion of its managed services to meet the evolving needs of enterprise and small-business customers. To deliver quality solutions, TELUS has extended its investment in the Cisco Nexus 2000, Cisco Nexus 5000 and Cisco Nexus 7000 switching platforms in data center facilities across Canada.

TELUS chose the Cisco Nexus platform for its ability to combine Ethernet, Internet Protocol (IP) and storage capabilities across one unified network fabric. The platform is an essential part of Unified Service Delivery, a solution that not only unifies data center resources but enables peering and interconnecting between data centers. These capabilities facilitate service integration, flexibility and agility in delivering entertainment, information and communication-based services.

The Cisco Nexus family of switches helps customers reduce total cost of ownership, accelerate business growth and extend the life cycle of current infrastructure by making the data center more efficient, responsive and resilient.

TELUS is taking advantage of the reliability, scalability and flexibility of Cisco Unified Service Delivery to offer a range of cloud-based infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) managed services. TELUS Managed IT solutions provide customers with the flexibility to out-task IT systems management according to their particular business requirements – from provisioning servers for customer-facing websites to offering fully out-tasked customized solutions, including end-to-end management of networks, desktops, servers and storage. For more information, click here.

Thank you 2010 U.S. Sponsors!

Parks Associates wanted to thank all of the U.S. CONNECTIONS sponsors for helping make 2010 another great event!

Reception: Verizon Wireless

Gold: Cisco, Intel

Silver: Accenture, ActiveVideo Networks, Allegro, DivX, D-Link, Gigle Networks, Intamac, ProVision Communications, PacketVideo, RedMere, Rovi, support.com

Bronze: 4Home, Accedo Broadband, Affinegy, AlertMe, Arxan, IBM, iTOK, LEVEL Studios, PlumChoice, Vuze, Zenverge

Breakfast: Roxio

Thank you again for your continued support!

CONNECTIONS 2010 Wrap Up

CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference & Showcase concluded last week following multiple sessions focused on value-added services, new platforms and distribution models, and digital media consumption. Industry leaders affirmed consumer demand for online video and proliferation of connected CE are driving the shift to multiplatform access within the home.

The conference featured keynotes from Sony, Samsung, Verizon, and Intel and research from Parks Associates, including the following insights, as noted in The Viodi View and The Urban Network:

• Annual U.S. revenues for online video from PCs and mobile devices will exceed $1.8 billion by 2014.

• Limited audience reach, the lack of a single-source measurement standard, and lack of format standards are major factors that could impact the growth of online video.

• The total addressable U.S. market for online video is approximately 170.5 million users in 2010 and will grow to 220 million by 2013.

• Consumers are still cautious in their purchasing, and according to Tricia Parks, CEO, Parks Associates, “No company can let its guard down.”

• 3D is here to stay. By 2014, one-third of homes will have a 3DTV, according to data presented by Samsung.

• Energy is moving from a commodity to a service, thanks to the ongoing expansion of the smart grid in the U.S.

• According to Cisco’s Ken Wirt, 91% of all Internet traffic by 2013 will be video bits.
  

In his CONNECTIONS™ keynote “Entertainment in a Connected World,” Mitch Singer, CTO, Sony Pictures Entertainment; President, DECE, discussed current efforts by the DECE to establish a standard for distributed content.

In his keynote “TV Technology in the New Age of Consumer Buying,” Scott Birnbaum, VP, Samsung LCD Business, detailed the evolution of the television and the trends toward thinner, more artistic and eco-friendly set designs.

In his keynote “The Connected Home: Turning SciFi into Non-Fiction,” Joseph Ambeault, Director, Product Development and Management, Video Services, Verizon, discussed the significant potential of the connected home due to the convergence of devices and services.

Wilfred Martis, General Manager, Retail CE, Digital Home Group, Intel, discussed the Era of the Smart TV, plus the need for players to act quickly in this rapidly changing market, in his keynote “Smart TVs: Ready for Primetime,” which also featured Anthony Soohoo, SVP, Entertainment, CBS Interactive.

Archived videos of the keynote addresses are available at www.parksassociates.com/connvideo.

More than 100 industry executives lend insights at CONNECTIONS Conference

CONNECTIONS speakers will deliver insight and recommendations for new business models and opportunities in digital media/content, connected consumer electronics, broadband and value-added services, and home systems. View full agenda here.

Keynote Speakers
Joseph Ambeault, Director, Product Development and Management, Video Services, Verizon
Scott Birnbaum, Vice President, Samsung LCD Business
Wilfred Martis, General Manager, Retail CE, Digital Home Group, Intel Corporation
Mitch Singer, CTO, Sony Pictures Entertainment; President, DECE

Speakers & Panelists
Cedric Arnaud-Battandier, VP, Strategy & Corporate Development, Technicolor
Seth Bailey, CEO, iTOK
David Barclay, Director Energy Management, OpenPeak
Anthony Bay, CEO, MOD Systems
David Bercovich, Vice President of Business Development, AlertMe
Savinay Berry, Vice President, Granite Ventures
Gilles BianRosa, CEO, Vuze, Inc.
Stephen Blum, President, Tellus Venture Associates
Jeff Bonin, Vice President of Business Development, Alticast
Kris Bowring, Senior Director, Emerging Business, Best Buy
Paul Brody, Global Lead, IBM Electronics Industry Strategy Practice, IBM Global Business Services
William C. Brown, Assoc. VP Technology and GM, Service Provider Business Unit, North America, D-Link
Mike Buckingham, Director of Marketing, SmartLabs, Inc.
Thomas Carpenter, VP Operations and Digital Chief of Staff, Epix
Susan Cashen, Vice President Marketing, Control4
David Chechelashvili, Head of Gaming and Retail, XpanD, Inc
Alfredo Choperena, President, SimpleHomeNet
Matthew Choy, Marketing Director, Rsupport Inc.
Albert Chu, Vice President, Marketing and Alliances, ACCESS Systems Americas
Jim Denney, Vice President, General Manager, Product Marketing, TiVo Inc.
Gary Ellison, Chief Security Architect, Intertrust Technologies, representing Marlin
Greg Ennis, Technical Director, Wi-Fi Alliance
Jim Feuille, General Partner, Crosslink Capital
Martin Flusberg, CEO, Powerhouse Dynamics
Paul Fulton, General Manager, Prosumer Business Unit, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Dwight Gibson, VP & GM Connected Home Solutions, Ingersoll Rand
Alexandre Giess, Head of Digital Home - Group Marketing North America, Orange/France Telecom Group
Alex Glass, Vice President, Global Operations, thePlatform
Wynn Grubbs, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, PlumChoice, Inc.
Dave Habiger, President & CEO, Sonic Solutions (Roxio)
Brian Henrichs, Chief Business Development Officer, Actiontec Electronics
Todd Hinders, Senior Vice President, ExtendMedia
Scott Hublou, Co-Founder, SVP of Products, EcoFactor
Richard Irving, Managing Partner, Pond Venture Partners Ltd.
Kanaan Jemili, Vice President of Product Management, DivX, Inc.
Michael Kostainsek, Senior Partner, Account Director, MEC (WPP’s Group M)
Douglas Light, Sr. Vice President of Global Sales and Business Development, Widevine
Steve Linke, Associate Director Consumer Electronics, Verizon Wireless - Open Development
James Lopez, General Manager, Digital Video Surveillance, Logitech
Ajay Luthra, Senior Director of Advanced Technology, Motorola
Letha McLaren, Vice President of Energy Products, iControl Networks
Kevin Meagher, CEO, Intamac Systems
Andy Melder, Vice President Business Development, Gigle Networks
Amir Mobini, President and CEO, Zenverge
Frank Mona III, Executive Director, Sales Execution, Consumer Home Services, AT&T
Kevin Morgan, CTO, Arxan Technologies, Inc.
Malachy Moynihan, VP, Video Strategy, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Macario Namie, Senior Director, Product Marketing, Jasper Wireless
Richard Nesin, Executive Director, HomePNA Alliance
Robert O'Dell, President/CEO, SecurityCoverage, Inc.
Amy Oehler, Senior Manager, Business Development Direct Energy, Direct Energy
Nathan Ota, Solutions Product Marketing Manager, Consumer Solutions, Trilliant
Sean Parham, Executive Vice President & CMO, 2Wire, Inc.
Nash Parker, Director of Emerging Technology & Media, Alcatel-Lucent
Tony Perucca, Senior Director, comScore, Inc.
Tom Pollard, Director of Product Management, Verimatrix Inc.
Drake Pruitt, SVP Business Development, Ascent Media Group
Yaron Raz, Director of Video Solutions Marketing, BigBand Networks
Terri Richardson, Business Integration Manager, Navic at Microsoft
Anthony Rodio, COO, Support.com
Russ Schafer, Senior Director, Global Product Marketing, Yahoo! Connected TV, Yahoo!
Daniel Scheinman, SVP & GM, Cisco Media Solutions Group, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Rick Schwartz, Senior Product Manager, PacketVideo (PV)
Loren Shade, VP Marketing, Allegro Software Development Corporation
Gene Sheridan, CEO, BridgeCo, Inc.
Charley Shoemaker, Director, Product Management, Nielsen Online, The Nielsen Company
Howard Simons, Director of Sales Research, West Division, Comcast Spotlight
Melissa Simpler, CEO, Affinegy
Peter Smyth, CEO, RedMere
Kurt Stammberger, Vice President Marketing, Mocana
Mark Studness, Director E-Commerce, Verizon
Dean Takahashi, Digital Media Lead Writer, VentureBeat
Jim Theberge, Product Management Director, Rovi Corporation
Steve Tranter, VP Interactive and Broadband, NDS
Daren Tsui, CEO, mSpot, Inc
Edgar Villalpando, SVP, Marketing, ActiveVideo Networks
Dr. Kenneth Wacks, Member, GridWise Architecture Council, U.S. Department of Energy
Ian Walsh, VP Business Development, ProVision Communications
Nate Williams, CMO, 4Home
Ken Wirt, Vice President Consumer Marketing, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Tom Woods, VP, User Experience, Rovi Corporation
Mark W. Young, Vice President, Strategy & BD, Mobile, Comcast Interactive Media
Dan Ziegler, Regional Director, Latens Systems

Parks Associates Moderators
Farhan Abid, Research Analyst, Parks Associates
Bill Ablondi, Director, Home Systems Research, Parks Associates
Pietro Macchiarella, Research Analyst, Parks Associates
Tricia Parks, Founder and CEO, Parks Associates
Kurt Scherf, Vice President & Principal Analyst, Parks Associates
Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates
Harry Wang, Director, Health & Mobile Product Research, Parks Associates
Heather Way, Research Analyst, Parks Associates

CONNECTIONS US sponsors include Verizon Wireless, Cisco, Intel...

Parks Associates announced CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference & Showcase will feature more than 60 sponsors and supporters from the digital living markets. Parks Associates will host CONNECTIONS™ on June 8-10 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, with more than 500 executives focused on new media, home controls and energy management, mobile and entertainment platforms, value-added services, and connected consumer electronics.

Our CONNECTIONS™ sponsors reflect a broad array of companies all adding value to both home networks and access services and helping to create new value from these exciting applications.

CONNECTIONS™ sponsors:

Reception: Verizon Wireless

Gold: Cisco, Intel

Silver: Accenture, ActiveVideo Networks, Allegro, DivX, D-Link, Gigle Networks, Intamac, ProVision Communications, PacketVideo, RedMere, Rovi, support.com

Bronze: 4Home, Accedo Broadband, Affinegy, Arxan, IBM, iTOK, LEVEL Studios, PlumChoice, Vuze, Zenverge

Breakfast: Roxio

Platinum supporting organizations are Churchill Club and JETRO. Supporting organizations include ADMIN, ATIS, CABA, CEDIA, ChinaCCM.com, Circle F Media, Digital Media Pipeline, Electronics Technicians Association, EMA’s GamePlan Summit, ETSI, Experiential Marketing Forum, FTTH Conference & Expo, HomePlug Powerline Alliance, HomePNA, IDMA, MoCA, MPEG Industry Forum, SIP Center, Wi-Fi Alliance, Wi-Fi Technology Forum, Wireless Industry Partnership, and WITI.

Platinum supporting media are Connected Planet, Digital Media Wire, and Home Toys. Supporting media are BoogarLists, Conference Guru, Connect-World, FierceIPTV, FierceMobileContent, FierceOnlineVideo, FierceWireless:Europe, Gadget-t, Global Electronics & Electrical Appliances, HiddenWires, Home Media Magazine, IPTV Industry, OSP, Residential Systems, Screen Digest, TVover.net, VentureBeat, and WiMAX Industry.

CONNECTIONS addresses potential of new 3D and connected TV enhancements

The percentage of U.S. broadband households purchasing CE continues to decline year over year, falling from 87% in 2007 to 76% in 2009.

Already over one-half of households are spending less on CE in 2010 than they did the year before. The recession has deeply affected consumer spending, but several product categories have defied the downward trend. Industries can develop new revenue streams by building off of these devices, such as Web-based apps or 3D programming for connected LCD TVs or support services bundled with a new computer purchase.

CONNECTIONS™ will feature multiple sessions in the Consumer Electronics track discussing the state of the market and business strategies to leverage these devices:

· Design Elements for Connected CE
· Monetizing Connected CE
· The Future of the Set-top Box
· 3DTV

The panels will feature speakers from 2Wire, Actiontec Electronics, ActiveVideo Networks, Allegro Software Development Corporation, BigBand Networks, BridgeCo, Cisco Systems, Gigle Networks, Motorola, Orange/France Telecom Group, PacketVideo, ProVision, RedMere, Roxio CinemaNow, Technicolor, Xpand, Yahoo!, and Zenverge.

CONNECTIONS™ will also feature the keynote presentation “TV Technology in the New Age of Consumer Buying,” from Scott Birnbaum, Vice President, Samsung LCD Business, on June 9 at 10:00 a.m.

CONNECTIONS welcomes 2010 sponsors

Parks Associates is proud to announce the 2010 CONNECTIONS U.S. Sponsors and Supporting Organizations.

CONNECTIONS™ sponsors include 4Home, ActiveVideo Networks, Affinegy, Allegro, Arxan Technologies, Cisco, Gigle Networks, IBM, Intel, iTOK, PacketVideo, ProVision, RedMere, Rovi, Roxio, Verizon Wireless, Vuze and Zenverge.

Supporting organizations include ADMIN, ATIS, CABA, CEDIA, ChinaCCM.com, Circle F Media, Electronics Technicians Association, EMA’s GamePlan Summit, ETSI, Experiential Marketing Forum, HomePlug Powerline Alliance, HomePNA, IDMA, JETRO, MoCA, MPEG Industry Forum, SIP Center, Wi-Fi Alliance, Wi-Fi Technology Forum, Wireless Industry Partnership, and WITI.

Platinum supporting media are Connected Planet, Digital Media Wire, and Home Toys. Supporting media are BoogarLists, Conference Guru, Connect-World, FierceIPTV, FierceMobileContent, FierceOnlineVideo, FierceWireless:Europe, Gadget-t, Global Electronics & Electrical Appliances, HiddenWires, Home Media Magazine, IPTV Industry, OSP, Residential Systems, Screen Digest, TVover.net, VentureBeat, and WiMAX Industry.

Thank you to all the above organizations for their continued support!

50+ Executives confirmed for CONNECTIONS U.S.

The preliminary list of speakers for the upcoming CONNECTIONS™ Conference includes more than 50 executives from the top media, entertainment, controls, and energy companies around the world.

Speakers:

Seth Bailey, CEO, iTOK

Anthony Bay, CEO, MOD Systems

Gilles BianRosa, CEO, Vuze, Inc.

Kristen Bowring, Sr. Director, Emerging Business, Best Buy

Richard Bullwinkle, Chief Evangelist, Rovi Corporation

Alfredo Choperena, President, SimpleHomeNet

Albert Chu, VP, Marketing and Alliances, ACCESS Systems Americas

Chris Deutschen, Sr. Manager, Innovation and Business Development, Direct Energy

Gary Ellison, Chief Security Architect, Intertrust, representing Marlin

Greg Ennis, Technical Director, Wi-Fi Alliance

Jim Feuille, General Partner, Crosslink Capital

Jaime Fink, Technology and Strategy, 2Wire

Paul Fulton, GM, Prosumer Business Unit, Cisco

Dave Habiger, President & CEO, Roxio CinemaNow

Brian Henrichs, Chief Business Development Officer, Actiontec Electronics

Todd Hinders, Sr. VP, ExtendMedia

Richard Irving, Managing Partner, Pond Venture Partners

Fred King, Chief Operating Officer, PlumChoice

Ajay Luthra, Sr. Director, Motorola

Kevin Meagher, CEO, Intamac Systems

Andy Melder, VP, Business Development, Gigle Networks

Frank Mona III, Executive Director, Sales Execution, Consumer Home Services, AT&T

Malachy Moynihan, VP, Video Strategy, Cisco Systems

Robert O'Dell, President/CEO, SecurityCoverage

Steve Oetegenn, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Verimatrix

Nash Parker, Director, Emerging Technology & Media, Alcatel-Lucent

Len Rand, Managing Director, Granite Ventures

Yaron Raz, Dir, Video Solutions Marketing, BigBand Networks

Marty Roberts, Marketing, thePlatform, Comcast’s online video publishing subsidiary

Anthony Rodio, COO, support.com

Russ Schafer, Sr. Director, Global Product Marketing, Yahoo! Connected TV, Yahoo!

Daniel Scheinman, SVP & GM, Cisco Media Solutions Group, Cisco Systems

Rick Schwartz, Sr. Product Manager, PacketVideo

Loren Shade, VP Marketing, Allegro Software Development Corporation

Gene Sheridan, CEO, BridgeCo

Melissa Simpler, CEO, Affinegy

Peter Smyth, CEO, RedMere

Dean Takahashi, Digital Media Lead Writer, VentureBeat

Steve Tranter, VP Interactive and Broadband, NDS

Edgar Villalpando, SVP, Marketing, ActiveVideo Networks

Nate Williams, CMO, 4Home

Ken Wirt, VP, Consumer Marketing, Cisco Systems

Mark W. Young, VP, Strategy & BD, Mobile, Comcast Interactive Media

Tania Yuki, Director, Cross Media and Video Products, comScore

For the most up to date list of speakers, please click here.

Cisco Announces Agreement to Acquire Starent Networks

Cisco and Starent Networks announced a definitive agreement for Cisco to acquire Starent Networks. Starent Networks is a leading supplier of IP-based mobile infrastructure solutions targeting mobile and converged carriers. The Mobile Internet is at an inflection point as IP-enabled Smartphones and other connected mobile devices gain rapid acceptance. Service Providers have been actively investing in this market as global mobile data traffic is expected to more than double every year through 2013, according to the Cisco Visual Networking Index.

Starent Networks' mobile infrastructure solutions play an important role in enabling Service Providers to scale their mobile infrastructure and monetize their investments via differentiated experiences. The company provides the multimedia intelligence, core network functions and services to manage access from any 2.5G, 3G, and 4G radio network to a mobile operator's packet core network. Starent Networks' access-independent technology is deployed in CDMA2000 (1X, EV-DO), UMTS/HSPA and WiMax networks.

Prior to the close, Cisco and Starent Networks will continue to operate as separate companies. Upon completion of the transaction, Starent Networks will become the new Mobile Internet Technology Group.

Cisco Helps Assure Internet's Future Amid Device Growth

Cisco announced significant enhancements to its Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture that are designed to secure the foundation of the Internet, which must accommodate the exponential increase of connected devices for highly secure, efficient video delivery and collaboration. With the new Cisco Carrier-Grade IP Version 6 (IPv6) solution, Cisco helps enable service providers to effectively deal with the bottleneck created by the imminent depletion of IPv4 addresses. This new solution complements Cisco's IPv6 portfolio, the widest and most extensive in the market.

Now spanning from the core of the network to the home, Cisco's IPv6 capabilities have been expanded and added to a wide range of the company's routers and switches. Cisco is introducing new carrier-grade IPv6 capabilities to the Cisco CRS-1 Carrier Routing System for the network core and to the Cisco Aggregation Services Routers for the network edge. These new additions provide a cost-effective and efficient means to bridge to a full IPv6 next-generation network while extending the life of existing IPv4 addresses to smoothly manage that migration.

Highlights / Key Facts:

•An IP address is required for each device that connects to the Internet, and IPv6 is designated as the successor to IPv4, the first implementation used in the Internet and still the most widely used today.
•Exhaustion of IPv4 addresses is predicted for sometime in 2011, according to various sources, including potaroo.net, a Web site that tracks IPv4 address allocation by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. IPv4 has a finite set of unique addresses, numbering approximately 4 billion, which is rapidly depleting due to the ever-growing number of Internet-connected devices and smart devices.
•The industry foresaw this and developed IPv6, which has 340 undecillion unique addresses (3.4 x 10(38)), or more than 50 billion billion billion for each person on earth, more than enough to continue to support the demand for IP addresses. However, the protocols of IPv4 and IPv6 are not directly compatible, so migrating a network from IPv4 to IPv6 requires technology solutions to preserve IPv4 while executing a carefully orchestrated, step-by-step implementation plan.
•New Cisco IPv6 offerings, which expand on the existing Cisco IPv6 portfolio, are designed to address the current gap that service providers face in their IPv6 network evolution.

For the full press release, click here.

How Cisco is Marrying Online Video to Consumer Electronics

A key theme that we explored at CONNECTIONS™ two weeks ago was how online video is going to impact both the consumer electronics and the service provider industries. We wanted to explore the technologies that are bringing Web and Web-like content and services to devices like the TV, the Blu-ray player, and the set-top box and discuss the business implications. So, we dedicated a significant portion of our panels to such topics. Our panels included:

• The Marriage of Online Video to CE (with panelists from Cisco Systems, Qualcomm, TiVo, and YouTube);
• Connected TV Strategies (with panelists from AnySource Media, IBM, VIZIO, and Yahoo!
• The Future of the Set-top Box (with panelists from Exceptional Innovation, Irdeto, Microsoft, NDS, and NXP Semiconductors);
• WebTV: Extreme TV Makeover? (with panelists from ActiveVideo Networks, Boxee, Cisco Systems, Intel, and Paramount Digital Entertainment); and
• Bringing “Cloud Media” to Consumer Electronics Devices (with panelists from Accedo Broadband, Allegro Software Development Corp., Clearleap, Eyecon Technologies Inc., and Syabas).

In The Marriage of Online Video to CE, we unfortunately ran short of time, and we had a number of really interesting questions queued up for our speakers. So, I'm following up with them to get some additional perspective on what they're seeing in the connected CE space.

Ken Wirt, Cisco Systems' Vice President Consumer Marketing, was kind enough to respond to some questions. Here's a transcript of the Q&A:

Parks Associates: As Cisco looks at marrying online content to a variety of consumer electronics devices, what are the main tenets of your solution? Can you describe the work that Cisco has done/is doing to deliver these kind of content experiences to a growing number of devices?

Ken Wirt: Cisco sees the consumer market growing thru three phases:

1. Connected Home — This phase is nearing maturity. In this phase people get wireless routers in order to connect one (or several) computers to the Internet.
2. Media-Enabled Home — We’re in the early stages of this phase. This is about having multiple connected devices in the home and wanting to move media around among the devices and access the media from outside the home. Examples would be viewing photos stored on a computer on the TV, or viewing video on a PC, or streaming music to your mobile phone.
3. Visual Networking — This phase is on the (not too) distant horizon. In this phase there’s a combination of the social networking connections with video. Video is a huge step up from the text we use today because of the immediacy and the ability to communicate emotions (a real smile vs. an emoticon). An example of this type of product is consumer telepresence.

What Cisco is doing is becoming what we view as a new kind of CE company — where CE no longer stands for “consumer electronics,” but “consumer experience.” Historically, CE has been about silo’d devices which don’t interact with each other. What differentiates “consumer experience” is that it’s about the triumvirate of device+software+cloud services. A good example is Flip Video. While most people look at this as the device, it’s also the FlipShare software that runs on your computer that lets you edit and share the video, and FlipShare.com that provides a private “channel” for others (example family members) to stream your videos that are stored in the cloud.

Parks Associates: What work is Cisco doing to ensure a good quality video experience on the consumer electronics device? Does Cisco do any work in the backend to groom video for optimal viewing?

Ken Wirt: Cisco has a variety of technologies within the network that we refer to collectively as medianet. These technologies optimize the experience of all media (but especially video) for the capabilities of the network (bandwidth, traffic), the nature of the content (resolution, media type, etc.) as well as the endpoint (screen resolution, speed of connectivity, buffer size, etc). Within the home network, we also support technologies like VQE (video quality of experience). Finally, we are offering no cost licenses to our HNAP protocol that helps consumer electronics devices connect to the network, tell the network about their capabilities, and provide network administration for managed services.

Parks Associates: Will Cisco implement one solution for delivering Web content (or Web-like content) for both set-top boxes (Scientific-Atlanta) and retail-based products (like a connected TV)? Is Cisco's goal to develop a one-size-fits-all kind of solution for everyone?

Ken Wirt: Cisco already offers a solution that can work with STB’s, PC’s, mobile devices, and CE devices — it’s our combination of our MXE and CDS products. MXE can reformat any type of video for a desired frame rate and resolution – this let’s it adjust to different types of devices and bandwidth. The CDS can then distribute that content to different types of devices as well as insert ads.

Parks Associates: What kind of efforts is Cisco putting forth to help content owners, service providers, and CE vendors make money off the content? I would imagine that Eos is part of this, but what kind of advertising work is Cisco doing?

Ken Wirt: Cisco is working closely with all of these groups. Cisco works with content owners through its Eos service platform that combines social networking capabilities with short-form video distribution to create a network of content sites for media companies that will let them better manage the sites and better know their customers. This reduces costs and through targeted advertising, better monetizes those sites. Cisco works with service providers to both improve the quality of their networks, and through managed services to reduce costs and increase revenue. And finally, we are helping CE vendors to develop more connected products by offering no-cost licenses to the HNAP protocol (see above).

Thursday's Opening Session, Bringing the Smart Grid to the Smart Home

Bringing the Smart Grid to the Smart Home was the opening panel session on Thursday, June 4th.

Utilities and their partners are adding Smart Grid capabilities so they can shed load, accommodate alternative energy sources, and pinpoint outages. For consumers, benefits include reduced energy bills, enhanced comfort and convenience, and a smaller carbon footprint. This panel brings together companies leading Smart Grid initiatives through new technologies, systems, and business models.

Panel speakers include:
Sanket Amberkar, Marketing Manager, Network Systems Solutions, Cisco
Christopher Deutschen, Senior Manager, Product & Business Development, Direct Energy
Dr. Kenneth Wacks, Member, GridWise Architecture Council, U.S. Department of Energy
Bill Ablondi, Director, Home Systems Research, Parks Associates; panel moderator

Smart Grid, Home Monitoring, and Wireless Home Controls

Key Focus of CONNECTIONS™ Conference --

Parks Associates announced the speakers for the Home Controls and Energy Management track at CONNECTIONS™, which includes an opening keynote from Austin Energy’s CIO. Multiple sessions at CONNECTIONS™ will feature executives from energy-focused companies discussing new innovations in home monitoring and controls, Smart Grid initiatives, and wireless home controls.

Andres E. Carvallo, CIO, Austin Energy, will present the Keynote “Building the Smart Grid” on Thursday, June 4. Mr. Carvallo will discuss Austin Energy’s efforts to build its Smart Grid, which will be live by August 2009. This initiative encompasses 440 square miles, 500,000 devices, 100 terabytes of data, one million consumers, and 43,000 businesses.

The panel “New Applications and Services in Home Monitoring & Controls,” June 3 at 1:30 p.m., analyzes consumer demand and revenue opportunities for home systems. Speakers include:

Steve Cashman, Chief Strategy Officer, Exceptional Innovation
Jim Hunter, CTO & Chief Architect, 4Home
Jim Johnson, President & CEO, uControl

Mr. Ablondi will present findings from Parks Associates’ new research project Residential Energy Management: Opportunities for Digital Systems and Services on June 4, 8:30 a.m., followed by “Bringing the Smart Grid to the Smart Home,” which features panelists leading Smart Grid initiatives in the public and private sectors:

Sanket Amberkar, Marketing Manager, Network Systems Solutions, Cisco
Christopher Deutschen, Senior Manager, Product & Business Development, Direct Energy
Dr. Kenneth Wacks, Member, GridWise Architecture Council, U.S. Department of Energy

“Wireless Home Controls: New Roles and Functionality,” June 4 at 11:15 a.m., examines the trends, market opportunities, and design challenges in embedding wireless capabilities into traditional products. Speakers include:

Michelle Leyden Li, GM, Home Control Business Unit, Zilog
Ken Lowe, VP, Strategic Marketing, Sigma Designs
Mostafa Reza, Product Line Manager, IP Video Solutions Group, Motorola
Parag Sheth, VP, Corporate Marketing, Hillcrest Labs
Eric Smith, CTO, Control4

For the full press release, click here.

New services, experiences, options for advanced TV, video, and multimedia a key focus at CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference & Showcase

Parks Associates has announced the speakers in the Content and Services track at CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference & Showcase, which features a keynote from Verizon and sessions focused on the future of the set-top box, Web TV, advertising, and interactive services.

Parks Associates research shows the number of broadband households worldwide now exceeds 400 million. In addition, more than 200 million households have a data network, and 73 million have a residential gateway.

Joseph Ambeault, Director, Product Development and Management, Video Services, Verizon, will deliver the opening keynote, FiOS TV: Changing TV for Good, on June 3 at 10:00 a.m.

TV 2.0 – The Future of the Set-Top Box, June 3 at 11:15 a.m., discusses changes in the set-top and its impact on other CE and networking devices. Speakers include:

Seale Moorer, CEO, Exceptional Innovation
Mike Noonen, SVP, Sales and Marketing, NXP Semiconductors
Jan Steenkamp, Founder Member, Head Market Development, Irdeto
Steve Tranter, VP Interactive and Broadband, NDS
Derek Turner, Senior Product Mgr, TV, Video & Music Business, Microsoft

WebTV: Extreme TV Makeover?, June 3 at 1:30 p.m., examines the online video space and its impact on traditional TV services as well as opportunities to distribute Web content throughout the home. Speakers include:

Ajay Dugar, Executive Director, Paramount Digital Entertainment
Pankaj Gupta, Manager, Market Management - Service Providers, Cisco
Wilfred Martis, Dir., Platform Strategy & Planning, Digital Home Grp, Intel
Avner Ronen, CEO & Co-Founder, Boxee
Edgar Villalpando, SVP, Marketing, ActiveVideo Networks

Interactive Services: Engaging the Consumer, June 3 at 2:30 p.m., examines the worldwide pay television market and consumer adoption of broadband video, including willingness to pay for advanced television features. Speakers include:

Sean Besser, VP, Business Development, Macrovision
Jeff Bonin, VP, GM, Alticast
Brandon Brown, CEO, Zodiac Interactive
Vibha Rustagi, CEO & President, itaas, Inc.

Multimedia on Mobile Devices, June 4 at 11:15 a.m., discusses emerging mobile multimedia applications and future business strategies. Speakers include:

Jackson Gates, Director, Business Development, Pandora
Brian Johnson, SVP, Americas and Asia Pacific, mBlox, Inc.
Craig Lee, VP Marketing, Ortiva Wireless
Rick Schwartz, Product Manager, DLNA, PacketVideo
Scot Zarkiewicz, CEO, SingleClick Systems

To view the full press release, click here.