ActiveVideo Urges Network-Based Platform to Speed Adoption of Web Video on TV

The president and CEO of ActiveVideo Networks called on the media, entertainment and CE communities to agree on a single, unified platform for the delivery of Web video to the television. ActiveVideo’s Jeff Miller outlined how “Platform Chaos” – the fragmentation of countless video devices and technologies -- must be overcome in order to accelerate the rollout and monetization of compelling interactive and Web-to-TV services.

Encouraging all facets of the industry to “join the cloud,” Miller talked about how the scramble to develop competing, proprietary solutions has created confusion and complexity that impacts the ability of content developers and consumers to connect. Miller stressed that placing intelligence in the network cloud, instead of in the CE device or digital set-top box, would enable developers to write content once and deploy universally to any device, and would relieve consumers of the challenge of identifying, purchasing and integrating new equipment for their home theater systems.

According to Miller, adoption of a solution such as ActiveVideo’s CloudTV™ would provide a common platform that would lift restrictions on the number and types of applications available, as well as the ability to port content across multiple devices. In a cloud-based system, Web-based applications, social media, user interfaces and other content is processed in the network and streamed to any device.

For more information, visit www.activevideo.com.

15th CONNECTIONS Conference Dates Announced

The fifteenth annual CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference & Showcase will take place on June 28-30, 2011, at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The 2011 event focuses on entertainment and media platforms, content distribution, mobile applications and services, broadband and operator strategies, energy management solutions, advanced advertising initiatives, and connected CE.

Early sponsors for CONNECTIONS™ 2011 are Association Sponsor CEA and Affinegy, Allegro, iTOK, Rovi, and Sonic Solutions.

Parks Associates will also host CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit in Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 15-16, 2010, featuring the latest consumer research on digital living technologies around the world and analysis on new business models and opportunities for TV operators, content developers, advertisers, and CE companies.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES, January 6, 2011, focuses on trends, emerging business models and technologies, and growth opportunities for companies developing products and services for the digital home.

CONNECTIONS 2011 welcomes Rovi as new sponsor

Parks Associates is proud to welcome Rovi Corporation as a Gold 2011 event sponsor for the CONNECTIONS U.S. event.

Rovi Corporation is focused on revolutionizing the digital entertainment landscape by delivering solutions that enable consumers to intuitively connect to new entertainment from many sources and locations. The company also provides extensive entertainment discovery solutions for television, movies, music and photos to its customers in the consumer electronics, cable and satellite, entertainment and online distribution markets. These solutions, complemented by industry leading entertainment data, create the connections between people and technology, and enable them to discover and manage entertainment in an enjoyable form.

Thank you Rovi for your continued support of our events!

Widevine Named a Preferred Provider of Adaptive Streaming and DRM for Samsung Devices

Widevine, a provider of digital entertainment solutions, announced that it has signed a global agreement with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. to distribute Widevine's live and on-demand adaptive streaming, virtual DVD-like "trick play" and digital rights management (DRM) on Samsung connected devices. These technologies from Widevine will enable Samsung to support TV Everywhere and over-the-top delivery initiatives from Internet content providers and large cable, satellite and telecommunication companies.

As one of Samsung's preferred partners, the Widevine client will be shipped on millions of Samsung devices in 2010. Widevine's DRM and adaptive streaming software is already included in 2009 models of Samsung connected TVs and Blu-ray players shipped in the United States. This agreement enables Samsung to expand distribution on a worldwide basis.

Consumers can connect to the Internet and access thousands of hours of video content, from the latest blockbuster movies to the most popular television shows, using their TV, Blu-ray player or mobile phone, among other devices. Widevine's video optimization and DRM technology will ensure consumers using Samsung devices will receive the ultimate viewing experience for both live and on-demand content. Samsung will include Widevine's adaptive streaming, virtual DVD-like controls and DRM on many of its most popular connected devices.

Widevine's video optimization and DRM technologies are utilized by major Internet content services and large cable, satellite and telecommunication companies launching TV Everywhere strategies. The company's software platform optimizes the entertainment experience for live and on-demand content delivered over any network to any device. The solution is natively supported in nearly all types of network connected consumer electronics including televisions, Blu-ray players, mobile devices, gaming systems and more. For more information, click here.

ActiveVideo Networks Acquires TAG Networks

ActiveVideo Networks, the global leader in cloud-based interactive television solutions, announced that it has completed an acquisition of TAG Networks, adding the world's most scalable network game platform to its CloudTV interactive streaming platform.

The acquisition extends ActiveVideo’s CloudTV development platform to include games development, a growing and profitable segment of the entertainment market. The combined entity leverages TAG Networks’ successful technology and content portfolio with ActiveVideo’s proven CloudTV to create a powerful and versatile platform that supports both casual and twitch or fast-motion games.

Using TAG’s extensive portfolio of licensed titles, ActiveVideo can enable the development of new revenue streams for cable system operators and the CE industry through the delivery of advertising supported casual games to any digital set-top box or CE device. ActiveVideo, which currently is in approximately 5 million homes, anticipates that the combined benefits of TAG and CloudTV, the addition of compelling new titles and the ultimate introduction of faster-paced games will significantly drive distribution of both services for the foreseeable future.

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.

Rovi Corporation Sponsors CONNECTIONS 2010

Parks Associates welcomes the Rovi Corporation as a silver CONNECTIONS sponsor.

Rovi Corporation is focused on revolutionizing the digital entertainment landscape by delivering solutions that enable consumers to intuitively connect to new entertainment from many sources and locations. The company also provides extensive entertainment discovery solutions for television, movies, music and photos to its customers in the consumer electronics, cable and satellite, entertainment and online distribution markets. These solutions, complemented by industry leading entertainment data, create the connections between people and technology, and enable them to discover and manage entertainment in an enjoyable form.

Rovi holds over 4,200 issued or pending patents and patent applications worldwide and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with numerous offices across the United States and around the world including Japan, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom.

For more information, visit http://www.rovicorp.com/.

Vudu CEO Mark Jung has left the company

Vudu, the online TV box, has lost its second senior executive in the last three months: first the CFO, layoffs, and now CEO Mark Jung has left after exactly a year, we have confirmed from the company.

Reported by PaidContent.org

MoCA™ announced as Diamond Sponsor for CONNECTIONS™

Parks Associates and CEA are pleased to announce MOCA™ as a Diamond Sponsor of CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference & Showcase.

The Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA™) is an open, industry driven initiative promoting distribution of digital video and entertainment through existing coaxial cable in the home. MoCA™ technology provides the backbone for whole home entertainment networks of multiple wired and wireless products.

• No new wires
• No installation or truck roll
• No interference with existing networks
• If you have coax, it works
• Compliments any wireless network

CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference and Showcase will be held June 24-26 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. CONNECTIONS™ sessions provide high-level research, knowledge, and analysis to over 1,000 executives from the converging industries developing consumer products and services.

Opening Keynote — The Digital Lifestyle: Under Construction

Summary information from Day 2: CONNECTIONS™ May 2007, hosted in Santa Clara, CA.

Opening Keynote — The Digital Lifestyle: Under Construction
Presented by: Greg Jones, General Manager, DSP Systems Strategic Marketing, Texas Instruments

Beyond the four walls of the digital home is a huge opportunity for delivering content anywhere, anytime – the ultimate Digital Lifestyle. Explore how consumers, service providers, and technology enablers will work together to deliver the vision of the emerging digital lifestyle that is being fueled by new advances in digital signal processing.

Texas Instruments’ portfolio of digital signal processing (DSP) and analog technology solutions represents a broad spectrum of digital lifestyle categories, including communications, digital entertainment, networking, and telemetry applications. Greg Jones, who serves as the general manager for DSP Systems Strategic Marketing, highlighted the importance of the DSP in building a wider array of needed consumer solutions, noting that DSP enables many of the services important to the digital lifestyle, including DSL.

Jones sees a larger role for DSPs in the future across a wide array of emerging consumer applications. Digital entertainment is obviously going to be a significant area as digital signal processing will be necessary in managing bandwidth use and encoding and decoding the many different video codecs and formats. Jones said that there may be upwards of 30-40 different codecs to manage.

In addition, Jones brought up examples beyond entertainment where signal processing will play a role in improving learning and communications (instant translations during phone calls) and transportation (the nearly automated automobile). He also mentioned digital healthcare applications as an opportunity for TI to expand its role. Finally, he discussed how DSP technologies will help service providers offer a higher quality of services by measuring and monitoring traffic and applications with PIQUA solutions.