Connected TV

Connected TV

IBC 2017: time for ubiquitous content in an IoT world

Posted on by ACCESS Europe

Every year, content providers find new ways to deliver interactive media seamlessly and securely to every device – and the advent of Internet of Things enabled devices is making this choice of device even wider. This leads to an overwhelming number of competing services and subscriptions, which in turn means consumers have to navigate numerous apps in order to watch their favorite content. In this situation, the simple operation of choosing what to watch becomes a challenge. This fragmented approach to multiscreen can be a great source of frustration for consumers, but operators can resolve this by aggregating all content sources and delivering them via a single application. I recently talked to Goran Nastic, editor of CSI Magazine, to discuss how multiscreen needed to evolve to offer this experience today.

Dr Neale Foster, Managing Director and COO of ACCESS Europe, interviewed by CSI Magazine Editor Goran Nastic
Dr Neale Foster, Managing Director and COO of ACCESS Europe, interviewed by CSI Magazine Editor Goran Nastic.

This unified approach to multiscreen is something forward thinking operators, such as Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) in India, have already started to adopt. Earlier this year, we announced that Jio had deployed ACCESS Twine™ to power its multiscreen service targeting 100 million subscribers across India. Beyond Jio’s own content, available in the cloud, the service provides access to the consumer’s personal library and external sources such as YouTube, Dropbox, Google Drive and social media content in and out of the home.

This year we will be returning to IBC to explain how Jio has laid the foundations for the next generation of multiscreen services for operators all over the world, and how pay-TV operators can follow in their footsteps and offer a similar experience to consumers.

Our on-stand demonstrations at IBC 2017 (stand #14.D14) will include:

  • ACCESS Twine™: The solution increases stickiness to services, regardless of content and/or device. Platform-agnostic and built on industry standards, ACCESS Twine™ enables operators to combine all kinds of content sources, be it public, private or premium content in an effort to limit application hopping. The platform’s functionality extends to data aggregation and management, which enables operators to create, transfer, store and analyze relevant usage data of media consumption, behavior, and preferred devices.
  • NetFront™ Browser family: NetFront™ Browser solutions are high performance HTML5-capable software solutions that provide operators, Systems on Chips vendors and device manufacturers with solutions enhancing Chromium and WebKit HTML5 engines with support for HbbTV, Freeview Play, YouTube on TV 2017 and up to 4K and 8K services. The NetFront Browser solutions present and execute an application that is an associated collection of documents (typically JavaScript™, CSS and HTML) as well as the content from the broadcast DSM-CC Object Carousel to provide the consumer with the interactive services they now expect.

Alongside product demonstrations throughout the show, Dr. Fleming Lampi, Global Product Director at ACCESS, will also be taking part in a panel discussion entitled “Service design considerations for the multi-screen OTT world” in the Content Everywhere Hub (Hall #14.J10 – Sunday, September 17 at 15:30 – 16:15), Attendees to the panel discussion will be able to learn about the various elements to take into account when developing a multiscreen-friendly user experience and learn how to choose the right content protection solutions for their online video services.

Our solutions are deployed in over 1.5 billion devices. To learn more about our plans at IBC 2017 or to book an appointment with us at the show, please contact tv@access-company.com

Connected TV

HTML5 remains king of the connected entertainment castle

Posted on by Robert Guest

The connected entertainment industry is currently under pressure like never before: there are more devices than ever, but time to market is shrinking – making it virtually impossible for operators to develop services that cater for all screens without spending months in testing before services are truly ready.

Unfortunately for operators, the consumer thirst for readily available video is far from being quenched, and the latest Over-The-Top (OTT) services are complicating matters by enabling updates to happen on the fly.

So how can operators compete?

The answer is simple: adopt a universal solution that adapts to all the devices they want their service to be compatible with. Luckily for them, this is readily available as a worldwide standard, and it is called HTML5.

HTML5 has been around for a few years, starting in the online world before moving into the broadcast space as digital TV started to become more prominent and connected applications became mainstream. Today, HTML5 is the only technology deployed across all chipsets and for all types of devices, independent of the underlying OS. When used for app development, it enables developers to provide a bridge across diverse hardware and software and can provide a unified platform for linear broadcast and full-IP services.

As the industry embraces IP-delivery of content to satisfy the consumer need for their content, their way, whether through smart TV portals or OTT platforms à la Netflix or Amazon Prime, HTML5’s hegemony is likely to become even more obvious in all parts of the world. In June, NBC News announced that 95% of all its videos are able to load within three seconds – achieved as a direct result of moving to HTML5 from older technologies. While this is only one example, it demonstrates how HTML5 can impact the accessibility of content, so it’s easy to imagine how big of an impact it can have, and is having, on the wider TV industry.

ACCESS has always strongly believed that standards have a central role to play in changing the way we consume entertainment, so it’s little wonder that we have invested so heavily in HTML5 for our NetFront™ Browser family. The launch of the Chromium Blink engine based NetFront™ Browser BE Software Development Kit (SDK) v2.4 for Linux and Android platforms only reinforces our commitment to HTML5, which we strongly believe to be a key component in the future of the video industry – from 4k to 8k and beyond.

The new HTML5 SDK supports features needed to quickly integrate a high performance Chromium based solution into a consumer product. It includes the Chromium Embedded Framework v3 for Linux platforms, an Android browser SDK for embedding into branded apps, an external media player API so that proven media solutions can be leveraged, and an external decoder framework enabling high performance hardware assisted rendering even when supporting standards such as EME/MSE. We deliver SDKs to our development partners and customers for a range of System on Chips (SoC), including Broadcom, MStar, Intel, Renesas, Amlogic and Socionext. Add to this support for the latest standards such as HbbTV 2.0.1, ARIB STD-B62/TR-B39, Freeview Play and YouTube on TV 2017 plus the in-built content protection with the Encrypted Media Extensions (EME). It is clear to see that the solution provides the answers to the industry’s current challenges – making content accessible as easily as possible, across as many platforms as possible and in the best possible format.

Now is the time for operators to fully embrace HTML5 and start to reap the benefits of a cross platform worldwide standard rather than developing and maintaining for a multitude of OS specific solutions. If you’re looking for insight into how HTML5 compatible browsers can help improve your services or launch additional ones, we would be happy to hear from you. From smartphones and tablets through to e-Readers, games consoles like the new Nintendo Switch, smart TV portals including Foxxum, 4K capable TVs like the new Hisense range, and automotive head units, we have shipped our technology in over 1.5 billion devices so we know what it takes to deliver the products that consumers desire.

To see NetFront Browser BE v2.4 live in action, please arrange a meeting with us at IBC 2017 (stand #14.D14) by contacting tv@access-company.com

Connected TV

ANGACOM 2017: Making the cut: how pay-TV operators can thrive in a cordless generation

Posted on by Robert Guest

Millennials and Generation Z’s will soon be the dominant age bracket, but these tech savvy consumers are already reshaping the pay-TV landscape. After years of steady growth and being relatively unchallenged, pay-TV operators in mature markets, such as Europe and North America, are facing the chop as younger audiences cut the cord.

Originally, the cord-cutting phenomenon was confined to the United States. However, in recent years it has crossed the Atlantic and the snip of the scissors is starting to resonate across Europe, with the hardest hit being the Benelux and Scandinavian markets as well as some areas in Central and Eastern Europe.

Case in point: Germany

Western Europe appears to be bucking the trend and Germany’s pay-TV market, in particular, has seen steady growth. Germany is one of the largest TV markets with the largest and best-financed public broadcasting system in the world. Since 2012, its pay-TV market has grown 30% and last year alone the number of subscribers increased to 7.8 million.

Of course, just because Germany’s pay-TV market is currently flourishing, it doesn’t mean operators should avoid looking for new ways to enhance their services to attract and retain subscribers. We will be attending ANGACOM in Cologne to discuss how German operators can retain a competitive edge in a market that is competing with an unprecedented number of service providers, by focusing on the following three points:

  1. Getting to know the end-users’ needs better
    Consumers are using more sources than ever before to access content and this is creating an abundance of data, around 2.5 billion GB a day.  Operators need to harness this data to identify consumer’s habits and tailor their services accordingly. Besides the portfolio optimization, effectively utilising this data, operators can retain a competitive edge by driving personalisation and recommendation, which will ultimately enhance the consumer experience. For example, a fan of Orange is the New Black is more likely to be interested in Stranger Things rather than a period drama. However, by supporting the full range of public, private and premium content sources operators can offer easily more than “safe” options in order to let subscribers discover new content.
  2. Providing easy access to both personal content and external sources
    In the TV Everywhere age, it is crucial that operators enable media distribution on all devices and between all screens. The proliferation of personal devices, such as smartphones, laptops and tablets, means consumers expect content to be available anytime, anywhere and on any device. Furthermore, end-users love to access content “right-away” without the need of remembering where to which content is available. Operators and content brands can cooperate to enable a one-stop solution for content consumption, applying a shop-in-shop system for the accordingly integrated brands as well as lowering the costs to reach the end-users. Thus, creating one solution to access all types of content from private to premium is key.
  3. Not compromising on security
    Whilst operators need to provide consumers with seamless access to all types of content, they must also fulfil the latest studio obligations on security and content protection.

Enabling easy distribution of content across all devices of a service including e.g. place-shifting functionality and maintaining the necessary level of security is the key to providing such services without headaches. In 2014, we launched ACCESS Twine™ to address this growing requirement and to be able to apply multiple Digital Rights Management and Conditional Access technologies within one single solution. Last year, we also extended our partnership with Verimatrix to ensure that there is a future-proof solution that caters to all media sources and all devices without requiring operators to invest in costly solutions for each.

Whilst the cord-cutting phenomenon is a concern for pay-TV operators, there are steps that can be taken to recapture the eyes of the cordless generation. By using the right technology, operators can enhance their services and ensure they remain competitive in a rapidly changing TV landscape.

Connected CarConnected TV

CES 2017: taking connectivity to the next stage

Posted on by ACCESS Europe

Beyond the myriad of smartphones, fridges, drones and robots, CES offers an annual reminder as to why technology is such a fantastic area of business: by combining creativity with efficiency, we can provide new services that improve our everyday lives in a heartbeat. Yet, it’s important to remember that each of these fabulous new products have required months of development, testing and design to be shown on the Las Vegas show floor – and of course, better connectivity, which has become the crux of technological innovation. Reflecting on this, we are proud to see the level of innovation that we have witnessed in automotive and video at the show:

TV: shinier displays and better integrated solutions
In our CES Preview blog, we reminisced about the evolution of TV over the past 50 years. The days of the black and white, one-channel screen are long gone. Instead, our digital lives are coming to a screen near you, thanks to greater connectivity, sharper contrasts and better forms of integration.

Our main focus at CES was on new services such as NVidia’s The Shield, an Android-powered TV box supporting YouTube in 4K, Netflix in HDR and access to Google Play movies, Amazon Video and games streaming.

As strong believers in the idea that content sources need to be made accessible to consumers in an easy, centralised way, we are very excited about this new advance in aggregated media libraries. Our mission is to enable operators to offer best in class experiences across multiple devices and content sources through products like ACCESS Twine™, regardless of the hardware and infrastructure to deliver this content to the consumer.

Operators that want to ensure that consumers stay within their branded environment for all their media needs will need to combine quality content catalogues with content aggregation and data collection for analytics features within their apps. By using solutions that also support secure media re-distribution across all platforms and HTML5 powered experiences for HbbTV and other current standards, operators can deliver immersive experiences to subscribers on the beautiful displays showcased at CES.

Automotive: concept cars galore
Since the advent of connectivity in the car, CES has been the place to go to discover first hand the latest announcements, concept cars and products in the automotive space, an industry that is reported to weigh about 25% of all activity at CES. While the traditional players showed their innovations, like e.g. BMW’s BMWi Inside Future gave visitors to the show a glance at the future of its autonomous fleet, Mercedes’ EQ’s 24-inch display confirmed that connectivity and User Experience were at the core of its future ambitions.  Besides that, upcoming players showed their new products and concepts. A particularly prominent one is Faraday Future, which was founded in 2014 to rival Tesla. At CES, Faraday Futures presented its FF91 electric vehicle, slated to ship in 2018.

What we found particularly interesting however is the combination of consumer electronics and the automotive industry going one step further with the integration of Amazon’s cloud-based voice service, Alexa, inside Ford’s SYNC 3-enabled cars. This integration will provide advanced features like weathering updates, locking or starting the car remotely. Others, like BMW, Nissan and Toyota, are investing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to better assist drivers as we transit from our current, driver-centric industry to the far away driverless future.

CES was also a perfect opportunity for us to reunite with other members of the GENIVI Alliance, and to showcase our solutions for the automotive sector: ACCESS Twine™ Car and our HTML5-based NetFront™ Browser family. These solutions enable car infotainment to support media distribution for Head-Units, Rear-Seat Entertainment and Bring-Your-Own-Devices as well as HTML5 based browsing and applications. Centralized control, general usage data creation and complementary cloud components to manage users, devices, content metadata and usage data enable easy service integrations. This provides manufacturers and Tier 1s with readily available solutions to enrich custom in-vehicle infotainment systems.

If you’ve missed us at the show but would like to know more about our solutions, please contact automotive@access-company.com (Automotive) or tv@access-company.com (Video). Alternatively, head to our website for more information.

Connected CarConnected TV

CES 2017: 50 years of automotive and TV innovation

Posted on by ACCESS Europe

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is turning 50 in 2017, which gives us a perfect opportunity to look back on how the automotive and video worlds have evolved.

TV: from one channel to TV Everywhere

Younger readers of our blog might not remember it, but back in the 1970s, watching TV was a lot less diverse than today. Germany was divided into two separate countries with radically different TV cultures and the rest of Europe consisted almost entirely of public broadcasters, with British TV airing just three channels: BBC1, BBC2 and ITV. Today, each consumer can access a plethora of channels from a number of sources (cable, IP, Over-The-Top, satellite, terrestrial) and across an incredibly wide range of topics such as sports, news, reality TV and TV series.

In addition, the rise of new video sources like YouTube and the move that social media platforms are turning into smaller scale broadcasters is providing viewers with access to even more content. This in turn has led to the requirement for good quality Electronic Programme Guides (EPGs) and search engine, as well as a need for better user experience solutions.

While this may come as a surprise to many, even though there wasn’t much variety in the content people had access to back in the 1970s, the Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) was born in that era. An incredibly viral video last year showed that children today have no clue how this device works anymore, which demonstrates that we are indeed in a completely digital era for consumption, storage and security. Today, viewers use the cloud to store their content, restart a programme exactly where they left it off and appreciate lifelike details using Ultra HD and High Dynamic Range (HDR) ready TVs.

We are very excited to see that our product portfolio is at the intersection of these technologies, enabling broadcasters and operators to offer state-of-the-art experiences across multiple devices and content sources. ACCESS Twine™ provides content aggregation & data collection for analytics features that can be easily integrated within operator-powered apps to ensure that consumers stay within the operator’s branded environment for all their media needs. Our solution also facilitates secure media re-distribution across all platforms, including support for state-of-the-art end-to-end DRM and DLNA® VidiPath™. Our NetFront™ Browser family also enables a seamless HTML5 powered experience across all screens – from smartphones and tablets through to the next generation TV screens. ACCESS’ solutions include WebKit-based NetFront™ Browser NX and Chromium-based NetFront™ Browser BE, both available as HbbTV editions.

Automotive: 50 years preparing for the driverless car?

‘The Car’, a thriller about a rogue driverless car committing murders in a remote area of the US, was released back in 1977. While the evil machine trope wasn’t new in any way, it shows how far back we started thinking that our cars would drive themselves one day. Cars today may be smart, capable of parking themselves and towing each other, but the days of the fully autonomous, driverless car are still a few years away as the industry solves fundamental challenges of security and passenger experience.

The automotive revolution is moving up a gear and we’re proud to be an active player in one of the most exciting areas of technology today, such as In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI). We are now preparing for the next wave of technology innovation that will be presented on the show floor and discussed in a number of tracks, including Automotive and personal mobility, Connect2Car and Vehicle Technology.

We have been involved in the movement towards more connectivity and entertainment in the car for a number of years, working with OEMs and Tier 1s alike to build the in-vehicle infotainment experiences of the future. Using standards-based proprietary solutions, we are opening the door to seamless solutions that can be accessed directly via the head unit or the driver’s own mobile device plugged into the car for a truly personal feel.

As members of the GENIVI Alliance, we will be showcasing how ACCESS Twine™ for automotive and our HTML5-based NetFront™ Browser family enable car infotainment to support 2- and 3-way media sharing for Head-Units, Rear-Seat Entertainment and Bring-Your-Own-Devices, HTML5 based browsing, control, applications and media re-distribution playback together with usage data creation and cloud components for easy service integrations.

We hope you are as excited about what the future holds for TV Everywhere and IVI as we are, and we look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas! To register to meet with us at the GENIVI Networking Reception at CES 2017, contact automotive@access-company.com.

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