Connected TV

What the HbbTV Association Operator Application means for MPVDs

Posted on by Robert Guest

As an original joint French-German initiative in 2009 that gained early success as an OTT and broadcast syndicated standard, HbbTV has matured into a harmonising open standard facilitating the delivery of content to a wide range of compatible devices, leading increasing numbers of operators to rethink their multiscreen strategy. In an effort to make the platform even more open and to expand its functionality, HbbTV announced last year the launch of HbbTV2.0, and even more recently, that it is developing specifications for operator applications.

Freeview Play in the UK was one of the first adopters of HbbTV 2.0, which enabled it to add catch-up and on-demand services to Freeview’s traditional Electronic Program Guide (EPG) in a standards based way rather than using a proprietary approach. Since its deployment, users have been afforded access to a rich set of advanced TV services like catchup TV, interactive advertising, enhanced electronic program guides and Video on Demand (VoD) from leading broadcasters – BBC, Channel 4, ITV and Channel 5 – complementing their respective broadcast content.

ACCESS, Pixsan and Strategy & Technology supported this initiative through “Project Uno”, our shared source code base for DVB and Over-The-Top (OTT) hybrid TV platforms offering European HbbTV providers and their partners opportunities to accelerate future device deployments and innovation. Our joint solution combines Pixsan’s UTK framework for core DVB functionality with Strategy & Technology’s Redkey MHEG5 software receiver engine for interactive overlays and backwards compatibility. These features are complemented by ACCESS’ NetFront™ Browser HbbTV profile, a WebKit or Chromium based browser solution extended with HbbTV components and optimized for embedded devices to execute HTML5-based services.

Building on the original success of Freeview Play, the HbbTV Association is taking the standard a step further with the announcement of the upcoming HbbTV 2.0 specifications for operator applications, which we welcome with open arms, as it enables TV operators to develop their set-top box or TV set applications using commonly used web technologies. This facilitates the development of a single branded user experience across multiple screens for the delivery of any kind of TV service, including free-to-air and payTV, delivered over satellite, terrestrial, cable and IPTV.

While the new specifications have yet to be unveiled, the advantages for operators looking to offer both free-to-air and payTV across Europe are clear: consumers now expect to get a seamless experience regardless of the device used to access the service or the content watched, which HbbTV 2.0 enables operators to deliver.

As TV standards evolve to adapt to new consumer behaviours, this new chapter in the history of HbbTV will make it a much stronger proposition across the whole of Europe and beyond – including emerging markets that are starting to deploy free-to-air and OTT/VoD multiscreen service, such as the Middle East, Africa and India, who do not yet have clear standards.

Written by Robert Guest, Global Product Director at ACCESS; Jon Williams, Founder and Director, Pixsan; David Cutts, Managing Director and co-founder, S&T

Connected TV

ANGACOM 2016: where all services converge

Posted on by Robert Guest

The cable industry has faced many challenges in recent years. From the advent of OTT services through to consumer demand for multiscreen, operators have learned to adapt to a new era of content consumption where the consumer is King. However, with the PayTV market expected to grow to €2.4 billion in Germany and €2.6 billion in other German speaking markets, it appears that operators have retained their competitive edge despite the rising popularity of OTT services. At ANGACOM, we anticipate that many of the discussions will focus on how operators can stay ahead of the curve whilst simultaneously increasing customer loyalty and boosting revenue. In the run up to the event we’ve developed a step-by-step guide for operators on how to remain competitive:

1)    Step one: Understand your audience
Recently, there has been a lot of discussion around Big Data and how it can drive personalisation and recommendation. Prior to the proliferation of connected devices, it was quite easy to imagine every consumer having relatively similar viewing habits. However, now consumers are using numerous personal devices to access content, which means there is an abundance of data providing insight into what content different TV audiences are watching, what device they are using and at what time. For example, a person may reach for their smartphone as soon as they wake up to access world news but watch their soap operas on their tablet whilst cooking dinner.

Service providers who want to deliver an unrivalled experience to their subscribers need to be able to utilise this data effectively. Our multiscreen management platform ACCESS Twine™ enables the TV industry to aggregate data on consumer habits, device usage and facilitates the deployment of highly targeted content catalogues and personalised search and discovery options.

2)    Step two: Deliver content to every device  
The multiscreen era means that consumers expect to be able to access content at any time, any place and on all the devices they own. The reward for service providers who can achieve this is huge: they will have a far more detailed view of their customers than ever before. Then, being able to store and analyse the data coming in from multiple data sources empowers service providers and operators to provide more sophisticated recommendation engines to retain customer loyalty. It also allows them to design user experiences that take advantage of the varying interaction methods used to access content from connected devices. After all, no matter how great the recommendations are, a consumer will abandon a service if it does not provide a cohesive and familiar delivery of the user interface and content across all the devices they use. Thus, it is critical to provide a compelling cross-platform user interface that accommodates subscribers who are accessing content via everything, from touch screens on smartphones to gamepads on game consoles, and to the traditional TV remote control.

This is where our NetFront™ Browser family can help: regardless of the device’s capabilities, we have a solution that ensures that consumers can enjoy a seamless experience on every platform. Operators have the benefit of a standards-based approach, enabling them to reuse their code across devices. It also provides easy access to the services that consumers demand, such as BBC iPlayer and other catch up TV services, and YouTube on TV, within the controlled operator environment.

3)    Step three: Protect your content
Whilst consumers want to be able to access content from any device, operators need to ensure that the content is protected in order to fulfil their studio obligations. To offer the latest Hollywood blockbuster or acclaimed TV series, operators need to be in control of the media sharing experience by deploying solutions that protect assets every step of the way. By deploying market ready solutions that enable operators to better understand their subscribers, devices used to access the service and ensuring the highest level of security, MPVDs can stay safe in the knowledge that their content is secure.

We have developed ACCESS Twine™ with this idea in mind. Alongside DLNA-compliant media sharing, it supports a wide range of Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems to ensure that content remains protected – and hence only accessible by authorized users. ACCESS Twine™ also enables consumers to securely access their content when away from home.

The days of PayTV and Over-The-Top (OTT) in opposition are now over: by using the right technology, operators can turn OTT services into a complimentary offering available directly within their service. This enables operators to remain in control of the relationship with consumers and to become their main advisor for all their video needs.

Connected TV

Securing multiscreen revenue in an unlocked set-top world

Posted on by Robert Guest

Keeping consumers captive has always proved a difficult task, and while the multiscreen era is opening doors to a more immersive and consumer-friendly video experience, it is also radically transforming the way video services are accessed and throwing up new challenges to multi-channel video programming distributors (MVPDs). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced in January that a new framework would force cable operators to “unlock” their set-top boxes, effectively empowering consumers by letting them get TV channels delivered to connected devices without going through a third-party set-top.

Summarizing the proposal, the FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler explained: “Consumers should be able to have the choice of accessing programming through the MVPD-provided interface on a payTV set-top box or app, or through devices such as a tablet or smart TV using a competitive app or software. MVPDs and competitors should be able to differentiate themselves and compete based on the experience they offer users, including the quality of the user interface and additional features like suggested content, integration with home entertainment systems, caller ID and future innovations.”

Cable operators, the largest group of MVPDs, have voiced some concerns as the initiative will have an immediate impact on their rental fees and may facilitate cord cutting. However, unlocking the set-top box (STB) could also reduce the costs associated with customer premise equipment (CPE) development, giving the operators a clear benefit. CPE demands a very significant CAPEX and OPEX investment for many MVPDs, although operators tend to keep costs secret. Experts estimate that STBs with multiple tuners and an internal hard disk for PVR functions are in the $150+ price range, so this is a significant cost. With the addition of installation, activation and support, total costs for a new subscriber are likely to absorb a full year of revenue for a typical western European cable or satellite MVPD. Surely, reducing this cost and transferring it to consumers who provide their own devices could be seen as beneficial for most MVPDs.

We think that this new era provides an opportunity to rethink how video services are delivered to meet the consumer desire to use multiple devices to access content. Instead of losing ground due to long drawn out development cycles, MVPDs can differentiate themselves by adding new compelling services to their current offering, such as VoD, Ultra High Definition (UHD), pay-per-view, on-demand and live content. Providing consumers seamless access to their content, such as PVR recordings throughout the home, and remote access when away from home, could be a key feature in retaining consumers as the industry evolves. An added benefit of launching MVPD-owned multiscreen services with branded apps is that all devices can open back-end monetization opportunities such as targeted advertising and the use of ad-insertion technologies.

The easiest and most cost-effective option to deliver this experience is through a hybrid system, such as our multiscreen management solution ACCESS Twine™. This solution enables MVPDs to provide a seamless, branded experience across a wide range of devices. Consumers can access the MVPD and their own content library, and even move to another service such as YouTube, without ever leaving the MVPD’s branded environment. This ensures that consumers remain loyal to the operator, regardless of the content they watch, and provides MVPDs with the perfect platform to deliver added value such as personalised ad insertions within programmes.

While US cable operators are still worrying about securing their revenue, this hybrid approach is already being deployed and proving economically viable in Europe. For a few years, BSkyB in the UK has been deploying hybrid options, including contract-free OTT/VOD services under its ‘Now TV’ brand, accessible via a low cost STB or simply from the customer’s tablet or smartphone. This has not detracted from the development of higher end services, such as the new Sky Q, for its core subscribers. Dutch operators KPN and Ziggo have both launched STB-less services while Swisscom and Deutsche Telekom have also trialled “virtual STB” concepts across the DACH region, showing that unlocking the set-top doesn’t spell the end of cable services.

It would be ironic if the biggest gainers from the unlocking of the STB were the existing PayTV operators. They may well find that this new freedom empowers them to build a more personal relationship with subscribers – even down to each individual in the household – and deliver a more compelling product across multiple devices whilst delivering greater value to advertisers.

To learn more about ACCESS’ multiscreen product portfolio, please head to our website. Alternatively, you can contact tv@access-company.com to arrange a meeting with our representatives.

Connected Car

Personalising the in-car experience

Posted on by Robert Guest

In our previous blog on CES 2016, we highlighted how new technology is enabling us to stay connected while we are in the car. Interestingly, many car manufacturers launched new connected services during the consumer electronics show, demonstrating how much the automotive and communications industries are becoming intertwined. General Motors’ new app is a good example of connectivity applied to the automotive sector: it enables consumers’ smartphones to interact with their vehicle, even allowing drivers to start their car remotely, adjust the temperature and park via their smartphones or tablets, effectively showing an alternative option to the trusty car key. Ford also discussed a joint venture with Amazon to explore how a connected car could talk to your smart home and vice versa, and Volvo announced a new media streaming service for self-driving cars.

The number of initiatives turning cars into a connected device is clearly on the rise, and aligns with the growing consumer expectation to be “always on”. From a technical point of view, however, this raises a few questions:

  • Should manufacturers ditch bespoke integrated solutions for a Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) approach?
  • How can consumers access their personal content inside the car whether it is on their local device(s) or at home?
  • Can technology create a transportation experience that is genuinely personal for each driver?

Integrated systems accessible from the head unit have long enabled drivers to access maps, weather forecast and fuel levels, enabling automotive manufacturers to maintain control over the driving experience and ensuring that motorists focus on the road rather than tinkering with buttons. While a BYOD approach provides more flexibility for consumers, it doesn’t always respond to these core requirements. This is why we believe that the right solution is a hybrid approach using standards-based technology, combining the security and reliability of the embedded in-car system with the flexibility and connectivity of BYOD.

Connectivity opens new doors for a more personal connection between the manufacturer and the driver. On the one hand, the head unit can aggregate data about the different car subsystems and store this information locally for later retrieval. On the other, connectivity enables drivers and passengers to access additional content, such as new or updated maps and music libraries, for each trip simply by downloading them via the cloud. The customer’s usage patterns can be fed back to the manufacturer via secured networks to enable them to create a new, more personal experience based on the driver’s favourite destinations, driving style, preferred music genres, etc. The information can even be utilised to ensure that the car delivers health and safety messages in a timely fashion for driver safety.

While we’re still a long way away from turning our cars into robotic butlers, 2016 is the year that personalisation begins, and we will see our cars start to tune into our habits to help us enjoy the road more than ever.

To learn more about ACCESS’ solutions for the Automotive industry, please visit our website.

ACCESS will also be showing its solutions for the connected car at the GENIVI members meeting in Paris, France (April 26-29) and the Automotive Electronics Conference in Ludwigsburg, Germany (June 14-15).

Connected CarConnected TV

We’re better connected: What we learned at CES

Posted on by Robert Guest

The recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) demonstrated that there really is no end to innovation in the technology world. The never-ending stream of new gadgets popping up at CES 2016 confirmed that connectivity is pervading every aspect of our lives, as demonstrated by the following three trends:

TV Screens: Sleeker and with more pixels

TVs are always a must see at CES. From the curved screens of last year, we have now moved to ones that can be rolled up and, more excitingly, to better resolutions than we could ever have imagined. This is enabled by new compression standards like Ultra High Definition (UHD) and, more recently, High Dynamic Range. HDR content and displays demonstrate a much greater range of brightness and luminosity, making images on the TV become closer to what we see before us in real life – effectively delivering a much more lifelike and immersive experience for viewers.

Wearables: Health and fitness is not just for the New Year

While the first few weeks of January sees a glut of health and fitness related products – from celebrity workout DVDs to smoothie makers – it also piggy-backed onto the continuing popularity of wearables to become a massive trend at CES, combining practicality with style. There was an abundance of smart clothes, including connected leggings and baby socks that alert parents in case a baby has problems breathing, as well as smart shoes that can substitute as a personal trainer. The race to connect continues, but this year’s CES has proved that consumers were planning to achieve this with style.

Connected ‘’Smart’’ Cars: We will all become Knight riders

When Knight Rider, the show featuring a fully autonomous car with artificial intelligence, was aired back in the 1980s, the thought of the real world having autonomous cars was pure fantasy. This year’s CES saw these dreams become reality, making it ever more apparent that cars are transforming into fully autonomous vehicles. New technologies demonstrated at CES aim to transform the passenger experience with panoramic screens that provide a range of infotainment and multimedia features. A multitude of features, such as turning on headlamps and opening garage doors automatically when a vehicle reaches a certain distance from home, are also enabling cars to evolve into real-life companions that can support day-to-day life.

The in-car infotainment experience is something we are heavily involved in through a range of embedded solutions that are integrated with automotive human-machine-interfaces (HMI), device management, dashboard and multimedia systems. Our solutions offer car manufacturers and tier-one suppliers the added confidence of deploying market proven technologies that deliver interactive content in resource constrained environments.

At CES, we showed our latest automotive innovations at the GENIVI showcase at CES, while multiscreen enthusiasts could see how our solutions deliver exciting new seamless and secure experiences across all screens at the Telechips suite at the Palazzo Hotel, or on the INNOPIA stand on the show floor.

For more information, please contact: tv@access-europe.com.

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