Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Widespread Wi-Fi Combined with HDMI Sticks Create the Perfect Recipe to Untether the TV Experience


Watching TV on the go is about to get easier than ever with MSOs looking to dramatically increase the number of Wi-Fi hotspots deployed across the United States. The CableWiFi Alliance, which is made up of leading MSOs, including Comcast, Cablevision, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Bright House Networks, recently announced that it now offers access to more than 250,000 Wi-Fi hotspots at no additional charge to qualified customers. Comcast also just unveiled its plan to target 8 million Wi-Fi hotspots by the end of 2014 on top of the 1 million already active Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspots.

The increasing ubiquity of Wi-Fi is a smart move by operators as they expand their TV Everywhere services – and is an ideal complement to our HDMI Media Express “set-top box on a stick” solution.

The size and shape of a typical USB thumb drive, our HDMI Media Express sticks enable subscribers to untether the viewing experience from the living room TV and enjoy it on any HDMI-enabled device, either via a home gateway or by accessing cloud-based content.  This means that you can take your cable content with you on a business trip to watch on your hotel screen.


Clearly, subscribers want to watch TV anywhere – in both the home and on the go – and it behooves MSOs to utilize multiple methods to ensure that their TV Everywhere services are as everywhere as possible.   HDMI sticks and ubiquitous Wi-Fi are definitely two major enablers of TV that can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime and on any devices. More details about the CableWiFi Alliance’s recent announcement and Comcast’s Wi-Fi hotspots news are available at CED Magazine.

No comments:

Post a Comment