Alticast and ContentWise collaborate to expand Personalized TV market reach

ContentWise the personalization, discovery, analytics and metadata expert, and Alticast, today announced that they are integrating the ContentWise personalization system with the Alticast AltiPlex SDP (Service Delivery Platform) and AltiPlatform middleware to provide pay-TV and OTT operators with a powerful and flexible end-to-end software solution. 

Visitors to IBC will be able to see the platform demonstrated on the ContentWise stand (14.K05).

“More and more Alticast customers are looking to provide a highly personalized TV experience,” said Joon Hee Oh, Cloud Business Unit Leader at Alticast. “The integration with ContentWise expands our ability to provide operators with the tools to deliver state-of-the-art personalized TV experiences, allowing them to attract and retain customers and advance revenue opportunities.”

Alticast has developed an end-to-end architecture comprised of a cost-effective cloud server solution, portable STB middleware, proven content protection and a ground breaking UI/UX. The Alticast solution provides pay-TV and OTT operators with an advanced high-quality, cost-effective system delivered expeditiously.

ContentWise is the TV personalization software that provides broadcast, cable, satellite, IPTV, OTT and video streaming operators with total control over the curation and automation of the Personalized TV experience. ContentWise provides a data-driven UX engine that provides full control over each personalized user interface element across platforms through a set of visual layout tools.  The combination of algorithmic and social recommendations, predictive browsing and context awareness provides the most sophisticated content discovery solution on the market. The solution also enables content programmers to achieve unprecedented control thanks to predictive performance tools with support for curation, dynamic streams, business rules and A/B testing.

“Alticast and ContentWise share similar product philosophies: designing solutions that enable operators to provide consumers with the best possible TV experience,” said Pancrazio Auteri, CTO of ContentWise. “There is already a high-level of interest in our joint solution and we look forward to ensuring that a ContentWise TV experience powered by Alticast’s end-to-end solution will offer the advanced deep personalization that’s essential to maximizing consumer engagement and operator monetization.” 

The impact of pay-TV’s shift to the cloud

Changes in technology and consumer expectations and a desire for more efficient service delivery are driving pay-TV providers to seek cloud-based workflow solutions. In this story in the IBC edition of Cable & Satellite International, Joon Hee, head of Cloud Services for Alticast, discusses the connections between virtualization and Big Data, as well as the implications of virtualization for enterprise and hospitality systems. Alticast will be showcasing a wide range of solutions for pay-TV providers at IBC stand 1.F39 September 9-13 at the RAI Amsterdam.

Visit Alticast at CES

CES 2016: ALTICAST INNOVATION DRIVES BUSINESS RESULTS FOR PAY-TV OPERATORS

Alticast will demonstrate at CES 2016 how solutions at the intersection of pay-TV and consumer electronics are enabling cost-effective delivery of new services that engage millennials, enhance video experiences and allow for new services that increase the value of pay-TV bundles.

At its exhibit at the Venetian (Rooms 30-224 and 30-225), Alticast will show examples of its innovation across emerging technologies –including Android, RDK, cloud and IoT services – that build on successful deployments with operators worldwide.

During the January 6-9 event, Alticast will show how:

·       Latin American, U.S. mid-tier and Tier 1 operators can replicate the experiences of a leading Vietnamese operator that successfully deployed a completely integrated suite of Alticast products for delivery of live and on-demand services to low-cost set-top boxes and mobile devices.

·       Pay-TV operators with large footprints of legacy set-top boxes can migrate the user experience to the cloud, enabling delivery of advanced user experiences and personalized services while preserving investment in existing hardware.

·       Operators can engage millennials by simply and cost-effectively implementing an elegant, personalized and sophisticated approach to navigation using multi-pronged metadata connections and state of the art discovery techniques.

·       The versatility of the Alticast Application Framework enables operators to adapt seamlessly to changing market needs by supporting Android-based STB solutions as well as RDK, allowing use of native and HTML5 applications and providing a migration path to IPTV.

·       U.S. mid-tier, Latin American and other operators can partner with CE device manufacturers to create complete solutions that enrich content discovery, including single-search integration between pay-TV and OTT content catalogs and voice-activated navigation.

·       Home automation and other IoT functionality can be aggregated on existing STBs or new data gateways, allowing for partnerships and revenue sources that offer quick time-to-market, while leveraging the operators’ existing broadband infrastructures.

Media and industry analysts interested in meeting with Alticast executives at CES 2016 should contact pspr@att.net to schedule a date and time.

Cloud DVRs Are on the Rise

Telefónica, a telco IPTV operator in Spain, has nearly tripled its video subscriber total since December thanks to its cloud DVR rollout. Telefónica’s early success in Spain is a good indicator of what’s to come in North America when the benefits of cloud DVR services catch on.

A cloud-based DVR system offers a range of flexibility and accessibility that consumers can’t get through the traditional STB-based service. Consumers are able to schedule recordings from anywhere at any time, and then stream those recordings to mobile devices or computers without worrying about exceeding storage. They will also gain access to a variety of content libraries with a recommendation engine.

Because cable operators are able to remotely provide software updates to millions of homes through the cloud, consumers won’t have to deal with purchasing a new STB with more storage or even upgrading their current one. Alticast offers a cloud DVR solution that reduces maintenance of disk storage for operators while making it possible to add features and content as needed. It’s just a matter of time until the cloud DVR becomes the new standard, and Alticast has technology to keep up with the times.

Visit Alticast at IBC

Alticast Demonstrates Cloud Services and Security Solutions at IBC 2015

Alticast, a global partner for the delivery of media entertainment, will demonstrate how video service providers can deliver new cloud-based services and ensure the security of Ultra HD (UHD) content at IBC 2015.  The demonstrations will take place in the Alticast booth (1.F36), September 11-15, at the RAI Exhibition and Conference Centre in Amsterdam.

Key demonstrations at IBC 2015 will include:

·       The AltiPlex™ Cloud Services Platform (CSP), which allows service providers to virtually deliver, operate and manage multiscreen services. In addition, AltiPlex CSP provides:

      Cloud UI, a server-client user interface (UI) rendering engine, enabling the migration of the UI from the STB to the cloud, while delivering an improved user experience (UX) to legacy and new STBs. This innovative solution can deliver multiple UIs to different devices in a household, for example a UI tailored for the children and one for the family. 

Cloud DVR, a cloud-based recording, storage and multiscreen content delivery system. Providing time-shift viewing and live catch up services, this solution allows subscribers to watch anytime, anywhere. It supports multiple business and storage models allowing operators to build the system that meets their needs.

·       The new AltiProtect™ security solution as deployed by CJ Hellovision in Korea to protect its UHD content will be on display, highlighting the full line of AltiProtect CAS/DRM/DTCP-IP solutions. AltiProtect can be remotely installed onto legacy and new STBs as well as other devices with the AltiProtect Download and Exchange Framework.

·       An end-to-end solution comprised of AltiView™ UI, AltiPlatform™ STB software, AltiPlex, CSP and AltiProtect as deployed by a leading Vietnamese Pay TV operator to deliver live and on-demand services to STBs and mobile devices. This integrated solution has been deployed by the operator at several of its subsidiaries and was chosen for its completeness and because of Alticast’s experience in deploying turn-key solutions worldwide.

·       The Alticast Application Framework supports multiple hardware platforms, UIs and user agents to give operators the flexibility to deploy any combination of Android and RDK software on their STBs, allowing for both native and HTML5 applications. This exceptional flexibility enables operators to quickly and easily adapt to changing market needs.

Media and other parties interested in meeting with Alticast executives at IBC 2015 should contact alticast@mobilitypr.com to schedule a time.

Visit Alticast at IBC

Visit Alticast at INTX

Alticast Highlights Cloud Services and Ultra HD Deployed Solutions at INTX 2015

Alticast, a global partner for the delivery of media entertainment, will demonstrate to attendees of INTX 2015 its newly deployed Ultra HD (UHD) security solution alongside its Cloud Services and other innovations. The demonstrations will take place in Alticast’s booth (1319), May 5-7, at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago.

Alticast will showcase its entire line of solutions at the show, with particular emphasis on its AltiPlex™ Client-Server Cloud solutions, TV Ready User Agent App Framework and AltiProtect™ technology solution.

Key demonstrations at INTX 2015 will include:

          Alticast’s AltiPlex Cloud Services Platform (CSP) provides essential core cloud solutions for handling users, devices, metadata, advertising, big-data support and billing system integration, with a complete web-based management console. Additional options include the dynamic Cloud UI solution allowing operators to deliver a sophisticated user experience (UX) to both their legacy and new set-top boxes (STBs).  The Cloud user interface (UI) can also provide multiple UIs to different devices in a household, for example a UI tailored for kids and one for adults. In addition, Cloud DVR is available for cloud-based recording, storage and delivery of content providing a TV Everywhere experience. AltiPlex CSP is component based, allowing operators to integrate existing portions into their service or to use the complete platform. 

      Alticast will show AltiProtect UHD, the newest addition to its AltiProtect family, that is optimized for UHD security protection and which is paramount for the success of UHD providing more robust security for premium content. Already successfully deployed by CJ Hellovision in Korea, AltiProtect UHD can be remotely installed onto STBs and other devices with the AltiProtect Download Framework, a mechanism to remotely install any AltiProtect CAS/DRM/DTCP-IP or the new UHD solution into STBs and other devices. 

 The company is expanding its HDMI Media Express offering beyond the original thumb drive sized ‘set-top box on a stick’ by adding small tabletop options for IP video delivery with live and on-demand programming being delivered directly from the Cloud or in concert with a home gateway. In the stick form-factor, the product provides a TV Everywhere experience with its download-and-go and plug-and-play capability.  Additionally, HDMI Media Express supports HTML5 and Android application delivery with the flexible Alticast’s TV Ready User Agent application framework that allows multiple user agents to work together on one device. This allows operators to combine HTML5 RDK solutions with Android or Java based solutions all on one device.  

          The new multi-catalog search capability of Alticast’s AltiView 1™ UX, powered by Rovi, allows subscribers to simultaneously search multiple content catalogs from over-the-top (OTT) providers like Netflix, Hulu and YouTube, and select the delivery source.  This gives operators many options for providing OTT services.

In addition to booth demonstrations, President and CTO of Alticast North America, John Carlucci, will present "IoT:  A New Business Model" at INTX’s Imagine Park Innovation Showcase on Tuesday, May 5^th as part of the 4 – 5 p.m. content segment.

Media and other parties interested in meeting with Alticast executives at INTX 2015 should contact alticast@mobilitypr.com to schedule a time.