special report the connected world supplement


interaction, the simplification and aggregation of the most compelling content is in the hands of the service provider. Yet, the future will be far from exclusive. The world of universal broadband access and connected devices is one that also allows content to be found and consumed easily and directly. Content owners will benefit from this ability to deliver content that consumers want, directly to their devices. Multi-screen TV should be about far


more than just making popular television and movies available in different places. It must give people access to the content that is most important to them - the content they own. Consumers should be able to enjoy their home subscription services - including DVR, PVR, nPVR and catch- up - when they are not at home and their home TV service provider is best placed to deliver this capability. Consumers will expect to be able to


access their favourite content on their preferred screens, yet be able to use any screen if they have paid for access. This means pay once for content they can then watch in multiple locations and enjoy the convenience of a single bill for all their video usage. It should also be possible to manage account preferences centrally, including parental control and credit levels, and have them applied everywhere. All family members would benefit from a single point of authentication and a common user ID that gives them near-instant access to video services across all screens without having to go through onerous log-in procedures. Consumers should also be enabled


to evolve. Multi-screen TV is not a service, it is a way of life, an evolution through which everyone will consume, share and interact. Just as the CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, always-on broadband, Facebook, and the iPad are examples that changed consumer outlook forever - increasing the expectation and starting the erosion of what went before it - service providers must evolve with their customers, form new alliances, challenge ways of working and ultimately define media consumption of the future.


Integrated platforms for the unified experience


Today, the majority of TV service providers generally use different platforms to service TV, web and mobile users, each providing distinct


functional needs. These functions include content management and workflow, metadata management, encoding and DRM, device management, delivery platforms and networks and user experience creating portals and middleware. Duplicating these functions for each video service and platform is inefficient and prevents the integration needed to realise the potential within multi-screen entertainment. Service providers must therefore


look towards developing a single system that can be responsible eventually for delivering content to all screens - one that is both platform agnostic and network agnostic. It needs to be flexible, extensible and centrally accessible. While unifying the way services are managed physically, it must also be sensitive to the organisational realities within each individual TV service provider. Traditionally, one group might be responsible for managing VOD on television and another responsible for managing on-demand services to the web and mobile. A unified multi-screen TV service


requires an integrated multi-screen TV solution. This implies that there must also be a common service management and delivery infrastructure for television, capable of handling multiple and very different access, display and control environments. At the same time, it must be recognised that each TV service provider will have their own legacy architectures to work alongside or integrate, their own business workflows and partnerships with third party content owners and advertisers to support, and their own regulatory regimes to comply with.


Ericsson End-to-Endless multi-screen at IBC


Based on Ericsson’s experiences in delivering video across a variety of platforms, and consumption devices such as TVs, mobile devices, or PCs - our basis for multi-screen TV is unprecedented. Rather than develop service platforms that are vertically focussed on target devices or delivery network type, we have built a unified service delivery platform that simplifies the operator’s delivery of multi-screen services. Combing common functions on content management, service control, and media processing - a unified multi- screen delivery service is a reality.


Just as the CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, always-on broadband, Facebook, and the iPad are examples that changed consumer outlook forever - increasing the expectation and starting the erosion of what went before it - service providers must evolve with their customers, form new alliances, challenge ways of working and ultimately define media consumption of the future.


Utilising an architecture that enables an operator to provide a compelling experience, but also deliver and maintain that service in a cost- effective manner, is the core tenant of the Ericsson End-to-Endless approach. The Ericsson multi-screen TV


solution is built upon the knowledge and expertise gained from having all of the components in-house, yet with a real understanding that operators need to leverage their existing investments. This is our critically different approach. Whatever the starting position, and this is nearly always a linear TV platform of some kind, or producing content for linear TV distribution, the Ericsson philosophy for multi-screen will be to ‘add, integrate and harness’ to deliver a solution that is greater than the sum of its parts. At IBC this year, we’ll be


demonstrating our complete and flexible multi-screen TV solution, which is based on pre-integrated products from Ericsson. Designed to enable operators to delight consumers with the advanced experiences of tomorrow, our solution enables service providers to monetise the opportunities of increasing devices and screens and the growing consumer attraction to using them. All the products we make have a part to play in enabling a networked society towards multi-screen TV. Having the knowledge of the


technology, consumer desires, architectures and ecosystems is critical, along with a willingness to integrate best in class products with existing investments. This is End-to- Endless television. Our philosophy. We believe that only by understanding, shaping and defining a vision of tomorrow can Ericsson enable its customers to realise their potential. The multi-screen TV opportunity and threat is far greater than many imagine, and we believe we are uniquely placed to help our customers to harness the greatest change to our industry for a long time.


www.ibeweb.com l the connected world supplement september/october 2011 l ibe l S19


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