It’s official! Check out today’s press release here.
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Let’s take a look back at some of the major trends that ruled NAB 2013.
HEVC
It’s no surprise that HEVC solutions were out in full force at NAB. Consumers continue to demand faster download speeds and more bandwidth, meaning service providers need solutions that can easily scale and accommodate large amounts of content quickly and seamlessly. Motorola continued its storied history of HEVC leadership at the show with a first-ever real-time HEVC encoding demo that included live streaming to a Google Nexus 10 and offline streaming to an iPad. As multiscreen continues to grow in popularity, it’s clear that HEVC is essential for service providers looking to compete in the multi-platform landscape.
Ultra HD (4K)
This next generation of video continued to drive conversations at NAB. Consumers have a growing appetite for more video, on more devices, and they have high expectations from their service providers to offer the best-possible quality of picture. With the increasing demand, Ultra-HD offers users the ultimate consumer experience with four times the resolution of today’s HDTV. Many companies, including Motorola, are beginning to explore solutions to support this enhanced video. As Ultra HD televisions begin to see widespread adoption over the next few years, we expect 4K to be one of the main drivers of new video streaming technologies.
Multiscreen
It’s nearly impossible to attend a TV-focused show these days and avoid hearing about multiscreen. This trend of viewing content on both mobile devices and traditional TV sets continues to pick up steam, with content and service providers jumping on the bandwagon. Solutions like Motorola’s GT-3, an ABR Transcoder that gives customers a screaming-fast three gigapixels of video processing performance, are making it easier for viewers to access high-quality content regardless of the device. Motorola’s Medios+ is another example. The multiscreen service management software suite enables operators to better manage assets, security, monetization, service assurance and personalized experiences that will put them in an ideal position to define “what’s next” in the era of Internet TV.
Conclusion
These trends won’t be going away any time soon. As we look back on this year’s show, it’s clear that being able to view high-quality content on an array of devices is the top priority for consumers and providers alike.
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If you didn’t have a chance to check out Motorola at the NAB Show this year, then take a look below for some our booth photos.
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Author: Sean McCarthy, Ph.D., Fellow of the Technical Staff
At last year’s Cable Show, Ajay Luthra outlined the exciting progress of HEVC as one means of satisfying the growing demand for high-quality video over broadband, wireless and cable networks. As you may remember, HEVC is the next compression standard in line after AVC (MPEG-4 Part 10/H.264), promising to lower significantly the bit rate requirements needed to deliver video – while maintaining the quality experience users demand. In addition, Ajay promised more exciting developments for HEVC over the next year, and as visitors to this year’s NAB Show will see, HEVC is quickly gaining momentum as it nears commercial implementation.
At the NAB Show, Motorola is highlighting the progress and potential of HEVC with three exciting demonstrations. The first showcases real-time HEVC encoding of HD content. The second demonstrates real-time decoding of HD-resolution HEVC content on tablets. And the third previews the next-generation of real-time HEVC decoding targeted for set top boxes and other consumer devices.
What’s striking to me is that Motorola is demonstrating real-time HEVC encoding and decoding on platforms that look and feel like commercial and professional AVC products that have been years in the making. When AVC was first launched commercially, encoders where large power-hungry affairs that where yet to have the streamlined packaging, optimized video quality, and bandwidth efficiency that we enjoy today. Yet at NAB – mere months after the ink on the HEVC standard started to dry – Motorola is demonstrating real-time HEVC encoding of HD content in the same 1RU AVC encoding platform used in commercial TV deployments throughout the world today.
I think one of the key take-home messages about HEVC at NAB will be that HEVC has already crossed the “commercial enablement” threshold – Motorola will have demonstrated that HEVC is on a high-speed track towards the next-generation of ultra high efficiency encoders and video processors. Next up after enablement is the optimization phase in which we squeeze out every bit of performance we can while we begin to explore the natural market deployment strategy for HEVC.
Motorola’s demonstrations at NAB are intended to help video service providers begin planning for this technology evolution and thinking about what they can do with all that extra bandwidth. Whether it’s expanding HD channel lineups, offering new 3D services, or even supporting the coming Ultra-HD (UHD) standard, the accelerated pace of HEVC development means it’s not too early to formulate a plan for its coming arrival.
While some may believe that the best entry point for HEVC is in improving the bandwidth efficiency of cable networks, our experience tells us that this transition might take some time Instead, we believe that the first real-world application of HEVC might be delivery of HD video over wireless networks. This is due to the convergence of several interesting dynamics: the relatively low bandwidth of wireless networks, the increasing number of connected devices sharing this bandwidth, the rapid improvements in tablet and smartphone display resolution, and, last but certainly not least, HEVC can be decoded in software on the current generation of wireless tablets! Motorola’s demonstration at NAB of real time HEVC decoding on tablets in – conjunction with real-time encoding – highlights the intriguing possibility that the “second screen” might well become the first screen for HEVC services.
Wherever you think the best entry point for this new standard is, one thing is for certain: HEVC has come a long way very quickly. As an active participant in the development of this new standard, Motorola has seen HEVC cross the threshold from technology enablement to technology optimization, and this next phase of development is most exciting. From here, we begin marching towards the implementation of HEVC within our products and, more importantly, our customers’ networks. And if recent progress is any indication of future success, we should have even more to talk about with regard to HEVC in the coming year.
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Author: Brian O’Neill, Sr. Marketing Manager, Americas
With the excitement around the explosive growth of broadband utilization, new over the top (OTT) video services, and TV Everywhere, the conversation for us cable folks invariably centers around subscribers’ downstream needs. But the elephant in the room is the upstream. After all, the upstream is the Achilles heel of the typical HFC broadband network, and all those downloads we are watching can actually drive upstream traffic too. As upstream congestion issues begin to take center stage, MSOs are on the lookout for new ways to achieve the sweet spot for network utilization, performance and economics.
Here at Motorola, we’ve been living and breathing the upstream capacity challenge for years, and we’ve just released a new white paper that outlines how recent technology breakthroughs can lead to more efficient network design concepts. In it, we consider how the latest in DOCSIS 3.0 technology, new solutions for diagnostic monitoring, and the innovation inside our RX48 CMTS upstream module can now enable node combining strategies that have already proven effective in downstream capacity management. We also highlight methods to overcome the noise issues that have hindered 2:1 and even 4:1 port-to-node ratios that can really maximize upstream utilization and network economics. We realize that some of the concepts we present may challenge the modus operandi and current industry standard approaches, but isn’t that what innovation is all about? Check out the white paper HERE, and as always – let us know what you think.
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Motorola Home’s Medios+ won the award for Best Multiscreen TV Solution at last week’s TV Connect show in Europe. With recent customer announcements from the likes of Time Warner Cable, Verizon, Bouygues Telecom, Maxisat and Massillon, we had a feeling we were on to something great, but it’s especially validating to receive a prestigious global award confirming it.
As Joanna Jones, Events Director for TV Connect, said: “[Award] winners are a true showcase of the excellence that keeps the industry advancing… [They] continue spearheading new developments in the connected entertainment ecosystem.”
And spearhead we will. We’re seeing the connected entertainment ecosystem shifting to multiscreen, and Medios+ is leading that transformation.
Earlier this month, we published our annual Media Engagement Barometer uncovering the evolution in consumers’ 
multiscreen habits. In brief, we’re watching a day’s worth of TV each week, a third of it is pre-recorded, and we’re streaming a considerable amount of it on mobile devices around the house and on the go.
That’s where Medios+ comes in. It’s a platform that helps service providers deliver the multiscreen experiences that free us to enjoy our favorite media, wherever and whenever we want. So maybe it’s no surprise that Medios+ won Best Multiscreen TV Solution.
We look forward to bringing you the Future of TV, whether it’s on your TV, tablet, smartphone, PC, or all of the above.
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Every year, we publish the results of our Media Engagement Barometer—a snapshot of the way that people around the world are interacting with media.
Our latest study, published today found that we’re watching an enormous amount of content, in some surprising ways, in unexpected places…
For instance, more than 1/7th of our daily lives is spent watching video. That’s 3.5 hours a day. 25 hours per week.
Not impressed? You knocked that out in two days during a Battlestar Galactica marathon? Well, perhaps you’re among the growing population of tablet owners (26%) who have achieved an industry reputation as “super users.”
Yes, you tableters watch more videos, record more content, and do more online shopping than those without. And you’re more likely to have blogged, tweeted, linked, status updated, and chatted about it too. Your tablet-viewing migration from the living room (40%) to the bedroom (41%) is the stuff of legend. You are multiscreen pioneers. And we salute you.
Our barometer also covered multiscreen and time-shift habits, the cost of content, social media use, connected home trends, and more from around the globe.
Here are other interesting findings:
- 29% of the TV we watch is recorded. Not live or streaming.
- Most of us (76%) want our favorite content automatically loaded onto our mobile devices so that we can watch it on the go.
- 75% of us record shows so that we don’t have to watch the ads.
For more from our 2013 Media Engagement Barometer, check out our press release.
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Jed Johnson, a Fellow of our Technical Staff, was conferred the DLNA 2012 Outstanding Contribution Award for his work as chair of DLNA’s TC Authentication Task Force and as editor for the DLNA Diagnostics Guidelines.
We caught up with Jed to find out more…
Q: Jed, congratulations on the award! So that we have some context: what’s DLNA?
JJ: DLNA stands for Digital Living Network Alliance. It’s a trade association that creates guidelines that companies use to make their multimedia products interoperable.
Q: Why is interoperability important?
JJ: Multi-vendor interoperability is very important to our customers. When you have a multi-vendor environment, say your living room, it’s important to specify the interface that goes on a set-top, for example, so that service providers can deploy different hardware from multiple vendors and be confident that it’ll all work. It’s the same advantage for consumers: you plug in a new piece of hardware that you bought at a store, and it works with your other hardware, regardless of the brand.
Q: We heard you got the Outstanding Contribution Award for your work on authentication and diagnostics. What’d you do?
JJ: I worked on a project focused on premium content guidelines called CVP-2 , chairing a working group on authentication and editing diagnostics protocols. guidelines. We wrote a set of specifications that go into DLNA’s certification process. So when new hardware is submitted to DLNA for CVP-2 premium content certification, it has to meet these guidelines.
Q: What are these guidelines, and why are they important?
JJ: The guidelines are for authentication and diagnostics–essentially security and management. Motorola has a notable history in security standards.
Authentication is important because it gives service providers a way to control access to premium content. When a device is running on DLNA’s authentication protocol, the service provider can tell, for example, that it’s an iPad; that it’s an iPad owned by a particular customer; and that that customer has a subscription to HBO, thus it can enable HBO on the iPad.
Diagnostics are important because they allow service providers to diagnose problems on the home network. This standardization lets them use a single tool for figuring out what’s going on between products from different vendors.
Q: What’s next for DLNA and its premium content guidelines CVP-2?
JJ: The industry is seeing a bump in media consumption and a proliferation of connected devices that consumers aren’t purchasing from service providers. CVP-2 DLNA’s premium content guidelines sets the stage for those devices to serve as end-points for media. A key hurdle for service providers is authenticating an end device when it isn’t purchased from them. And authentication is important because it enables them to deliver protected media directly to the device, rather than through an intermediate device like a set-top. DLNA is going to enable this kind of direct distribution and let consumers choose the devices they use to stream and consume their media.
Thanks Jed, and congratulations!
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Delivering multiscreen services involves two distinct service provider challenges: 1.) handling the immense bandwidth and data processing loads, and 2.) offering a smart and simple connected experience to consumers.
Motorola’s GT-3 Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) Transcoder, announced last month in Russia, enables local service providers to address the first step of multiscreen delivery, but they still face the challenge of delivering a seamless user experience.
Those of us that have multi-room services in our homes will be familiar with negotiating reams of wires running throughout the house and getting tangled behind the TV. For subscribers to two of Russia’s biggest providers, tangled wiring is now a thing of the past—thanks to Motorola’s VAP2400.
Rostelecom and Vimpelcom have introduced a brand new way for subscribers to enjoy full-HD multi-room services wirelessly—dramatically reducing the amount of unsightly cables running between rooms. Both service providers have both chosen Motorola’s VAP2400 wireless bridge to provide an easy-to-install wireless service that allows sparkling video viewing almost anywhere in the house.
And the real beauty of it? No need for an engineer to visit—easy!
Check out this video for more on the VAP2400 wireless bridge.
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Multiscreen video delivery is the number one concern among service providers in Russia. At CSTB last month, Motorola announced an answer to the complexity and processing demands of multiscreen with a new gigapixel solution. For the first time outside of the United States, Motorola Mobility’s GT-3 Adaptive Bit Rate Transcoder was on display to the public.
Russia is experiencing an explosion in appetite for compelling new video services. Front of mind for all Russian service providers—telecommunications companies, IPTV providers and cable operators alike—is how to deliver extraordinary and rewarding video experiences beyond just the living room screen.
Motorola Mobility’s GT-3 Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) Transcoder brings rich multiscreen video quality and channel density to service providers and is able to process three billion pixels of video content per second, blowing away traditional server-based ABR transcoders. Its launch in Russia represents an unrivalled opportunity for local service providers to provide better quality TV experiences on any device, over managed and unmanaged networks.
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