Alcatel-Lucent has formed a strategic alliance with thePlatform to help cable and IPTV providers deliver a new generation of live scheduled TV, Video-on-Demand (VOD) and "TV everywhere" services services to any screen, including subscribers' TVs, PCs, tablets, and mobile phones.
thePlatform is an online video management and publishing company that supports some of the largest TV Everywhere initiatives across the cable industry.
The joint solution from Alcatel-Lucent and thePlatform offers advanced video management capabilities together with optimized video distribution through a content delivery network (CDN) deployed by the service provider. It also brings the security and reliability found today on TV set-top boxes to a broader range of devices.
The multiscreen video platform is made up of three main components - Cloud, Content Delivery Network and Clients – each of which can be deployed individually, in combination.A central element of the Multiscreen cloud is thePlatform's cloud-based external video management system which provides the central logistics system for multi-screen video publishing. It provides video and metadata management, rights enforcement and business policy modelling between TV providers and content owners, and automated publishing capabilities. The Multiscreen Content Delivery Network - based on Alcatel-Lucent's Velocix Digital Media Delivery Platform - enables service providers to build and operate their own dedicated CDN as an alternative to shared third-party CDNs. The Multiscreen Clients are a suite of subscriber applications, each designed to support video playback on either a PC, tablet or mobile device, including pre-integrated Interactive Program Guide (IPG) with search and personalization features.
Alcatel-Lucent is also adding a number of enhancements to its Velocix Digital Media Delivery Platform, which is the content delivery network (CDN) solution for service providers. These upgrades include per-stream and per-session encryption, which ensures that content is protected all the way to the specific client device. The system is also aware of the geographic location, so that content viewing could be restricted to the subscriber's home while viewed over Wi-Fi for instance. Alcatel-Lucent is also adding streaming state-awareness, so that if the session is inadvertently dropped, the video playback will automatically resume from the marker where the disruption occurred.
Derrick Frost, Senior Vice President, Global IP Video Solutions at Alcatel-Lucent said: "Consumer demand for anywhere, anytime video services is exploding and our customers are looking for an edge. Alcatel-Lucent's leadership in IPTV and content delivery networks, coupled with our strategic alliance with thePlatform provides a unique suite of capabilities that allow service providers to offer the best of traditional pay-TV and online video worlds to their customers."
Ian Blaine, CEO of thePlatform observed: "In recent years, we've seen tremendous growth and innovation with online video, which is reshaping the future of TV. Our alliance with Alcatel-Lucent allows us to address the new opportunities and challenges facing TV service providers today. Expanding the use of our capabilities beyond online and mobile video to manage TV itself represents a significant new business opportunity for thePlatform. Alcatel-Lucent's strong customer relationships and experience in the service provider space will help us reach a broader set of customers than was possible previously. Our joint solution will enable pay-TV providers to create groundbreaking consumer services that unify content delivery across any screen."
The multiscreen video platform is made up of three main components - Cloud, Content Delivery Network and Clients – each of which can be deployed individually, in combination.A central element of the Multiscreen cloud is thePlatform's cloud-based external video management system which provides the central logistics system for multi-screen video publishing. It provides video and metadata management, rights enforcement and business policy modelling between TV providers and content owners, and automated publishing capabilities. The Multiscreen Content Delivery Network - based on Alcatel-Lucent's Velocix Digital Media Delivery Platform - enables service providers to build and operate their own dedicated CDN as an alternative to shared third-party CDNs. The Multiscreen Clients are a suite of subscriber applications, each designed to support video playback on either a PC, tablet or mobile device, including pre-integrated Interactive Program Guide (IPG) with search and personalization features.http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/multiscreen-video-platform
- In May, thePlatform was selected by Cox Communications, the third-largest U.S. cable TV company, to provide the back-end video management for Cox’s new video initiative, Cox TV Online.
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