How We See CE

Let’s have a few thoughts about content consumption. This is probably the most critical and important part of the overall media ecosystem.

Having the best content creation and delivery is not enough; the consumption end of the chain must also be most carefully addressed. What works in the lab must also work 24/7/52 in the home. Consumers, used to watching no-failure TV so far, have a very low tolerance level when it comes to service disruptions or outages. Quality-of-service and availability are key factors – even when the content has already arrived in the home. That also goes, of course, for the CE devices installed in the homes.

A lot of care has been taken to make sure that devices interoperate (as we have seen in the MPEG-2 world) and indeed this trend continues with the video codec powering next generation video delivery, i.e. MPEG-4 AVC/H.264. Addressing this need, the MPEGIF (MPEG Industry Forum) has developed a very sophisticated program called the MPEGIF Logo Qualification Program.

This program, which is free of charge and open to all companies using MPEG technology, is designed to help guide interoperability among products and technology.Qualified products have the right to display an MP4 Qualification Mark and also list their status in their documentation, literature, and advertising. They will also have their product listed in the MPEGIF Product Directory on the MPEGIF website.

No membership in MPEGIF is required, but participants are encouraged to join – MPEGIF is the largest MPEG technology advocacy group in the world.

Currently, 15 companies are participating in this important program. They will be recognized during our MPEGIF Master Class at NAB 2007 on Sunday, 15 April 2007 between 10am and 5pm, and during our MPEGIF Networking Party (here is your complimentary invitation), which is on Monday, 16 April 2007 between 6pm and 9pm.

Content consumption, more than anything else in the complete food chain, makes or breaks services, hence also the particular care that is required when it comes to interoperability and the evident requirement to have a "kite mark" to ensure peace of mind for consumers when buying CE equipment. The content of course is always king, but consumers are more demanding these days. It is not enough to show a live football match; consumers want it on-demand, want to record it, want to take it to their mobile devices, want their own personal(ised) storage facility, want to share it within their home etc....the list is long.

The good news is that next-generation media creation and delivery technologies are enabling new services, including improved on-demand video and TV (ranking, positioning, sponsoring, preferences, interactive, self-produced, etc.), the seamless integration of traditional TV, personal and anticipated content (local and regional, educational, affinity and special interest, etc), and video advertising (relevant and transactional).

The result will be a consumer-driven next-generation entertainment model delivering recurring and transactional revenues (subscription, pay-per-view, etc.) paired with maximum retention. Then the ecosystem will be complete and fully functioning.

Sebastian Moeritz
dicas and MPEGIF