CONNECTIONS Blog

HGI announces partnership agreement with Broadband Forum

2009-11-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

The Home Gateway Initiative (HGI) announced that it has signed a liaison agreement with the Broadband Forum that will lead to close collaboration by both organizations on the development of standards and specifications for broadband networks worldwide.

The comprehensive agreement is designed to enhance the already active cooperation between HGI and the Broadband Forum. It allows each organization to provide input, and to release copyright on work-in-progress specifications to the partner organization as working documents are drafted. The result will be acceleration and strong alignment of key specification work within the industry that leads to improvements in the capabilities of customers’ broadband networks.

The areas of cooperation by these two groups will be centered on architectural and functional requirements for customer located broadband equipment. HGI’s mission to solve the service, feature and technology challenges in the digital home complements the Broadband Forum’s core competencies in end-to-end architecture and management. The groups agreed to cooperate in addressing quality of service (QoS), software modularity, IPv6, energy efficiency and testing.

Both groups will meet regularly to discuss projects and priorities for industry standards in these and other areas. Both organizations bring a unique focus on a set of related problems, and are stronger by working together.

By jointly identifying goals, sharing work in progress, and avoiding duplication of efforts, our member companies receive better value for their investments of resources in our respective efforts. The industry has important issues to solve, and this agreement helps significantly.”

Together, the two groups represent over 200 companies, and over 30 service providers, including Arcor, AT&T, Belgacom, Bell, BT, Cable & Wireless, China Telecom, China Unicom, Chunghwa Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, Embarq, Fastweb, France Telecom, KDDI, KPN, KT, Magyar Telecom, NTT, OTE, Portugal Telecom, Qwest, SingTel, Swisscom, Telecom Italia, Tata Teleservices Ltd, TDC, Telecom Slovenije, Telecom New Zealand, Telefonica, Telekomunikacja Polska, Telekom Austria, Telekom Malaysia, Telenor, TeliaSonera, Telkom SA, Telstra, Telus and Verizon.

Orange VP delivers Keynote at CONNECTIONS Europe Nov '09

2009-11-12T11:44:00.002-06:00

Pierre François Dubois, Vice President, Very High Broadband and Digital Home Products, Technocentre, Orange presented the keynote presentation at the CONNECTIONS Europe Summit held November 4, 2009 in Amsterdam.

They not only provide the customers with broadband and other services, they have offers for the connected home. They have invested massively in LivePlug and Wi-Fi. In addition, they have invested in specific devices – Liveradio (access to more than 4,000 Web radio stations), digital photo frame, and partnership with La Cie on NAS device. Unik relies on UMA solution that enables handover from mobile and GSM. It was in 2005, a growth milestone, where the triple-play offer was the flagship offer. There is opportunity for Orange to increase its share of households budget in multimedia and IT, which is becoming more and more digital.

What are Orange customers willing to pay for in terms of additional services? Customers’ expectations have moved. The perceived value is moving from access to terminals. From demand for services to demand for fewer boxes, connection of all screens, share emotions and content with friends. Customers want to keep it simple and reliable and customer care is key.

The Digital Home is about how to give access to content and applications to individuals through available screens. Today, triple-play includes one room, one device, and one function. The Digital Home includes content and applications that can follow one at home and away and be instantiated on any available screen. The industry is moving to fulfill these expectations: connected devices opportunities from flat screen HDTV to Connected TV and application stores and user interfaces.

In conclusion, Orange believes that technology has to fade behind services, for the benefit of everyone. They are working to provide new packages for the digital home. Residential gateways operated by telcos are the cornerstone to provide customers with a seamless and full experience of the digital home.

AMIMON and Maxim Team Up on WHDI

2009-11-12T09:51:00.000-06:00

AMIMON Inc., the market leader in wireless High Definition semiconductor solutions, and Maxim Integrated Products, the industry leader in innovative analog and mixed-signal silicon solutions, announced their collaboration to provide WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface) solutions. The companies will offer a joint reference design based on Maxim's WHDI RF chipset MAX2850/MAX2851 that interfaces directly to the AMIMON WHDI baseband chipset AMN 2120/2220.

The WHDI standard enables a new era for the digital home providing robust uncompressed 1080p/60 Hz HD content wirelessly and enabling true in-home multi-room connectivity.

The AMIMON-Maxim WHDI chipset solution can be embedded into CE devices such as LCD and plasma HDTVs, multimedia projectors, notebooks, A/V receivers, Blu-ray DVD players, set-top boxes (STBs), game consoles, DVRs, PCs and HD video accessories/dongles, allowing wireless streaming of uncompressed HD content.

Engineers and developers interested in additional information on the AMIMON-Maxim WHDI solution should contact AMIMON at info@amimon.com.

Companies interested in additional information on Maxim's MAX2850/MAX2851 chipset should contact Maxim Integrated Products at MAX2850@maxim-ic.com.

For the full press release, click here.

"Connected Europe: By the Numbers," follow up from CONN EU Amsterdam

2009-11-11T12:07:00.003-06:00

Kurt Scherf, VP of Research and Principal Analyst of Parks Associates presented "Connected Europe: By the Numbers" at the CONNECTIONS Europe Summit held November 4th in Amsterdam.

Kurt discussed the scope of Parks Associates research in the digital home and particularly in Europe. The past 18 – 24 months have brought strong development of connected CE devices such as TVs and Blu-ray players – large percentage of these devices are now connected. The role of the service provider is critical with providing the links to content and serving as gateway to premium content (BBC iPlayer, Verizon’s OTT offerings).

Residential Gateways are becoming increasingly important, with the other 50% of installations featuring an RG. For consumers, advantages are monitoring and basic applications. The presence of an RG rates highly with customer satisfaction with service provider services. Important RG services include the following: support, security, warranty services, and online backup. There are large opportunities for service provides who offer total home network support.

Things to watch in the Connected CE space include: the role of service providers in driving home network architecture; cloud media and home content brought together; design of user interfaces; integration of web services; role of CE companies at offering services; and evolution of content protection.

Google buys Admob for $750 million

2009-11-11T11:20:00.002-06:00

Google took one step closer to digital media domination by snapping up the mobile advertising Admobfirm for a cool $750 million.

Admob helps firms advertise on mobile web sites, as well as providing the technology for serving said adverts on mobiles. It also works with applications for in-applications advertising.

The deal represents a bit of a bargain for Google, but it is counting on the mobile advertising market to grow.

Last month, Google announced that its mobile searches increased 30 per cent quarter over quarter in the third quarter. In August Admob sent out its 100 billionth mobile ad.

The deal is Google's third largest acquisition behind its 2008 purchase of Doubleclick for $3.1 billion and its 2006 buyout of YouTube for $1.65 billion.

For the full article, click here.

MTS Allstream Selects Actiontec Electronics for High-Speed DSL Products

2009-11-10T11:01:00.003-06:00

Actiontec Electronics announced that two of its DSL solutions have been selected to power MTS Allstream Inc.'s ("MTS Allstream") high-speed residential DSL service. A wholly owned subsidiary of Manitoba Telecom Services, MTS Allstream is one of Canada's leading national communication solutions providers.

Actiontec Electronics has shipped more than 17.5 million Internet access devices across the globe. Since launching its initial DSL modem to the market, Actiontec has continued to stay in the forefront of industry standards, DSL and home networking technologies. The company's experience in modem design and supply-chain process delivers great value and affordability to carriers and access providers.

MTS Allstream selected Actiontec's GT724WG 54 Mbps Wireless DSL Gateway and the GT701D USB/Ethernet DSL Modem. The GT724WG combines a full-rate ADSL2+ modem, a 4 port Ethernet switch and 802.11g wireless gateway in a sleek, easy-to-use package. Support for the ADSL2/2+ standard can triple the available bandwidth from 8 Mbps to 24 Mbps -- giving bandwidth-hungry consumers the speed needed to enjoy fast downloads, online entertainment, high quality video streams, and online gaming. The gateway also includes an Internet firewall with four user-configurable protection levels, as well as WEP security to protect the home network from outside threats.

With an ENERGY STAR adapter and small footprint, the green GT701D helps customers reduce their energy bills and protect the environment. The compact device combines a full-rate ADSL2/2+ modem with a router capable of networking two computers via wired ports, or more through a switch or hub.

Thomson WiFi 802.11n broadband gateways comply with newly ratified IEEE Standard

2009-11-09T10:36:00.004-06:00

Thomson, a worldwide leader of services to content creators, has welcomed the formal ratification of the 802.11n wireless technology standard by IEEE. Its new generation of WiFi-enabled cable gateways are fully compatible with the ratified standard.

In 2009, the company launched a new range of 802.11n gateways, certified by the WiFi alliance as draft 2.0, allowing service providers to offer multiple services to the networked home including high quality video over wireless. This new ratification by the IEEE guarantees that future home networking equipment will be compliant with these devices.

Levering its expertise in the WiFi alliance for xDSL gateways, Thomson has developed a range of Wireless “n“ products in conjunction with DOCSIS 3.0 or EuroDOCSIS 3.0, resulting in a very fast and convenient solution for cable operators. The company’s product portfolio includes the TCW770 DOCSIS/EuroDOCSIS 3.0 wireless cable gateway and TWG870 wireless Voice gateway for the European market as well as the DCW775 DOCSIS 3.0 wireless cable gateway and DWG875 DOCSIS 3.0 wireless Voice gateway for the U.S. market.

For the full press release, click here.

CONNECTIONS SUMMIT Agenda Announced

2009-10-30T16:29:00.001-05:00

The CONNECTIONS™ SUMMIT Sessions, January 7, 2010, in Room S225, South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, feature commentary, insight, and debate on successful market strategies and deployment for “digital living” products and services.

Sessions include:
• Consumer Electronics Purchases: Are Consumers Back in the Buying Mood?
• The Connected TV – Displays and Beyond
• Service Provider Strategies for the Connected Home
• The Mobile Aspect of Unified Infotainment: Opportunities and Challenges
• Advances in Television Advertising
• Bringing the Smart Grid to the Smart Home
• 3D: Adding New Dimensions to Entertainment

More info at: www.connectionssummit.com

Wrapping it Up – Predictions for the Next Five Years, CONN EU panel

2009-10-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

Parks Associates wraps up CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit with a recap of key findings on the last panel, Wrapping it Up – Predictions for the Next Five Years . Parks Associates provides perspectives and predictions for five key digital lifestyles markets in Europe:

Broadcast and entertainment services
Communications and broadband services
Home networking
Home monitoring and green-living technologies
Device management and support services

Speakers include:

Fabrizio Caffarelli, CEO, TVBLOB
Philippe Calvet, Head of Home & Broadband Networks Standards in Orange Strategy & Development group, Orange/France Telecom; Head of Business Group & Board Member, HGI
Bill Correll, VP, Marketing & Business Development, Eyecon Technologies
Trond Neergaard, Founder and Managing Partner, Cloudberry Associates; Member of CTAM Europe Board
Paolo Pastorino, Business Development and Marketing Manager, Loquendo
Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates
Kurt Scherf, Vice President, Principal Analyst, Parks Associates

CONNECTIONS EU: Enabling Technologies - Connecting It All

2009-10-29T09:00:00.001-05:00

Consumer electronics manufacturers have many choices when it comes to the design of network-connected products. This CONNECTIONS Europe panel, Enabling Technologies: Connecting It All, brings together companies developing connectivity solutions for both fixed and mobile platforms to discuss these challenges:

Home networking architectures
Device discovery software
Media server solutions
Conditional access and rights management
User interfaces
Software development and execution solutions
Device and service management elements

Participants on this panel include the following:

Matthew Huntington, VP, Product Marketing, OpenTV
Wouter Leibbrandt, Manager, Advanced Systems Lab, NXP Semiconductors
Peter Smyth, CEO, RedMere
Jon Finegold, Co-Founder and COO, Thinking Screen Media
Ian Walsh, VP of Business Development, ProVision Communications

Moderator: Kurt Scherf, Vice President, Principal Analyst, Parks Associates

Decreasing Piracy in the Modern Digital Environment

2009-10-28T10:42:00.005-05:00

At the upcoming CONNECTIONS Europe event in Amsterdam, I will be taking part in the "Digital Furnace: Residential Gateways and Set-Top Boxes" paneldiscussion, which will explore the increasingly popular 'home hub' experience.This is an especially critical topic for the industry right now as it considers hardware developments, environmental factors, applications, and features as well as content delivery and protection.

Currently, consumer demand for media-rich home entertainment services is driving innovation and new revenue opportunities in the set-top box industry. Next generation set-top boxes will integrate video content from multiple signal sources such as broadcast television, premium video-on-demand and Internet-based services. They will also provide value-added capabilities like time-shifting and enabling content to be distributed to a variety of viewing devices including multi-room TV networks, personal computers, portable media players, and other mobile devices.

Yet this level of source variety and content portability is inherently more susceptible to piracy attacks, which dramatically increases the complexity of security requirements. Set-top boxes, their associated conditional access systems and digital rights management technologies are under constant threat from device tampering, software security breaches and hacker attacks that can significantly impact the reputation and bottom line for both set-top box manufacturers and operators.

How do manufacturers and operators alike achieve sustainable security in the set-top box ecosystem thus preparing their devices to safely deliver high-value premium content to global consumers?

If the manufacturers get it right, they can fight against attacks, while creating a profitable business model.

The “Digital Furnace: Residential Gateways and Set-Top Boxes” panel discussion will take place at CONNECTIONS Europe, Amsterdam on Wednesday 4th November, 2009 at 11.45 a.m. CET.

By Andrew Wajs, CTO, Irdeto

Business Models for On-Demand Lifestyles

2009-10-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

The CONNECTIONS Europe Summit afternoon begins with the Business Models for On-Demand Lifestyles panel moderated by Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates.

Where is profitability in the connected lifestyle? What are the “rules of engagement” (business, regulatory, consumer) for implementing access to new content and applications? This panel examines the critical factors for monetizing the connected lifestyle:

Monetizing online content
The role of advertising and other revenue-generating programs
Understanding the needs of content producers and owners
Application stores, microtransactions, and the mobile provider

Speakers include:
Wim Bus, Senior Vice President of Product Management & Operations, Civolution
Keith Donovan, Sales & Marketing Director, Intamac Systems
Rob Lewis, CEO, Omnifone
Theodore May, VP Content & Value Added Services, Synacor
Neerav Shah, VP Business Development, Verimatrix

Evolution of the “Digital Furnace”: Residential Gateways and Set-top Boxes

2009-10-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

The Evolution of the “Digital Furnace”: Residential Gateways and Set-top Boxes session explores:

-- The evolution of features that home hubs will support
-- Support for features such as home monitoring, energy management, and health monitoring
-- Network and hardware requirements for “future-proofed” home hubs
-- The role of retail-purchased consumer electronics as compatible nodes

Participants on this panel include:
Art Lancaster, CTO, Affinegy
Christer Larsson, CEO and Co-founder, Makewave (formerly Gatespace Telematics AB); VP EMEA, OSGi Alliance
Bill Stanley, Executive Director, Operations Solutions, Telcordia
Frederic Van Durme, Head of Product Management, Thomson
Andrew Wajs, CTO, Irdeto Group, Irdeto/Cloakware

Moderator: Kurt Scherf, Vice President, Principal Analyst, Parks Associates

CONNECTIONS EU: Defining the New Video Experience

2009-10-26T14:22:00.005-05:00

The consumer video experience is incorporating more than just television and movie content. This CONNECTIONS Europe panel identifies the near- and long-term roadmap for the shape of television, video, and entertainment consumption from both CE and service perspectives: New services as supplements to the core video experience; Integrating mobile, online, and PC content into the three-screen ecosystem; The emergence of 3D video and gaming solutions; Cloud services to the set-top box; and Visual networking – bringing social networking to the TVisual networking – bringing social networking to the TV.

Panelists include:
Ronald Brockmann, Managing Director, ActiveVideo Europe
Richard Bullwinkle, Chief Evangelist, Rovi Corporation
Patrik Nilsson, Director, Adobe
Geof Todd, Director of Sales & New Business Initiatives, NDS

Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates will be moderating this interactive session.

CONNECTIONS Europe announces new speakers including Orange, TVBLOB, Adobe, Omnifone, and ProVision Communications

2009-10-22T10:21:00.002-05:00

Parks Associates today announced new speakers for CONNECTIONS™ Europe, featuring executive expertise in IPTV, connected CE, and advanced video services.

CONNECTIONS™ Europe panelists will address key industry issues: the development roadmap for digital lifestyle technologies and applications; adoption and revenue forecasts of key connected device and service categories; an examination of the business models for video and entertainment content and applications, online services, and communications

Pierre François Dubois, VP Very High Broadband & Digital Home Products, Technocentre, Orange, will present the opening keynote. Other participating speakers include:

- Ronald Brockmann, Managing Director, ActiveVideo Europe
- Richard Bullwinkle, Chief Evangelist, Rovi Corporation
- Wim Bus, SVP, Product Management & Operations, Civolution
- Fabrizio Caffarelli, CEO, TVBLOB
- Bill Correll, VP, Mktg & Bus Development, Eyecon Technologies
- Keith Donovan, Sales & Mktg Dir., Intamac Systems
- Jon Finegold, Co-Founder & COO, Thinking Screen Media
- Matthew Huntington, VP, Product Mktg, OpenTV
- Art Lancaster, CTO, Affinegy
- Christer Larsson, CEO & Co-founder of Makewave; VP EMEA, OSGi Alliance
- Wouter Leibbrandt, Mgr Advanced Systems Lab, NXP Semiconductors
- Rob Lewis, CEO, Omnifone
- Theodore May, VP Content & Value Added Services, Synacor
- Trond Neergaard, Founder & Managing Partner, Cloudberry Associates; Member, CTAM Europe Board
- Patrik Nilsson, Director, Adobe
- Paolo Pastorino, Bus Development & Mktg Mgr, Loquendo
- Kurt Scherf, VP, Research, Principal Analyst, Parks Associates
- Neerav Shah, VP, Bus Development, Verimatrix
- Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates
- Peter Smyth, CEO, RedMere
- Bill Stanley, Executive Dir., Operations Solutions, Telcordia
- Geof Todd, Dir., Sales & New Business Initiatives, NDS
- Frederic Van Durme, Head, Product Management, Thomson
- Ian Walsh, VP, Bus Development, ProVision Communications/AXAR Media
- Andrew Wajs, CTO, Irdeto Group, Irdeto/Cloakware

CONNECTIONS™ Global Sponsors are HD-PLC Alliance, DSC, NXP, Radialpoint, Rovi Corporation, ActiveVideo Networks, Affinegy, Icron, Irdeto, ProVision Communications, Telcordia, and Zilog. CONNECTIONS™ Europe Advisory Sponsors are Eyecon Technologies, Intamac Systems, and CONNECTIONS™ Premier Sponsor RedMere.

For information or to register, visit http://www.connectionseurope.com.

Parks Associates supported Storage Visions 2010 announces speakers

2009-10-20T11:26:00.000-05:00

Parks Associates supported Storage Visions Conference (SV2010) preliminary agenda and initial selected speakers are now posted on the conference web site, www.storagevisions.com.

Announced keynotes include Gordon Bell and Jim Gemmel from Microsoft Research as well as Dean Klein from Micron.

Here are a few of the confirmed speakers from the preliminary conference agenda:

Storage for Content Creation and Editing: Clyde Smith, Turner Broadcasting; Alex Grossman, Active Storage; Dr. Frederick Carlson or Manu Pillia, Nethra; and David Flynn, Fusion-io

Finding, Protecting and Using Content: Mike James, Toshiba; Scott Linfoot, Fiteris; William Qualls, Imation

The Technology of Storage: Melissa Perenson, PC World; Conrad Maxwell, Silicon Image; John Rydning, IDC; Justin Sykes, Micron Technology; Troy Winslow, Intel; Jeff Ravencraft, Intel

Storing More Stuff in CE Devices: Mike McKean, STMicroelectronics; Gary Palmer, Datalight; Rana Kabir, FlashBridge

Enabling Technologies for High Resolution Consumer Electronics: Jeff Janukowicz, IDC; Ethan Shur, TDVision; James Borden, Microsoft; Kyle Wiens, iFixit; Daniel Beneke, Imation

France Telecom Keynote at CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit to focus on service opportunities in connected devices

2009-10-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

Executive Summit features the Roadmap for Connected CE

Parks Associates announced that Pierre François Dubois, Vice President, Very High Broadband and Digital Home Products, Technocentre, France Telecom Group, will present the keynote at CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit on November 4.

Mr. Dubois will discuss the key role of telcos in shaping the future of the Digital Home. He will focus on the new opportunities for Internet service providers developing as a result of the increasing number of connected devices at home.

CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit, titled The Roadmap for Connected Consumer Electronics and hosted by international research firm Parks Associates, will take place in Amsterdam at the Mövenpick Hotel.

Europe is a strong market for connected CE, and service providers continue to be active in enabling advanced services and deploying devices such as hybrid set-tops. The worldwide telco /IPTV subscriber base exceeded 20 million in 2008, and France had over 27% growth in IPTV subscribers. France Telecom has been aggressive in connecting and managing consumer services, and Mr. Dubois’s insight will be invaluable to CONNECTIONS™ Europe attendees.

Summit Speakers
ActiveVideo Europe
Affinegy
Civolution
Eyecon Technologies
Intamac Technologies
Irdeto
Loquendo
Makewave
NDS
NXP Semiconductors
Omnifone
OpenTV
OSGi Alliance
Parks Associates
RedMere
Rovi Corporation
Telcordia
Thinking Screen Media
Thomson
TVBLOB
Verimatrix

Register for CONNECTIONS™ Europe at www.connectionseurope.com.

Smart Energy Summit addresses emerging market for in-home energy management devices and services

2009-10-15T10:26:00.003-05:00

Research firm Parks Associates to host Residential Energy Management event in Austin

International research firm Parks Associates announced plans to host the inaugural Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, in cooperation with Austin Energy, on January 25-27, 2010. The event will feature expert speakers and analysts discussing the latest developments in residential energy management (REM) and the successful strategies capable of engaging consumers in new programs for energy conservation and cost savings.

The event, taking place at the Hyatt Regency in Austin, Texas, will feature market research from Parks Associates’ landmark Residential Energy Management service and real-world expertise derived from Austin Energy's Smart Grid, the largest working Smart Grid in the U.S.

Government initiatives and stimulus funds have stoked demand for REM technologies with their emphasis on energy conservation and greater efficiency in the home. Already over six percent of all U.S. meters are smart meters, and many U.S. utilities are announcing new deployments and pilot programs, which will push the number of smart meters to almost 50 million by 2012. This event identifies the business opportunities for in-home energy monitoring and management systems, accelerated by deployment of energy smart grids.

The event agenda will focus on the roadmap for the emerging in-home energy management technology market, offering consumer and industry research and strategic insight.

For more information, or to submit to speak at the event, visit www.smartenergysummit2010.com.

Cisco Announces Agreement to Acquire Starent Networks

2009-10-14T10:30:00.003-05:00

Cisco and Starent Networks announced a definitive agreement for Cisco to acquire Starent Networks. Starent Networks is a leading supplier of IP-based mobile infrastructure solutions targeting mobile and converged carriers. The Mobile Internet is at an inflection point as IP-enabled Smartphones and other connected mobile devices gain rapid acceptance. Service Providers have been actively investing in this market as global mobile data traffic is expected to more than double every year through 2013, according to the Cisco Visual Networking Index.

Starent Networks' mobile infrastructure solutions play an important role in enabling Service Providers to scale their mobile infrastructure and monetize their investments via differentiated experiences. The company provides the multimedia intelligence, core network functions and services to manage access from any 2.5G, 3G, and 4G radio network to a mobile operator's packet core network. Starent Networks' access-independent technology is deployed in CDMA2000 (1X, EV-DO), UMTS/HSPA and WiMax networks.

Prior to the close, Cisco and Starent Networks will continue to operate as separate companies. Upon completion of the transaction, Starent Networks will become the new Mobile Internet Technology Group.

CONNECTIONS Europe announces new keynote, France Telecom

2009-10-13T14:13:00.003-05:00

Pierre François Dubois, Vice President, Very High Broadband and Digital Home Products, Technocentre, France Telecom Group will present the keynote presentation at the CONNECTIONS Europe Summit on November 4th in Amsterdam.

Pierre François Dubois started as an R&D engineer working on Intelligent Networks and Network Operations. He then held different management positions inside the Orange Group, mostly in sales and marketing. He was Marketing Director for Triple Play offers on ADSL for Orange France between 2006 and 2008. He is now responsible, for the France Telecom Group, of the strategy and development of products related to very high broadband and the digital home.

To view the CONNECTIONS Europe agenda, click here.

Cisco Helps Assure Internet's Future Amid Device Growth

2009-10-13T13:55:00.002-05:00

Cisco announced significant enhancements to its Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture that are designed to secure the foundation of the Internet, which must accommodate the exponential increase of connected devices for highly secure, efficient video delivery and collaboration. With the new Cisco Carrier-Grade IP Version 6 (IPv6) solution, Cisco helps enable service providers to effectively deal with the bottleneck created by the imminent depletion of IPv4 addresses. This new solution complements Cisco's IPv6 portfolio, the widest and most extensive in the market.

Now spanning from the core of the network to the home, Cisco's IPv6 capabilities have been expanded and added to a wide range of the company's routers and switches. Cisco is introducing new carrier-grade IPv6 capabilities to the Cisco CRS-1 Carrier Routing System for the network core and to the Cisco Aggregation Services Routers for the network edge. These new additions provide a cost-effective and efficient means to bridge to a full IPv6 next-generation network while extending the life of existing IPv4 addresses to smoothly manage that migration.

Highlights / Key Facts:

•An IP address is required for each device that connects to the Internet, and IPv6 is designated as the successor to IPv4, the first implementation used in the Internet and still the most widely used today.
•Exhaustion of IPv4 addresses is predicted for sometime in 2011, according to various sources, including potaroo.net, a Web site that tracks IPv4 address allocation by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. IPv4 has a finite set of unique addresses, numbering approximately 4 billion, which is rapidly depleting due to the ever-growing number of Internet-connected devices and smart devices.
•The industry foresaw this and developed IPv6, which has 340 undecillion unique addresses (3.4 x 10(38)), or more than 50 billion billion billion for each person on earth, more than enough to continue to support the demand for IP addresses. However, the protocols of IPv4 and IPv6 are not directly compatible, so migrating a network from IPv4 to IPv6 requires technology solutions to preserve IPv4 while executing a carefully orchestrated, step-by-step implementation plan.
•New Cisco IPv6 offerings, which expand on the existing Cisco IPv6 portfolio, are designed to address the current gap that service providers face in their IPv6 network evolution.

For the full press release, click here.

support.com Offers Cure for Windows 7 Migration "Migraine"

2009-10-13T13:48:00.002-05:00

Online Migration Service Most Convenient Way to Get to Windows 7

The launch of Windows 7 on October 22nd is fast approaching and with it are anticipated problems for many who migrate to the new operating system from either Windows XP or Vista. Even tech-savvy PC owners may find making the switch a challenge.

For them, as well as harried moms, tech-challenged seniors and those more interested in spending their weekend watching football instead of dealing with computer problems, support.com, a leading provider of online technology support services, is introducing its Windows 7 Online Migration Service, a more convenient and less stressful way to upgrade to Windows 7.

A customized remote service, the support.com Windows 7 Online Migration Service is a real-time, one-on-one experience for those who desire extra help when switching from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7.

Details of the support.com Windows 7 Online Migration Service: 1). A real-time online service by experienced Solutions Engineers; 2). Migrates programs, files and settings from Windows XP and Windows; 3). Vista to Windows 7 on an existing computer -- in-place -- without requiring a second computer; 4). Utilizes LapLink technology, a trusted leader in PC migration; 5). Supports 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7; 6). Available on October 22; 7). Costs $49 if purchased with either a Personal, Family or Home Office; and 8). Plan subscription from support.com. If purchased without a subscription the Windows 7 Service costs $149.

For the full press release, click here.

D-Link Now Offers Terabyte of On-Board Storage With Network Storage Enclosure

2009-10-07T09:46:00.003-05:00

D-Link, the end-to-end computer networking solutions provider for consumers and business, began selling its popular 4-Bay ShareCenter™ network attached storage (NAS) enclosure with two one-terabyte hard disk drives included.

Customers now have the option to purchase the D-Link® 4-Bay ShareCenter (DNS-343) by itself and supply their own hard drives, or with two 1TB SATA drives included as a bundle. D-Link also is now shipping the 2-Bay ShareCenter Network Storage (DNS-323) enclosure with a 1TB hard drive.

D-Link ShareCenter enclosures, with drives from major disk manufacturers pre-installed, allow users to expand storage capacity and enable securing and sharing of documents, files and digital media, such as music, photos and video across a home or office network. At the same time, the storage enclosures provide advanced technology to perform file backup and proper data recovery to prevent data loss.

Other key features include a fast Gigabit Ethernet connection, built-in FTP server for accessing files through the Internet, built-in UPnP audio visual (UPnP AV) media servers for streaming digital content to compatible media players, and RAID 1 technology for mirroring important files.

Both the DNS-323 and 343 have the ability to act as a print server by using the device's universal serial bus (USB) port. A USB printer can be added to the network without the need for a dedicated computer.

Key Themes from Broadband World Forum and IBC Conferences

2009-10-07T09:39:00.003-05:00

Kurt Scherf recently attended two big shows in Europe - Broadband World Forum and IBC. In the latest issue of Parks Associates’ Europe Research Update Newsletter, he reviews of some of the biggest themes from that trip, many of which will be discussed in depth at CONNECTIONS™ Europe on Nov. 4 in Amsterdam, the Roadmap for Connected CE. Visit www.connectionseurope.com for more information and to register.

An overarching theme from Broadband World Forum was service and device management. Home networks and residential gateways have moved the demarcation point for broadband services further into the home, and service providers need to be able to look deeper into the home with greater granularity to see performance metrics and other data.

At IBC, Kurt focused on the blending of Web and TV services, user interfaces and EPGs, content protection and rights management, and the important elements of 3DTV.

To subscribe - http://www.parksassociates.com/europe/

Residential Gateways & Set-top Boxes at CONNECTIONS Europe, Amsterdam

2009-10-02T10:00:00.002-05:00

New trends such as cloud computing, green living, mobile connectivity, and hybrid Internet-TV services are reshaping the role of the set-top box. Carriers, squeezed by low subscriber revenues and the demand for more features, need a home hub that offers more capability for less capital.

The Residential Gateways & Set-top Box session at CONNECTIONS Europe explores:

* The evolution of features that home hubs will support
* Support for features such as home monitoring, energy management, and health monitoring
* Network and hardware requirements for “future-proofed” home hubs
* The role of retail-purchased consumer electronics as compatible nodes

Speakers are represented from Affinegy, OSGi Alliance, Telcordia, and Irdeto/Cloakware.