A dose of IPTV expertise
I feel a bit smug today. As smug as one can feel having succumbed to a cold that seized ones' vocal chords.
It was my privilege to be a part of IPTV Evolution yesterday, an amazing day-long event pulled together by my colleagues, Heather Cox and Susan Fuller. In just six hours, 30 of the most experienced and insightful people in the television industry shared their perspectives on how Internet Protocol is affecting the creation and distribution of visual media. The setting lent itself to some pretty boisterous participation. It wasn't unusual for a member of the audience to flat-out challenge something a panelist said.
These folks were there to learn.
As a journalist, I've been to countless panel events where I've had to churn out stories for a daily and barely had a single intelligible quote to include. I've seen panel free-for-alls, where everyone pursues their own agenda and nothing relevant emerges.
None of this happened yesterday, and I'm not raving simply because I chaired the event. The talent pool was much too strong for my presence to have any effect. I'm raving because I was there taking notes.
Steve Shannon founded Akimbo and ReplayTV. He's now with Gemstar-TV. He was there. Michael Morris, a telecom attorney who helped craft California's franchise law, was there. Doug Sylvester, long-time cable veteran and chief operating office of TVN was there. Laura Buddine, a set-top box designer and one of the first people involved in interactive TV was there. The list goes on.
Today, FierceIPTV presents coverage of the opening keynote, graciously presented by Madeleine Forrer, vice president of Video Services for the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative. Forrer elaborated on IP-Prime, the long-awaited IPTV platform developed with smaller telcos in mind.
In the upcoming issue of FierceIPTV, I will provide coverage of the rest of the event, including insight from telco operators who have deployed IPTV.
I would like to again thank all the panelists, and those who attended IPTV Evolution for all or part of the day.
I would especially like to thank my colleagues Susan Fuller, Heather Cox and Julie O'Meara for their incredibly hard work, their optimism and their generosity.
IPTV is a rich field in the early stages of growth, and one day, when the associated trade shows are drawing 100,000 people, we'll all be able to look back knowing we were there before it was cool.
Please share any thoughts, feedback or insight with me at [email protected]. -D.