J:COM uses cloud-based technology for new video-on-demand experiences
Tue 25 Apr 2017
J:COM’s cloud-based technology is giving its pay-TV subscribers the chance to enjoy new benefits on their existing set-top boxes
As a result of the first deployment in Japan of transformative cloud-based technology, subscribers can use their current set-top boxes to enjoy enhanced web-like video-on-demand experiences.
The company has used the cloud to reimagine the VOD interface to then allow expedited content discovery. This is a major element in driving take rates for on-demand content. The owners can now use their current equipment to personalise their searches. Other new aspects include a bigger and more detailed display and faster responsiveness.
By shifting the browsing environment to the cloud, J:COM has hastened availability at scale of a new user experience. The extant devices’ abilities have now been enhanced and are now capable of performing identically across each STB in its service footprint.
Masaaki Agaya, J:COM’s General Manager, Service Planning Division, said that the user interface is the customer’s point of entry to its on-demand library. “The power of the cloud has enabled us to offer our subscribers a next-generation UX that overnight is opening the door to engaging new viewing experiences on the same familiar set-top boxes.”
J:COM is using ActiveVideo®’s cloud virtualisation technology to add new functions for its extant set-top-boxes. Pay-TV operators can augment their current STB functionality with ActiveVideo CloudTV GuideCast. This makes the user experience independent of device CPU speeds, memory size and graphics capabilities.
What GuideCast does is to make a state-of-the-art HTML5 user interface in the cloud. The output is then delivered as an interactive MPEG video stream to any cable QAM or IP STB supported by a downloadable or pre-installed client with a CloudTV Nano module.
Jeff Miller, President and CEO of ActiveVideo, said that as pay-TV operators deploy new services, the time-to-market required to ensure universal availability across the entire footprint could be daunting. “J:COM’s success is further proof of how STB virtualisation allows operators to rapidly transform user experiences for every subscriber by enabling delivery of faster, larger and more intuitive user experiences.”
