I recently attended the 2010 Cable Show in Los Angeles hosted by the National Cable &Telecommunications Association. Unique to many other technology shows that I’ve attended in the past, many of the exhibits at the Cable Show had a full array of bells and whistles and lured attendees with famous actors and personalities including, George Lopez, Shaun White, and of course the 80’s icon, Mr. T.
NCTA organizers said the attendance was slightly higher than expected, which was not surprising to learn considering on the first day of the show the aisle were filled with attendees anxious to meet the famous personalities and to learn more about what’s next in terms of content and on the technology front that promise to significantly change how we view and interact with our entertainment systems. Here are some highlights:
3DTV demonstrations peppered the exhibit show floor. It was very cool to see (and experience) how we might watch TV in the future. I can only imagine having the real-life feeling that while watching my beloved 49ers that I might feel like I’m actually at the game. Pretty cool, however; some of the analysts I spoke with argue that the reality is a ways off due to technology hurdles that will make the 3D TV available and affordable for the average household… I can dream though.
Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) was the talk of the show with about two dozen exhibitors showcasing the technology in their booths. I was probably more attuned to this trend as Engage PR’s client, Sigma Systems,announced at the show that its Subscriber Information Services (SIS) platform supported EBIF support, along with other new features to provide stronger privacy protection and improved performance for advanced advertising. So EBIF is not quite household name. The technology runs on cable's entire universe of set-tops to enable is Interactive TV—with targeted advertising. A consortium of companies agreed to use a “SelecTV” icon as a consistent reminder to viewers that iTV content is available. Canoe Ventures, the industry’s advertising collaboration, announced at the show that it will manage the SelecTV brand and license it to certified cable providers, programmers and advertisers.
My World where “Hollywood Meets Silicon Valley” led attendees through a virtual world brought to life through the connective power of cable. From social TV to home energy management, My World demonstrates the full breadth of cable's ability to provide personalized, portable media and communications experiences.
What was missing? Mobile. Executives from most of the major cable operator talked about the mobile opportunity, but did not clearly outline their strategy for delivering content to the devices most of us carry all day.
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