MediaKind: Leave no set-top behind

Cable Satellite International

With the war cry “No set top should be left behind”, MediaKind says it wants to help payTV operators shift customers over to multiscreen, multiroom and more flexible UX environments by upgrading their legacy STBs with a software update.
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IBC is the first trade show outing for MediaKind, the new brand identity for Ericsson Media Solutions. 

MediaKind itself has at least 40 million STBs in the market running the old Microsoft middleware Mediaroom. “The risk from an operator’s point of view is that, if left unchanged, these subscriber households will be cannibalised by OTT,” explained Arun Bhikshesvaran, CMO, MediaKind.

“Our intent is to make the UI the same so we can bring the customer forward and not leave them stranded. MediaFirst offers a traditional linear solution but also support Roku, Amazon Firestick, Apple TV or integration into Alexa and Google voice assistants. It allows operators to capitalise on the fact that world has changed in how people view TV. TV now is anything you can get video onto.”

It has built a MediaFirst Client, sold as a cloud-based SaaS, so that any Mediaroom customer can move their subscribers from Mediaroom boxes into the MediaFirst cloud-served environment. Several Mediaroom operators already have the client in their labs, plan to launch user trials and bring the new client to their markets soon. The first MediaFirst Client for Mediaroom customer is set to roll out its service in 2019.

For all the non-Mediaroom STBs out there, the firm has partnered with Zodiac - a sister company to MediaKind, being owned by the same financial backers One Equity Partners.
Metadata translation, multi-protocol support, BSS/OSS orchestration and other strenuous set-top functions are handled by the Zodiac cloud and messaged to set-tops.

Zodiac is incorporating MediaKind’s user experience into its STB software for operators including Charter, Altice (Cablevision) and Rogers. The software is updateable, interfaced with the MediaFirst backend and being demoed at IBC. For example, it is featured on current generation Humax hybrid HD-DVR set-tops with a Broadcom 7250 chipset and legacy Samsung HD set-tops with a Broadcom 7405 chipset running MediaFirst in Zodiac’s Zebra ‘lightweight’ browser.

“TV operators can now deliver even more compelling, immersive media experiences and increase monetization,” said Bhikshesvaran, quoting research estimates that such a “content-centric experience” can increase ARPU up to 30%.

The company is also presenting the core of its software solutions as the MediaKind Universe, consisting of five applications suitable for different operator business models.
For contribution and distribution, the Cygnus aims to securely acquire, backhaul and distribute content. Aquila is a direct to consumer service for linear and VOD. Orion is the firm’s customer experience backend comprising analytics, UI customization and dynamic ad-insertion features. Pictor is a video delivery networking application. Vega is a services option enabling the design, launch, support and management of operations.

The company is also sharing elements of its R&D which revolve around machine learning, analytics and smart cities.

In a proof of concept dubbed the Horizon Suite, MediaKind is combining codecs including HEVC and AV1 with machine learning “to make them more applicable to different distribution scenarios,” explained Gowton Achaibar, COO and head of R&D. It is exploring how advanced analytics and blockchain might be able to rope social media influencers (and their content recommendations) into the media distribution chain. Cloud workflows as replacement for satellite are also part of the Horizon Suite, as is a look ‘Beyond Entertainment’ at the use of video in smart city environments – an area into which video service operators may be looking to expand their business.

“The idea is to take those elements and recombine them in more ways which could open commercial opportunity,” explained CTO and head of strategy Mark Russell.