Cisco's Video Guru Talks TVs and PCs

January 7, 2008

Whether they get it from a TV or a personal computer, one thing is clear: people like their video. So far, however, it is an either/or decision. You can watch on the PC or on the TV. Most content is just available on one but not the other. Cisco Systems, however, is focused on bringing those two worlds together. Working in conjunction with leading telecommunications service providers-such as Comcast and AT&T in the United States, Deutsche Telekom and British Telecom in Europe, and Softbank BB and China Telecom in Asia-Cisco is developing new technologies that bring the interactive multimedia capabilities of the Internet to the TV while helping deliver prime TV and movie content to other types of communications and entertainment devices. Cisco calls this "visual networking."

To get an update of how Cisco is helping TV service providers meld the TV and the PC, News@Cisco spoke Bob McIntyre, the company's chief technical officer for its Service Provider Technology group. The following text is modified from a recent News@Cisco podcast.

There are a lot of changes taking place in how TV and other video services are offered and used. Cisco likes to use the term 'visual networking' to describe what is happening. What is visual networking and how is it changing the way companies offer their TV services?

Bob McIntyre: We like the term visual networking because it captures the concept that people are not just simply watching "TV" anymore, and that video is now becoming the keystone to the Internet and other communications and entertainment services. A TV service provider, such as a cable company like Comcast or a "phone" company like AT&T, are now offering multimedia TV services that can tie together with all kinds of other content and devices. At the center of all those services is video. We're really at the beginning of this exploration as more and more TV service providers use Internet protocol technologies to run their video networks.

By tying TV video with Internet-based networks, it is much easier for TV service providers to offer such things as video-on-demand and digital video recording so people can watch what they want, when they want. Plus, these companies are also providing new ways people can bring all the great content from the Internet to the TV, so you can use your plasma screen TV to watch your favorite YouTube video or perhaps show off your latest family photos to relatives.

Obviously, the personal computer is a preferred way to view or use certain multimedia applications, but the TV is the source for high-quality video. Multi-player gaming, for example, is a natural for the larger screens and higher quality of the TV set. Another example of visual networking might be an integrated chat program that the fans of a certain TV program could use while watching their favorite show. As we've seen from some of the Web 2.0 and social networking activities, you never know what will catch on. So for the new generation of TV service providers, it's vital for them to not only offer high-quality movies and programming but to also help their customers connect that video content to all kinds of other electronic devices, Internet applications, and multimedia content. So that's what visual networking is all about. People love the Internet but they also love their TV, and as we are seeing, video is really the "killer app" that is bringing the two worlds together. They keep wanting more and more of this. We're going to give it to them.

Why are major TV service providers such as Comcast or AT&T important to visual networking when people can now get all kinds of video material from the Internet?

Bob McIntyre: In a word: quality. Delivering large screen video-especially high-definition programming-is seriously demanding. We consider it ten-fold more technically challenging than running voice over Internet protocol (IP) networks. So simply plugging your broadband connection into your TV set is not enough to create a satisfying experience for most people. The public Internet does not offer big enough pipes to the home and, more importantly, it lacks the specialized and sophisticated mechanisms necessary to carefully prepare and escort these signals as they travel the network. You simply can't deliver high quality video by any other means. Only major service providers can deliver that. At the same time, these TV service providers are also the ones offering the broadband connections to the Internet. They are working hard at building even bigger pipes so people can get all the content they want from the Net. Then, by combining these two services, these companies are at the center of visual networking.

So where does Cisco fit into the development of visual networking? How is it helping TV service providers offer more than just 50 channels?

Bob McIntyre: HDTV takes roughly five times as much bandwidth as a standard definition digital signal. So these TV networks need as much bandwidth as they can get. That's where we come in with our state-of-the-art routers and switches, which are really super computers for visual networking. But brute bandwidth is not enough. As mentioned, high-definition video networks have to be carefully managed to ensure the impeccable quality of the images and the dependability of the service. All those tricks of quality of service are something that can best be done in the network. Cisco is creating all the tools necessary to ensure these new high-def services work flawlessly.

So that takes care of the part about getting the video to the home. But nowadays people are also interested in doing a lot more than just channel surfing. They want to have control of when and where they watch their favorite shows. So our networking technologies, especially from our Scientific Atlanta and Linksys brands, are helping TV service providers tap the power of the Internet to provide on-demand viewing, digital video recording, and interactive services, including links to personal computers and other electronic devices in the home.

What are some of the new technologies Cisco is developing that will help the TV become the centerpiece for visual networking?

Bob McIntyre: First, we've been talking to our customers-TV service providers-who help us prioritize where we put our resources. Several things have come out of that that are pretty interesting. One concept is the "gateway." Many people now have a modem in their homes to provide broadband services. But that's been an island unto itself. That broadband link really only connects to your PC. So we've been working with service providers to develop a type of product that not only takes care of the broadband connection but also helps connect that Internet link with all kinds of other devices in the house, including the TV, music players, gaming consoles and much more. Our first gateway products will be rolled out in early 2008. The ultimate aim of the gateway is to make it easier for people to connect the Internet and its myriad of content and services to all of their devices in the home.

The gateway is very appealing to TV service providers. It's sort of a friendly Trojan Horse. Because once the gateway is installed, it gives the service provider the means to offer a far greater variety of entertainment and communication services. So that's one concept that's come to the forefront over the last 12 months.

The other concept that's come up is the hybrid set-top box; a hybrid visual networking experience that would allow service providers to not only bring analog channels, digital channels, high-definition channels, and video-on-demand services to the TV set, but it would also allow TV viewers access to streaming video from various types of Websites. This content could be delivered both to the PC and the TV. So that's the concept of a hybrid box. Again, like the gateway, it rethinks what "TV" service is. We like to think of telecommunications companies as "experience" providers rather than a phone company, a cable company, or a broadband provider. All of these worlds are coming together. The trick these days is to make these various options simple and fun to use. That's where we're going with products like gateways and hybrid set-top boxes.