John Driver, Chief Operating Officer at PacketVideo, provides industry insight on how to make OTT consumption more convenient for consumers:

What is the most important next step to engage consumers in smart home solutions, connected entertainment services, and/or value-added services like tech support and connected health?

For connected entertainment services an important next step to engage consumers is to allow them choices of multiple media sources and formats, in a secure and easy to use environment. This is particularly important in light of the cord cutting trends we are seeing due to the likes of Netflix and HBO. Consumers will want almost universal access and control of these types of services regardless of device or location. Because of the complexity of media content rights, a secure environment, which works seamlessly in the background, is a necessity as more premium content services are introduced and expanded.

What is the biggest driver for the connected consumer market?

There are several. The biggest driver continues to be broadband penetration in the household, and at higher Wi-Fi throughput levels to take advantage of the myriad of media based services, and formats that are being offered. The second biggest driver is the growing number and types of connected devices in the household. These devices continue to evolve into new and interesting form factors, and are highly capable to handle various types of media formats.

Another driver is the premium media content that is being produced. Some are calling it the second TV Renaissance. The content is simply more compelling than it has ever been, further driving adoption of connected home media services.

Finally, interoperability and ease of use. Consumers don't want to have to think of what devices will work in order to enjoy their content. When a new device is brought into the home, they expect it to "just work".

What are the most important initiatives your company is taking in 2015?

• Further enabling our customers to offer and/or deliver premium content in a secure and consumer-friendly manner, using the latest high definition formats and security protocols.
• Enabling any content provider and service provider to "beam" premium content securely and at extremely high quality from any mobile device to any media renderer in the home.
• Continue to offer media solutions that enable the integration of cloud-based media services that customers increasingly demand.
• Continued focus on enabling superior and innovative solutions for the NAS market, especially in light of NAS manufacturers’ push into cloud-based services.
• Staying ahead of the expanding ecosystem in the connected home, to ensure interoperability of media devices and applications regardless of manufacturer or operating system.
• Leveraging our expertise in the media solutions vertical of the connected home to build out our strategy for the smart home market, particularly the video and image capabilities required for smart home security.

John Driver will be speaking on the panel “Entertainment and the New User Experience” on Thursday, May 21, at 11:15 AM during CONNECTIONS™ in San Francisco, CA, alongside speakers from AirTies, Brightline, Limelight Networks, and Wowza Media Systems.

For more information on CONNECTIONS™ speakers, sessions, or topics, visit www.connectionsus.com. Make sure to register today!

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