Communications Technology Sample Issue

Comcast Inserts Ads into VOD
TWC Goes 4G

Since June, Comcast has been inserting ads into its VOD programming in its approximately 500,000-sub Jacksonville, FL, system. The MSO is using BlackArrow’s Advanced Advertising System.

Initially, the advertisements will just be programmer’s ads for PBS KIDS Sprout and FEARnet. But if everything goes well, BlackArrow’s technology will be used for revenue-generating local and national ad buys.

BlackArrow President Nick Troiano said one of the stumbling blocks in VOD advertising has been timing. The advertiser has been required to buy inventory 45-90 days in advance. The BlackArrow system allows ads to be inserted dynamically.

“There is a whole slew of workflows that are necessary, ” said Troiano. “We provide technology that shortens those lead times.”

One way BlackArrow shortens those times is by selling its product to programmers as well as operators, so there

aren’t delays caused by synching separate ad softwares.

“The reality is you need ad insertion that has integrated with every headend, every back office, every video pump, so we can control and manage the playout,” said Troiano. Network topology is not the same in Philly, as in Boston. Ad insertion needs to be able to integrate and support across each market and aggregate.”

That jibes with Canoe’s conclusion that the cable environment is technically complicated for advanced advertising. Canoe pulled back on some optimistic time frames for addressable ads in June.

For VOD, BlackArrow’s product is comprised of a sales suite and a decision suite. The sales suite is a campaign management system used by the programmer to build a campaign. The decision suite is software customized for a cable company’s network, which identifies inventory that a programmer can sell against.

Time Warner Cable will launch its 4G mobile network in Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh, NC, December 1.

The first product to launch is Road Runner Mobile, offering Internet access on the go with speeds up to 6 Mbps. Road Runner Mobile charges can be added to existing customers’ bills for their video, home phone, and data services. TWC is offering a choice of mobile data plans ranging from to $39.95 to $79.95 per month. All plans include Road Runner Web Mail, Internet Security and Data Storage.

TWC plans to launch additional mobile services to customers in the future such as the ability to program a DVR from a mobile device and the ability to take their video content with them on the go. The operator will be expanding its 4G mobile network to additional service areas over the next few months including Dallas, TX, and Honolulu and Maui, HI.

Loud Ads Get Attention

Legislation addressing overly loud advertisements is beginning to move through the U.S. Congress. The prospect of regulation has some concerned.

In June 2008, Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA) introduced The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM, H.R. 6209). Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) sponsored the Senate version of the bill.

Last month, the House Communications Subcommittee approved the bill in a voice vote, referring it to the full Energy and Commerce Subcommittee.

“The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), ” states the agency’s Web site, “does not currently regulate the volume of programs or commercials.” (Emphasis added). That would change if CALM becomes law. But should it?

interest to figure out what’s feasible and propose that to Congress, according to Eric Conley, CEO of Mixed Signals, rather than have Congress come up with something that’s not technologically feasible.

B.S. 1770 could help

Conley said there’s a general audio guideline called “dialog norm, ” which is the decibel level of two people talking. Programmers and operators usually set dialog norm at - 27 dB. ”That gives audio encoders information on what they should target. But if you have a movie with bombs going off, you can have huge dynamic range, ” he said.

The problem is certain advertisers encode their commercials with a different dialog norm. So two people talking sounds more like two people shrieking.