News & Opinion

by Shimie Hortig, President of Amdocs Broadband, Cable and Satellite division   The cable industry is excited about Wi-Fi as a new revenue frontier, and justifiably so. The Wireless Broadband Alliance has predicted that next Generation Hotspot (NGH) technology will account for $150 billion in operator revenue by 2018. MSOs are starting to move quickly. In the U.S., members of the cable industry’s Wi-Fi consortium were able to offer their customers roaming Wi-Fi access to more than 200,000 hotspots by the end of 2013: doubling the output of 2012, according to research by SNL Kagan. In addition to expanding their Wi-Fi footprint, which MSOs hope will increase the appeal and value of their highspeed data (HSD) subscriptions, cable operators are upgrading Wi-Fi technologies. One example is Comcast’s dual-use Wi-Fi home gateway, which enables indoor residential hotspots to support outdoor access via authentication. And with the next generation of Wi-Fi (802.11ac), which will significantly increase broadband up to one gigabit per second, multiple users will be allowed to stream HD videos at the same time. Cable operators believe that their expanded footprint, combined with these technological advances, will help them better control the data experience of their customers and maximize their return on investment (ROI), while providing the best quality of service (QoS). This means a more mobile and seamless experience, which cannot be achieved without optimized and intelligent networks that offer seamless handovers, session continuity, intelligent offload and full control of the customer data experience. Read the full story here:

Facebook has always been a social platform where users can share photos that help friends stay connected no matter where they are globally. Now in order to stay relevant with their growing competition, videos have become a new way for users to share their daily experiences. On mobile devices, where the ability to record and view videos is nowadays most convenient, a new Facebook app feature will try to get you to watch multiple videos by your friends using a suggested video carousel. Reminiscent of YouTube’s related videos, Facebook has confirmed the existence of this fresh experience in Facebook for iOS phones. The ability to quickly watch a series of videos before jumping back to your newsfeed could be a way to encourage more Facebook video uploading that result in likes and shares for the user. This new feature is currently only available to a subset of Facebook users, but here’s all there is to know about Facebooks attempt at becoming a new mobile video player: The suggested video player only appears after watching some people direct uploads to Facebook, not YouTube videos or clips on other third parties. Videos in the feed autoplay, but tapping on one enlarge it to full screen. One it finishes playing in portrait mode, the video shrinks and a black video recommendation carousel of “more from [that friend] and others” appears at the bottom. Tapping a video swaps it into the main window. In a slick design trick, the carousel darkens while you’re watching video and brightens up if you touch it to scroll through the suggestions. The carousel resembles the “related news” suggestions Facebook shows on news links in the news feed. The carousel makes watching multiple videos in a row exceedingly easy. Rather than dumping you back on the feed when you finish the first one, it keeps the video player open. The idea seems to be that if you go through the effort to open the full-screen player, you’re probably in the mood to watch more videos. Video suggestions like this could be a big deal for Facebook. First, the more that people watch videos, the more that people will post them. Right now Facebook is battling YouTube and Vine to own the world’s user-generated videos and the monetization potential they deliver. Our collective addiction to Likes and comments incentivizes us to share whatever content receives them. YouTube hosts longer, high-production videos and Vine has stars sharing short, expertly crafted content (plus average people posting six-second ad-hoc videos). Snapchat privately transmits informal, conversational 10-seconds-or-less ephemeral shots.   Facebook and Instagram, whose videos both auto-plays in the feed, have an opportunity to own broadcasted clips in the ~30-second range if it can get them an audience. Second, video views let Facebook soak up more of users’ time. This attention makes Facebook more powerful by entrenching it in people’s lives, denying competitors the engagement, and generating data on what content and friends people like best. Driving video views hasn’t been a big focus for Facebook lately, though, as over the past few years it folded the videos section of people’s profiles into a buried “Videos” album. Third, more passive video consumption like this could be a great way for Facebook to break into smart TVs. Reading status updates from the couch could be tough and too much work, but watching video after video or a slideshow of friends’ photos could be a great laidback experience. And finally, wherever you have content discovery you have an opportunity for sponsored recommendations. Facebook could slot its new premium video ads like movie trailers into the carousel, racking up extra views it can charge top-dollar for. That will be even easier now that Facebook has agreed to buy video ad server LiveRail, which we broke the news was a $400 million to $500 million dollar acquisition. In a Facebook video ad pitch deck leaked to TechCrunch, it trumpets the ability to reach more people than TV networks. To make this all work, Facebook really needs to update its mobile video uploading interface which is archaic by modern standards. If better uploading was combined with a quick way to consume videos, Facebook could evolve past its roots in photo-sharing and become a true home for full-motion windows into our friends’ lives. Read the original story here:

The economy has seen better days, and with so many companies looking to save money, it’s become a common trend for employees to work remotely from home. Those who think working from home is ideal typically focus only on the upside – like “freedom” from scheduling – associated with this style of work. If you don’t have a routine set in place though, your dream job could become a nightmare.   Setting up a strategy and using tactics that are tailored to the way you work is critical for effective performance. Given the level of flexibility we have achieved at Bob Gold & Associates, we have become fully capable of working remotely if needed and have identified some methods you could use to reinforce good personal/professional routines if you work from home or freelance: 1. Start with the right business strategy. I identified how we could create a sustainable approach in building my “work routine”. Without this sustainability, you can work hard and still fail miserably. I started with a good promotional strategy, the strategy ensured that my efforts create more successes than failures, which translates to sustainability in the long term. 2. Create a work routine that maximizes energy level and time. This involves creating routines and tactics around time efficiency and mental energy management. Below are the steps taken to accomplish this goal. Establish a consistent schedule for recurring events. For us, this includes waking up around the same time every day, driving a child to and from school and to extracurricular activities and going to the rock-climbing gym two to three times a week. This creates "packets" of time so that you can then plan ad-hoc and semi-recurring project-specific events. We are not living by the clock, but have a general sense of where we need to be at a given time of day. Prioritize tasks based on personal effectiveness. If you are most effective after the first hour of waking, deal with less-demanding administrative items that first hour. Then tackle the tough projects or mentally demanding tasks. Concentrate. This means when working on a task, there are no more than five browser tabs/windows open (and only if most of these tabs are task-related), no email notifications of any kind (We learned to disable desktop email notifications more than a decade ago, and never looked back) and no chat or instant-messaging service turned on. Use time-saving hacks like autocorrect, hotkeys and auto-texts/canned responses. If you find that your constantly typing the same types of responses on email, set up a "canned response" email template that you can customize. You can create hotkeys for emails and links you frequent, as it takes less time for you to type two keys versus move your hand to the mouse, then find the bookmark and then click the link (you don't want to create a shortcut for any financial account information/links). 3. Create boundaries and find ways to keep yourself motivated. Yu have had to learn to say "no" to prospects that you know won't be good clients — even if the money sounds good. Ultimately, the mental angst will cost you elsewhere in productivity and personal happiness. Some of us keep electronic "kudos" files of positive feedback and comments we receive. This file keeps us grounded and reminds us what is meaningful work, and helps when we might feel disconnected or isolated. This file also balances the self-doubt some may occasionally feel about whether or not they are on the right path. So go ahead and try out some of these methods and let us know how they work for you. To read the original story click here:

Would you believe that business professionals send and receive an average of 120 - 300 emails per day? With so many messages going in and out, low-priority and redundant conversation messages can pile up in your inbox pretty quickly.  So what happens when your boss urgently needs you to resend an email chain from a month ago and your inbox is littered with 2,500 emails? Going through all of that clutter can be a challenge and even if you find what you’re looking for, just looking at your crowded inbox can cause anxiety. Most of our poor email habits have been built over time and it can take a lot of personal accountability to break them. The truth is that it’s easier for people to adopt poor habits than it is to develop good ones, so to help free you from the clutter that pollutes our inbox, here are some great tips to keep your email manageable: • Decide and delete daily. Make a rapid decision about each incoming email. It should quickly fit into one of three mental categories as soon as you read it: "Need to respond," "should file," or "delete." You don’t need to respond to every email you receive. • The monthly zap. Sit down at the end of each month and delete the emails you sent during that month. You’ll be surprised how satisfying it can feel. • Cut email in half. Of the hundreds of emails received each day, roughly half require no response from me at all. They usually get deleted right after reading them and commit the salient points to memory. Of the remaining half, most are responded to within 24 hours. To avoid redundancies, if I’m following a long, multi-email chain, only keeping the last email in the thread and ruthlessly delete the ones that came before it. • Be a power filer. Anything that is not urgent can be looked at later, but if it’s not filed, you’ll never do it. My strategy is to be "power filer." For instance, my “to read” folder contains links and articles that will take more than one minute to review. They’re not urgent, but they are important. I save these to be read on planes when I’m traveling on business. I also have a “how-to” folder to immediately file anything that has to do with instructions (how to request a vacation, how to open a PO, how to upload a performance review, etc.) so I don’t spend any time looking for things that should really take no time. • Chop the block. Some people swear that the key to email management is to only check email during specific times of the day. While that seems like a workable strategy for anyone whose email may not contain an urgent question, problem or decision point, many of us don’t have that luxury. Many of our responsibilities include management of a cross-functional, global team who may need counsel or a decision on a moment’s notice. Try checking email throughout the day at your desk or phone. Remember, an easily manageable inbox - one that is organized and free of clutter - can be any user’s personal oasis, so use these tips to help manage your inbox and enjoy your new found bliss. To read the original story click here:

New Slingbox M1 and SlingTV Will Delight Mobile and Home Entertainment Users with New Features Including Discovery and Navigation Enhancements, Cloud-Based Social Media Personalization, and Ease of Setup and Use FOSTER CITY, CALIF.—July 16, 2014—Sling Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), today announced the Slingbox® M1 and SlingTV™, replacing the popular and award-winning Slingbox 350 and 500 models. Both of these retail products are the only solutions capable of delivering a customer’s pay TV channels and programs (live or recorded) from the living room to the most popular mobile devices in up to HD quality with no restrictions. In addition SlingTV delivers the power of a Slingbox combined with new “Smarter TV” features designed to enhance the TV viewing experience in the living room. Slingbox M1 With a suggested retail price (MSRP) of $149.99, the new Slingbox M1 is the most affordable Slingbox that Sling Media has ever produced. Designed for the mainstream user who wants to have remote access to all of their home TV channels and shows as well as access to DVR content on personal computers, tablets and phones, the Slingbox M1 is offered in a compact, unassuming form factor that fits easily into an entertainment system. In addition, the Slingbox M1 integrates WiFi for simple network connectivity and utilizes the new Slingplayer for Desktop app for PCs and Macs. The new Slingplayer for Desktop app dramatically improves setup and configuration, allowing users to be up and running in less than 10 minutes. Furthermore, Sling customers will now be able to configure their new Slingbox M1 with a mobile device via the Slingplayer app for iPhone and iPad as well as Android-based phones. Slingbox M1 features include: Dual-band 2.4/5Ghz WiFi connectivity and Ethernet port Absolutely no monthly fees for the Slingbox M1 or SlingTV Watch and control live TV on a tablet, phone, PC or Mac Easy and quick setup and playback via PC/Mac desktop apps, as well as iPhone, iPad and Android phone apps Watch on a second TV anywhere via Apple TV® and Roku® Play and schedule DVR recordings Component and composite input/output SlingTV Powered by Slingbox 500 hardware, the new SlingTV gives customers a world class, exhilarating Slingbox experience in their living rooms that utilizes new tools to easily discover and navigate to TV shows, movies and sports in an elegant, seamless manner. SlingTV is a powerful Slingbox that gives customers access to their pay TV channels (live or recorded) on a laptop or desktop personal computer, tablet or phone at home or anywhere in the world a network connection is available. In addition, SlingTV is designed to make the living room TV experience more enjoyable and powerful by turning the television to which SlingTV is connected into a “Smarter TV” without having to purchase a new TV or pay for a set-top box upgrade. SlingTV has a suggested retail price (MSRP) of $299.99. SlingTV features a vibrant electronic programming guide (EPG) that utilizes cover-art tiles similar to Slingplayer for iPad’s Media Gallery. Customers can now discover more of their existing pay TV programming in an easy-to-navigate interface with SlingTV’s state-of-the-art programming gallery. This new interface provides recommendations powered by SlingCloudTM, the company’s cloud-based analytics platform that analyzes popularity, reviews and social activity. SlingTV features include: New on-screen TV main menu powered by the included SlingTV remote Soft remote built into Slingplayer for iPhone or Android phone apps Gallery View A visual interface to easily find and select a show to watch Filter by popular, favorite channels, sports, movies, kids programming, etc. currently airing, upcoming and in primetime Rotten Tomatoes® ratings for all movies in Movies filter Big screen TV scoreboard and channel guide. See all the scores and stats without changing the channel Find out who’s playing, the score and the channel it’s airing on in a visual, easily navigated interface Details View Get detailed game stats in real-time for fantasy fanatics Integrated Thuuz™ excitement ratings tell you when to tune into a game based on the score, the match-up, dynamic game momentum changes, etc. Movie and TV episode details “Once again, Sling Media is totally redefining the ‘TV Anywhere’ experience with the introduction of the Slingbox M1 and SlingTV,” says Michael Hawkey, senior vice president and general manager of Sling Media.  “Customers interested in a no-compromise entertainment experience using the most popular devices will be delighted by the affordability and new features of the Slingbox M1. SlingTV completely enhances the living room TV experience with a visually stunning on TV user interface that takes ultimate advantage of social media data activity.” Slingbox M1 will be available in retail stores, through Sling.com and online partners on July 20th.  SlingTV will be available in late August. Existing Slingbox 500 customers will automatically receive the SlingTV software upgrade for FREE at that time as well. Sling Media’s retail partners include Best Buy, TigerDirect and Amazon.com. About Sling Sling Media, a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation, is a leading provider of Multiscreen Smart TV solutions for consumers and television service providers. Sling provides the complete award-winning solution of hardware, cloud services and applications that gives consumers the freedom to discover, control and consume their live TV and DVR content anywhere in the world, on their preferred tablet, phone and computing platform.  Sling’s patented TV solutions are available directly to consumers or through service providers that have embedded Sling’s capabilities.  For more information, please visit sling.com. ###

Deluxe Dedicates Burbank Suite to Dolby Mastering Service BURBANK, Calif.—July 14, 2014—Deluxe, a global innovator offering comprehensive creative, media, distribution and asset-management solutions for media and entertainment, has been chosen by Dolby as the first facility offering state-of-the-art mastering for Dolby Vision. Dolby Vision is an end-to-end solution that helps content creators and TV manufacturers deliver images with greater brightness, color and contrast by augmenting the fidelity of Ultra HD and HD video signals for over-the-top online streaming, broadcast and gaming applications. Deluxe has dedicated an entire color suite in its Hollywood Way facility in Burbank, California, to Dolby Vision operations. “Dolby’s allowing us to launch the first Dolby Vision mastering service speaks volumes about its faith in the quality of work at Deluxe,” said Gray Ainsworth, executive vice president for corporate development & strategy at Deluxe Entertainment Services Group. “We are very excited to work with our customers to explore the creative possibilities of an expanded color palette and greater brightness and contrast.” The Dolby Vision mastering service will be used for episodic and long-form content for TV presentation. It will be conducted on FilmLight’s Baselight high-performance color grading system, which has already been optimized for Dolby Vision. “Creative teams can rely on Deluxe and FilmLight to make their stories come alive visually like never before,” said Roland Vlaicu, senior director of broadcast imaging at Dolby.  “They can use the full range of colors, peak brightness and local contrast provided by Dolby Vision, with the confidence that those will be reproduced faithfully on TVs with Dolby Vision technology.”  About Deluxe Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. is a global leader in media and entertainment services across film, video and online content from capture to consumption. Since 1915, Deluxe has been the trusted partner for the world’s most successful Hollywood studios, independent film companies, TV networks, exhibitors, advertisers and others, offering best-in-class solutions in production, post production, distribution, asset and workflow management and new digital solution-based technologies. With operations in Los Angeles, New York and around the globe, the company employs nearly 6,000 of the most talented, highly honored and recognized artists and industry veterans worldwide. Deluxe is a wholly owned subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. For more information visit www.bydeluxe.com About Dolby Vision Dolby Vision helps content creators and television manufacturers deliver more brightness, colors and contrast by augmenting the fidelity of Ultra HD and HD video signals for over-the-top online streaming, broadcast and gaming applications. Though most TV shows are recorded using camera technology that captures the colors and brightness of real life, much of that richness is lost by the time consumers get to watch. That’s because current TV and cinema color-grading standards are based on the limitations of old technologies and require that the original video content be altered—dramatically reducing the range of colors, brightness and contrast—before it can be reproduced for transmission and playback. Dolby Vision changes that, giving creative teams the freedom to use the full gamut of colors, peak brightness and local contrast. # # #

For the third consecutive year, Bob Gold & Associates is proud to serve as a sponsor for Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News-produced Next TV Summit & Expo San Francisco on September 10 & 11, 2014 at the Santa Clara Marriott. The Summit, a high-level conference, expo and networking event, focuses on the many changing aspects of broadcasting, content creation, technology, digital media and over-the-top content (OTT) shaping the industries of tomorrow. In addition to an always promising lineup of industry executives and thought leaders as keynote speakers, the Summit will debut several new programs including “Startups and VC Leaders Pitching Sessions” and “Consumer Electronics and Content,” ensuring that this will be an event that you won’t want to miss. You can find more information as well as register for the event at http://nexttvsummit.com/sf/  

Deluxe OnDemand™ to Encode Studio, Premium and Local Content for Multi-screen Delivery by Largest Cinema Chain in Canada  BURBANK—July 9, 2014—Deluxe Digital Distribution (D3) today announced that Toronto-based Cineplex Entertainment is using Deluxe OnDemand™ as a key technology partner for the company’s video-on-demand service, the Cineplex Store. D3, a unit of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc., will provide access to a catalogue of more than 7,000 titles, with new content being added each month. “The Cineplex Store is Canada’s one-stop shop for digital movie rentals and downloads,” said Pat Marshall, vice president, communications and investor relations, Cineplex Entertainment. “Deluxe OnDemand™ will help us deliver one of the widest selections of high-quality movie streaming to our customers’ devices.” Cineplex—Canada’s leading theatrical exhibitor, operating 162 theaters with 1,638 screens and welcoming more than 77 million guests annually—has expanded into digital entertainment as the only cinema-based movie store to offer such a wide breadth of titles for online purchase and rental. Cineplex’s online subscribers can stream or download content to iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows 8-supported devices. “We are pleased to support Cineplex’s strategy of engaging customers at each stage of a movie’s life-cycle—from theatrical release to home and mobile entertainment,” said Todd Collart, senior vice president and general manager of Deluxe Digital Distribution. Deluxe maintains the largest aggregated supply of high-bit-rate master source files, at up to 220Mbps. That results in a library of superior transcodes, which are optimized for streaming or download. About Deluxe Digital Distribution Deluxe Digital Distribution (D3) is revolutionizing digital home entertainment with its advanced cloud-based content supply, processing, and delivery services.  The solution makes it easier to move any video from any source to any screen and offers the largest library of premium content to simplify the access and delivery of titles across the multiscreen landscape. D3 is a business division of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. Please visit www.deluxeondemand.com for more information on D3. About Deluxe Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. is a global leader in media and entertainment services across film, video and online original content from capture to consumption. Since 1915, Deluxe Entertainment has been the trusted partner for the world’s most successful Hollywood studios, independent film companies, TV networks, exhibitors, advertisers and others, offering best-in-class solutions in production, post-production, distribution, asset and workflow management and new digital solution-based technologies. The company employs nearly 6,000 of the most talented, highly honored and recognized artists and industry veterans worldwide. Deluxe Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. About the Cineplex Store The Cineplex Store is Canada’s one-stop shop for digital movie rentals and downloads, Blu-ray discs and DVDs.  With more than 7,000 titles, CineplexStore.com offers Canada’s largest selection of UltraViolet movie downloads.  On Digital Tuesdays, customers can rent a standard definition digital movie for $2.50, or receive $2.50 off a digital download.  CineplexStore.com customers can also earn and redeem points with SCENE, Canada’s largest entertainment loyalty program. ###

Have you ever wondered how the terms you enter into search engines influence the results that are listed? Search engine optimization has two key elements that influence these results and how they are presented. There are on-page factors, which include site content, usability and accessibility; and off-page factors, including different inbound links that influence the degree of which search engines think websites are important. There is no evidence that social media has a direct impact on users search, as Google’s crawlers are unable to access password protected sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Similarly, users who share links on these social sites do not influence SEO page rankings. There is though a large indirect role that social media plays in the link-acquisition process and here’s why it’s important: Link-Building: The Old Way Acquiring inbound links has always been the hardest, most labor-intense tasks in off-page SEO. Because Google and the other engines prohibit publishers from soliciting links in exchange for monetary or other consideration, the only course open to a publisher is to provide original, link-worthy content, and then contact webmasters individually, usually using e-mail. While it's possible to get legitimate links this way, the process is inefficient. Link-Building: The New Way Social media changes the process for the better. While individual webmasters from which links are sought can still be contacted when a new article posts, the publisher's chances of acquiring links are vastly expanded. Publishers can now identify specific social media influencers and social groups relevant to the article topic, and notify them that a new page or article exists. While some targets of the notification may simply retweet, like, or favorite the notification (none of which convey any SEO value in themselves), some percentage of this audience may take the final, desired step of including a hard link to the publisher's article in their blog or site. Social Link-Building Tips 1. Identify appropriate online groups in your industry. The people most likely to respond -- and link to an item you publish are those in your own industry. Take some time to find such groups, join them, monitor the discussion, and post a link to your article when it fits the context of the discussion. 2. Identify Social Influencers with blogs. Because you’re ultimate goal is a hard link that conveys SEO value, don't chase after social influencers on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn who don't actively maintain blogs (not all of them do). 3. Go where the reporters go. Reporters love Twitter because its real-time nature lets them jump on news events and develop sources quickly. If you're doing something interesting (for example, releasing a new data-driven report), make sure you notify the groups where reporters are most likely to be lurking. 4. Resist the temptation to spam irrelevant articles into the conversational stream: any notifications you make must be relevant to the discussion at hand. 5. Think beyond articles. Articles you post on your blog may work as good link bait, but blog articles are pretty much a commodity today. Consider adding additional forms of content that provide more value, for example, e-books and slide share presentations.  Although you'll have to put more labor into these high-value content types, you'll be creating content that's more link-worthy. To read the original story click here: