Cisco 'Videoscape' To Arm Ops In Co-Opting Over-The-Top

The Cisco Videoscape platform encompasses an IP-based media gateway for the integration of voice, linear and online video, high-speed data, Wi-Fi and network traffic routing; the Videoscape IP set-top box, to support all video forms delivered to a TV; software clients that extend the services to a variety of home and mobile devices, from connected TVs to tablets and smartphones; and the Videoscape Media Suite, which provides content lifecycle management.

Cisco chairman and CEO John Chambers emphasized that the Videoscape vision -- which ties together elements across Cisco's divisions, including IP set-tops, the umi videoconferencing system and Flip camera -- is not about an individual set-top or device, but rather a software architecture. He also reiterated that Cisco will work with operator customers to deliver the converged technologies to consumers. "It's not about devices, in our opinion, it's about the intelligence in the network -- it's a software architectural announcement," Chambers said. "The Videoscape experience is about how you have an infinite source of content -- how do you allow any device, over any network, to [access] content it's authorized to get." He added that 75% to 80% of Cisco's investment in Videoscape is in software.

The idea: to let service providers counter over-the-top services, by integrating Internet-delivered content and services seamlessly across multiple screens. "The customer will say, ‘I really want to align with the service provider on this,' instead of going to five or six different providers," Chambers said.Cisco is currently working with several major global service provider customers, including Australian telecommunications company Telstra, to enable next-generation video experiences through the Videoscape platform. SNL Kagan analyst Ian Olgeirson said Cisco's deliberate operator-oriented approach -- with the vendor disavowing a retail play for over-the-top devices -- would give it an advantage over competitors that are targeting consumers directly. "It is a nice way for Cisco to present all the things they've been cobbling together for years," he said.