Content-Access Headaches

By Bill Rockford

When I think about all of the headaches we still face in accessing our content when and where we want it – be it e-mail, computer files, music, movies, or games – I yearn for an “in the cloud” solution from my communications service provider. If CSPs could step up and offer all of these services in the cloud, so that everything is pre-integrated, it would solve a lot of problems for their customers. I think my experiences in this regard provide a good example of what most customers want when it comes to content.

I like to think of myself as a tech-savvy consumer, probably not an early adopter, but still one of those customers who are sought after and prized by service providers. At home I’ve got fiber-to-the-home with numerous High Definition channels and On-Demand movies. I have a secure wireless network that allows my wife and me to work remotely. We use softphones or VoIP phones for direct dialing into the office. I continue to be entertained by my Internet speeds, which are faster at home than they are at the office (of course that’s just bandwidth, not support and redundancy).

That same wireless network allows us to stream our music collection from our home computer to our stereo, which supports multi-room playback. (You could be watching an HD movie in surround sound in the “media room” while listening to the streaming music collection in the kitchen.)

I use a smartphone for the office mobile which allows me to pull both my corporate e-mail and personal e-mail onto one device, which is great when I’m on the road. It also affords me Internet access and road-mapping capabilities, which I also highly value.

I’ve taken to catching up on my favorite television series by using Hulu – the experience to me is similar to watching TV as there are ads interspersed throughout the shows, but fewer in total (though personally I’m a fan of the pre-roll ad, even though many people are not). Now, if I could just get Hulu in HD on my TV without having to construct a whole home theater PC or buy a special cable to use with my laptop, I’d be excited. I’ve also noticed that more and more shows are available on-demand through my set-top box. Why not in HD? They are broadcast in HD, why not on-demand in HD? It makes no sense.

The biggest challenge through all of this is that it’s all very complicated and convoluted. My wife (not in the tech-savvy category) has made it clear to me that I’m responsible for making it all work. So I’ve had to try to integrate it all. It’s my job to get the streaming music going for the get-together along with an appropriate music mix. I had to figure out what to do with all those wires and how to hide that funny looking set-top box when it came to mounting a flat-panel TV on the wall over the mantle of our electric fireplace. The problem was solved through an RF-based universal remote control with the set-top box hidden away. I can’t tell you how excited I am to hear about the new TVs coming out that include wireless internet connectivity. Now if someone could figure out wireless HDMI.

So all of that effort that was just to watch TV or listen to music – at our house! Now I need to take it on the road – I’ve got to sync this with that or create my playlist or download the movie to the desktop or burn a DVD, transfer my computer files, etc. I’ve had to add at least an hour of content preparation to my packing time now just to get all my media together – it’s crazy. So that’s just me. What about the kids with their portable gaming devices and music? Heaven help you if their most favorite game is forgotten at the house – a true crisis. It would be so much more enjoyable (not to mention easier) if you could access movies, music or games through the cloud somehow.

So what all this says is that consumers like me just want to consume content in many ways but mostly the way they want to consume it: basicaly, how, when, where and of course affordably! I as a consumer have little concern on how my needs are met as long as they are actually met! Give me lots of choices and make it easy!!

These are my thoughts on the challenges of just getting my content when and where I want it – let alone how I pay for, or am billed for acquiring and using it. That’s a whole other topic on my mind ...

Bill Rockford, Engagement Manager with Vertek Corp., has 7+ years of telecommunications industry experience across many aspects ranging from Quality Assurance, Service Delivery, to Financial and Revenue Assurance. Within Vertek, Bill has been responsible for delivering results to clients ranging from multimillion-dollar cost savings and avoidance initiatives to process optimization programs affecting clients global customers. He can be reached at brockford@vertek.com.