MUMBAI: Cisco has unveiled its new 'Infinite’ suite of cloud-powered video solutions, which will help broadcasters, media companies and service providers deliver outstanding TV experiences to multiple screens, utilising one cloud, on any access network, within the home and on the go.
Cisco introduced two members of the Infinite family namely Infinite Home and Infinite Video. While Infinite Home will cater to any screen over two-way and telco networks, Infinite Video will cater to a variety of consumer electronics devices via unmanaged over-the-top (OTT) Internet connections. Both will deliver full-featured linear, on-demand and cloud DVR (cDVR) video experiences.
Cisco senior vice president and general manager, service provider video software and solutions Yvette Kanouff said, “The video business is changing and consolidating fast. Our customers tell us they need video infrastructure that delivers the most compelling customer experiences to multiple screens, across a dynamic mixture of networks and devices. The result is Cisco Infinite Solutions. No other company has the leadership in cloud and orchestration, the network expertise and the video product scope to deliver anything like this.”
Each solution applies Cisco’s cloud and virtualisation technologies to transform how video works, enabling service providers to cut the time it takes to perform standard business operations, thereby increasing their competitiveness and reducing their costs.
Infinite solutions are pre-integrated to minimise time to deploy, and use open-source components and offer open APIs to enable faster integration and customisation.
Whether Cisco Infinite solutions are deployed as software-as-a-service (SaaS) or private cloud, every Infinite solution is based on the same software components, so video operators initially choosing one solution and deployment mode can easily migrate to others as needs evolve.
N Screen Media digital media analyst and strategic consultant Colin Dixon said, “Getting video services to market quickly and keeping them competitive is crucial to video operators in today’s web-speed marketplace. Cisco's Infinite cloud and virtualisation solutions suite is exactly the type of technological approach capable of delivering against this need for speed. And that agility will have huge implications for operator competitive position.”
Kabel Deutschland senior vice president Florian Landgraf added, “As we announced in January, Kabel Deutschland is developing a next-generation video service based on a new cloud-powered TV platform. The platform moves control and functionality into the cloud, making it quick and easy for Kabel Deutschland to rapidly update features and offer new services. Kabel Deutschland is working with Cisco on this new platform, which uses Cisco’s Infinite Home solution.”
Eastlink senior vice president engineering and CTO John Fitzgerald said, “We plan to trial Infinite Video next quarter to deliver next-gen personalised video to multiple screens. We need a solution that combines a great user experience and comprehensive video services with fast time-to-market and continuous improvement that only the cloud can deliver. Cisco’s Infinite Video promises these characteristics plus the operational readiness, scale and flexibility we expect from Cisco, and we are looking forward to seeing the product in action.”
