February 10, 2009

Verismo Networks Wins at CableLabs Forum

By Linda Hardesty

CableLabs is hosting its winter Technology Forum in Colorado Springs, CO, this week. Monday at its Innovation Showcase, 10 invited companies had the opportunity to present their products to cable execs. Each company had eight minutes to showcase its technology in a lightning round. Judges then voted on the best product.

The winner was Verismo Networks for VuNow, its convergence platform that provides software to deliver broadband content (video and metadata) to the TV set.

Dhaval Ajmera, Verismo's EVP sales and marketing, said: "Our service could be a portal within the linear channels to provide video like YouTube through the TV .... We present third-party content."

Verismo's VuNow product is a "thin client that sits in the palm of the hand," said Ajmera. It enables consumers to watch video content from the Web directly on their TV sets, without having to connect to a computer.

Marwan Fawaz, CTO at Charter Communications, said the VuNow software could be integrated into other platforms and possibly set-tops.

"The most compelling video solutions provide for traditional linear," Fawaz said.

A spokesman for CableLabs said wireless seemed to be a theme for exhibitors at this week's event. Exhibitors showcased products for mobile video for broadband wireless, a product to support HD advertising via Wi-Fi, and wireless HD video streaming.

Asked if the downturn in the economy was putting a damper on research and development in the cable industry, Comcast CTO Tony Werner said: "We look at this as a good time for us to be innovating. Consumers still like video because it's a good value, and they like the Internet. The economy obviously impacts everything."

The companies invited to Monday's showcase were:

• Arris
• BigBand Networks
• Celeno
• Cognizant Technology Solutions
• Intertrust Technologies
• NetNumber
• Ortiva Wireless
• RipCode
• Ruckus Wireless
• Verismo Networks

For information about CableLabs' summer 2008 event, click here.

- Linda Hardesty

Read more news and analysis on Communications Technology's Web site at www.cable360.net/ct/news/.