AllVid
AllVid is a CableCARD replacement proposed by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The AllVid hardware would act as a universal adapter for all types of pay TV content, delivered through a wide variety of means, including cable TV, satellite TV, VDSL, IPTV, and Internet TV.[1][2]
Design
The FCC has proposed several design aspects to AllVid while soliciting feedback from interested parties on a final specification before going forward for rulemaking. Major elements of the FCC's AllVid proposal include:
- Gateway device capable of decoding six video streams and feeding through a home network to various devices.[3]
- Adapter device capable of decoding two video streams and feeding directly to a television or consumer electronics device.[3]
- Physical connection using 100BaseTX Ethernet.[3]
- Internet Protocol as a communications protocol between the AllVid gateway and end devices.[3]
- Encryption and authentication using the DTCP-IP standard used by the Digital Living Network Alliance.[4]
- Content ordering and billing for VOD and PPV services may be handled via gateway generated screens but additional options are requested.[4]
- Service discovery may use Universal Plug and Play, as suggested by TiVo, but other proposals are invited.[4]
- Content encoding is proposed to support multiple codecs to allow devices flexibility in choice of video formats without requiring transcoding by the gateway.[5]
Responses
Google has supported the AllVid proposal,[6] stating that "Google supports an all-video (“AllVid”) solution like the one put forth in the NOI. Consumers would be well-served by having such an inexpensive universal adapter available at retail, which would feature an easy-to-use, common interface, and employ nationwide interoperability standards to connect to televisions, digital video recording devices (“DVRs”), and other smart video devices. These navigation devices effectively would separate the network interface from the device functionality, making video more “portable” across platforms and devices."[7]
The AllVid proposal has been criticized by the Motion Picture Association of America for providing insufficient protection against copyright infringement by unauthorized multichannel video programming distributors[8] and by AT&T for preempting market forces already underway.[9]
Industry alliance
On February 16, 2011 several companies announced the creation of the AllVid Tech Company Alliance.[10]. This group works to support implemention of the AllVid standard and specifically addresses issues raised by the National Cable Television Association (NCTA). Alliance members include:
References
- ^ Matthew Lasar (April 2010). "Goodbye CableCARD, hello "AllVid"". Ars Technica. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/04/fcc-goodbye-cablecard-hello-allvid.ars. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
- ^ Jeff Baumgartner (April 23, 2010). "All About the FCC's AllVid". Light Reading. http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=190907&site=lr_cable. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
- ^ a b c d "Notice of Inquiry". Federal Communications Commission. April 21, 2010. p. 10. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-60A1.pdf. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ a b c "Notice of Inquiry". Federal Communications Commission. April 21, 2010. p. 11. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-60A1.pdf. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ "Notice of Inquiry". Federal Communications Commission. April 21, 2010. p. 12. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-60A1.pdf. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ Matthew Lasar (July 2010). "Google to government: help us rule TV's vast wasteland". Ars Technica. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/07/google-to-government-help-us-rule-tvs-vast-wasteland.ars. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
- ^ Google Inc. (July 13, 2010). "Comments of Google Inc.". Google. http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7020523855. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
- ^ Matthew Lasar (2010-07-22). "Hollywood: Google TV would put us in same ship as pirates!". Ars Technica. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/07/hollywood-google-tv-would-put-us-in-same-ship-as-pirates.ars. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
- ^ In the Matter of Video Device Competition, Implementation of Section 304 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Commercial Availability of Navigation Devices, Compatibility Between Cable Systems and Consumer Electronics Equipment, MB Docket No. 10-91, CS Docket No. 97-80, PP Docket No. 00-67, Comments of AT&T Inc. to Notice of Inquiry (Jul. 13, 2010).
- ^ "AllVid Tech Company Alliance". FCC. February 16, 2011. http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment/view?id=6016168952. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
External links
See also