Cable, telcos look to UI to differentiate TV offering

In a move to differentiate its television offering, third-largest cable provider Cox Communications today announced it has chosen NDS to implement a next-generation video user interface (UI). The new interface, to be deployed in Cox’s Tru2Way set-top boxes (STBs) and existing legacy STBs, will fuse all its digital video services into one screen, designed by Cox.

The new interface, to be released in 2009, will allow subscribers to access the electronic programming guide (EPG), video on demand (VOD), digital video recordings (DVR) and interactive applications from a central, interactive interface. Eventually, NDS said this will also include UIs on the PC and mobile handset, as well as community sharing features. The software will replace the Aptiv guide from Gemstar-TV Guide as the cableco’s primary set-top applications and is optimized for 16:9 high-definition (HD) screens.

“These customers are used to living in a digital age,” said Steve Tranter, vice president of broadband and interactive for NDS. “They are used to a particular type of guide today, so there is a stepping stone or learning curve to go from that guide to the next-generation guide just from a usability point of view. [Cox has] put a lot of effort into focus groups to make sure the guide is simple, consistent and intuitive so people will take it with open arms. Then there is the technical element where NDS come in to make sure you can migrate from your guide, simple things like making sure you can keep your series recordings over from the previous guide to the next.”

NDS’s software will be deployed on both Cox’s Cisco and Motorola STBs. Going forward, NDS plans to add online community features in which friends and family can send viewing recommendations to each other’s STBs. The vendor, which also provides conditional access and middleware to its pay TV customers, already provides interactive STB testing for Cox, based on a partnership announced in January.

Tranter said that although guides have largely been overlooked in the last few years, as the technology moves forward, so to will the guide. Outside of promoting ease of use and an intuitive design, the ability to port that UI to other devices will be a key differentiator in the future, he said. Up until today, operators – both cable and telco – have focused on building up and improving content through better quality, HD channels and more VOD options. The next step will be about porting that content and optimizing the search for it.

“That is why the guide now is getting a face lift,” Tranter said. “Not just to cater to the content available today, but to the new services coming out tomorrow. So there will be other ways to find content and move it between the different devices – DVR, portable devices. The guide has to cater to the type of interface to make it seamless and easy for the user. Any guide designed today even if those features aren’t available on day one, it is very important that these features can grow with the guide.”

Cox’s primary cable competitor, Comcast, still uses a joint venture with Gemstar-TV to deploy its i-Guide interface. Satellite competitor DirecTV also uses NDS’s STB software and on-screen guide. On the telco side, as IPTV moves from its early stages, more service providers are looking to ways to differentiate their service to compete with both these cable and satellite providers. The UI is an important component of the whole package, according to ABI Research senior analyst Cesar Bachelet.

In a report released this week, he detailed the importance of IPTV operators creating unique service offerings that are differentiated from the traditional video services of their key competitors. One key area of differentiation was the user interface, as well as offering subscribers the ability to access the EPG and DVR functionality through any Internet-connected device, including the PC, mobile handset and portable devices.

“EPG is key part of service in terms of driving take up of services,” Bachelet said. “The big challenge for operators is as increasing amounts of content appear on their platforms, the growth of VOD and over-the-top content being integrated within their walled garden, selecting content and finding it is becoming a real challenge. Some operators have struggled. They have added a lot of content and haven’t seen a corresponding rise in consumption because people can’t find it. The user interface is a crucial component. I wouldn’t say it would make or break a Pay TV service, but it’s definitely very important.”