What We Can Learn from the European Interpretation of Tripleplay

Front and center at ISE 2015, is the solution for video on demand (VOD) and distribution of television, hospitality and digital signage over simple IP networks.

George Tucker
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To paraphrase a famous movie, “I have one word for you. Infrastructure.”

The Integrated Systems Europe trade show is beginning to wind down and from the perspective of a cross Atlantic interloper, we have been missing out.

American tech shows tend to be brash, loud and chest thumping affairs. The bravado and overly amped up enthusiasm is viewed with a mix of if chagrin and some jealousy by European attendees.

In Amsterdam, the show is not nearly as loud, in fact it is quite the civil affair. From the show floor to the after parties, the volume may be lower but the level is constant. This apparent sustained and subdued excitement belies a greater confidence in the underlying backbone that holds it all together.
AV Nation decided to eschew staying in a hotel and looked to gain an apartment for the week in the heart of what we are calling the RAI district. The apartment is approximately one New York City Block from the show show site. 

If this were a neighborhood adjacent to a convention center in the U.S. in all likelihood it would be of a questionable nature. In contrast the RAI neighborhood is clean, clear, quiet and to be honest, quite hip.

More ISE 2015 Coverage.

Perhaps this has to do with the ancient history and a desire to preserve the aesthetics of what has been before. In the U.S., where there was ‘nothing’ at the start, we simply put the wires up and cluttered the sky, laying one technology atop the last.

It is also true that Europe has been able to rebuild from a disastrous and tumultuous early mid-mid century. The lessons of being respectful of what came before and the willingness to build anew is only just beginning for the States. 

In Hall 11 of the show, the company Tripleplay, a streaming services company, is exhibiting. The booth is small, nestled in amongst a cluster of small stands but their impact could be big.

What Tripleplay offers in terms of services can be described in simple clean terms of content management and distribution. This includes services such as Video on Demand (VOD) to distribution of television, hospitality and digital signage over simple in house IP networks. 

View photos of Tripleplay at ISE 2015.

The network centers on servers which include off the shelf receiver and output cards and management delivery services. The system is used in hotels, sports arenas, cruise ships and includes a mobile version used on the America’s Cup sailing events. 

The company has been dipping into the American market for a number of years and are now looking to present a more constant presence. While there are number of U.S. projects in their portfolio, a major project includes being chosen as the system of choice for a major northeast cable company. 

In discussion with the folks at Tripleplay, and other private content delivery services at the show, one of the major hurdles is the a willingness to put in the infrastructure to provide these services. Whether it is the cable in older buildings or the wiliness of IT managers to share the bandwidth, the resistance is greater than in Europe. 

Are we willing to make the next step or will it be the next ‘British Invasion’ to make it happen?

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