Comcast, The Platform
February 17, 2010
I just got off the phone with a person who wanted to know if I had information about the “finding and search” system used in Comcast’s Web TV publishing system. I told the caller to give another person a call. I don’t know much about Comcast beyond its owning NBC and the management gaffes visible in the Jay Leno – Conan incident.
I turned to another matter, but I decided to poke around and see what Comcast is doing in TV publishing. What surprised me was that the company has a unit called “ThePlatform”, which is an online video service. The idea is that a person in charge of a program – what I call a TV show – can use ThePlatform to transform the TV show for gizmos like the forthcoming iPad.
I located a news story in Multi Channel called “Comcast’s ThePlatform Overhauls Video System with MPX.” In the write up, this passage jumped out:
Billed as the biggest revamping in ThePlatform’s 10-year history, MPX — released initially in a “beta” version — includes a new console for managing video assets; a way to automate processes to publish large video libraries across the Web, mobile devices and set-top-boxes; and personalization features. In addition, the new publishing system is built on a new service oriented architecture (SOA), which ThePlatform says provides additional reliability and scalability. One of the key new features in MPX is the “smart publish profiles,” which lets video publishers set up profiles with specified formats, transcoding parameters, thumbnail generation, bit rates and other assets for each target platform or device, such as a Web site or Apple’s forthcoming iPad.
This makes sense. There are new distribution opportunities available to outfits like Comcast. Paying another company to repurpose video content does not sense to the Comcast analysts. Comcast has Rogers Communications in Canada using the revamped platform.
I located a screenshot for the service in Media Post. I see a search box at the top of the screen, and I wondered if Comcast was indexing the spoken component of the video or just using the metadata plugged in by the user. When I search video, I want to know who was mentioned, where the snippet is, and a link to jump to the key frame where the information allegedly is.
The Comcast service has some competition. Players include:
- Brightcove, the essential platform for every professional online video project
- Veeple, a company whose technology can “dramatically increase conversion using interactive video”
- PermissionTV, now Visible Gains which asserts: “Engage with video. Close with confidence.”
- Vimeo, which greeted me with “video sharing for you”
Media Post notes in “ThePlatform Seeks To Stay A Step Ahead Of Video Syndication Scrum With New Publishing System”: …its [ThePlatform’s] biggest competition comes from the in-house platforms that publishers decide to build themselves.” Media Post added:
Founded in 2000, thePlatform services many top video syndicators, including the BBC, CNBC, PBS and Gannett (including USA Today). About 80 companies now participate in thePlatform Framework, which spans the world of online video, including ad campaign management systems, ad sales networks, analytics and reporting, content delivery networks, content protection, media formats, transcoding engines, payment processors, syndication outlets, and video search.
My observations are:
- I wonder if this platform scales. Video poses a petascale problem. If the audio track is converted to search able text, that means even more computational load. My question is, “Does Comcast have the technical expertise to build this type of system, scale it, and then fund the R&D needed to keep pace with technology changes in certain related fields such as on the fly translation?”
- I wonder if the search system can provide a user to low latency results. As more content flows through a system and more devices must be supported in content transformation, Comcast is going to need a big honking server set up. I don’t think of Comcast as being a leader in online technology based on my experience with Comcast high speed data services. My question is, “Does Comcast have the expertise to keep the system working with low latency over time?”
- I wonder if the ease of use of the system will be given high marks by the licensees. I don’t think of Comcast’s Web site or its technical information as being much above average. My question is, “What happens if a lower cost, easier to use online service becomes available?”
I think this is an interesting subarea of search and content processing. With rich media getting more attention in various market sectors, Comcast might become a competitor to such companies as Autonomy.
In the back of my mind, I keep wondering if Google will provide such a service. Interesting thought I suppose but far beyond my wing span.
Stephen E Arnold, February 16, 2010
I was not paid to admit my ignorance. I suppose such silliness must be reported. Which Federal agency has jurisdiction? Oh, I remember. The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Great visionary, Mr. Wilson. He may have inspired Comcast.
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