So you came across this technology called Digital TV and stumbled across the various (open) standards (MPEG, DVB, MHP, etc) and thought it cool for you to write your own software stack? Or you've been writing Set Top Box Software for other customers (namely PayTV operators) and decided you have enough knowledge to venture out on your own and sell your own software stack? Or you're a
PayTV operator, sick and tired of being locked into expensive and time-consuming Middleware vendors that you decide it is time to write your own software stack, be in control of your destiny and deliver cool products to market faster, cheaper and on-time?
Or you figured there is a quick and easy way of making some money, since just about every country in the world is going to switch off analog TV and turn to digital, where you can provide a very cheap and cost-effective software stack?
Or you figured there is a quick and easy way of making some money, since just about every country in the world is going to switch off analog TV and turn to digital, where you can provide a very cheap and cost-effective software stack?
If you've answered yes to at least one of these questions, then you should be asking yourself: Just how serious are you about Middleware? Just how serious are you about the EPG User Experience?
Just how serious are you about competing in this marketplace? Is there any room for you to compete in this arena? Where do you see your software stack in the marketplace: low-tier, middle-tier or top tier? Who are your competitors? Are you big enough, flexible-enough, savvy-enough, innovative-enough or unique-enough to displace your competitors? Or do you even wish to displace your competitors? What relationships do you have with the big technology players? What is the compelling value proposition that you're offering that your competitor's aren't? Do you stick to one large customer that can finance your operation? Do you seek out other customers to monetize on your product's offering? Do you keep a common product that can service multiple customers at relatively low cost? Do you feel the market is big enough to support many divergent offerings? Are you a small fish in a small pond, big fish in a small pond, or are you swimming with the sharks and you just don't know it yet? Do you rely on hope that everything goes well, or have mountains of cash so as not to notice you're burning fast, but don't realise it? Have you been sold vaporware, demoware, software that's far from being fit-for-purpose for real world mass production use?? Etc, Etc, Etc...
Just how serious are you about competing in this marketplace? Is there any room for you to compete in this arena? Where do you see your software stack in the marketplace: low-tier, middle-tier or top tier? Who are your competitors? Are you big enough, flexible-enough, savvy-enough, innovative-enough or unique-enough to displace your competitors? Or do you even wish to displace your competitors? What relationships do you have with the big technology players? What is the compelling value proposition that you're offering that your competitor's aren't? Do you stick to one large customer that can finance your operation? Do you seek out other customers to monetize on your product's offering? Do you keep a common product that can service multiple customers at relatively low cost? Do you feel the market is big enough to support many divergent offerings? Are you a small fish in a small pond, big fish in a small pond, or are you swimming with the sharks and you just don't know it yet? Do you rely on hope that everything goes well, or have mountains of cash so as not to notice you're burning fast, but don't realise it? Have you been sold vaporware, demoware, software that's far from being fit-for-purpose for real world mass production use?? Etc, Etc, Etc...
I have met developers, architects, software managers and product owners who think that writing a STB Middleware stack is easy, a piece of cake, all you need is just four really good developers...to which I smile and think in my mind, oh how naive they are! Yes, for sure, the software architecture can make sense on paper, heck you can even hack a proof-of-concept together in about three months or less that proves a simple Zapper or PVR stack. But that's just it, it's a hack, a Proof-of-Concept (POC) - nothing close to getting a real world product into the marketplace.
My rambling in this post covers the following:
- Typical Challenges for New Middleware Players
- Securing support from Chipset Vendors
- Choosing the Application / Interactive Engine / API for EPG
- Integrating with Conditional Access Vendors
- Competitive Costing / Pricing Model
- Overall Middleware Strategy
- Advice for PayTV Operators
- Conclusions - Middleware/EPG business is hard work
- Last Point: If I entered the Middleware/EPG Market today, what would I do?
, providing an overview into what the business of PayTV actually entails. We learnt from past experiences of people who've worked in several countries in launching PayTV operations in-country, had an overview of a core component of the system (i.e. Content Management System), touched on Next-Generation platforms, and culminated in a demo on a low-cost (sub $100), but advanced Set-Top-Box, exploring the opportunities that await the African market.