Verizon at Home

[#1]

Editor’s Note: Puneet Kalia has led product design and development initiatives for Verizon Digital Media Services, and products such as Digital Assistant and FiOS TV Widgets. He’s a self-described computer geek.

By Puneet Kalia

There has been a great paradigm shift to digital media in last few years. Different techniques and various media-enabled devices like cell phones, tablets, PCs, and gaming consoles are streaming high quality content, and from the looks of it the trend is just getting started.

Customers want to personalize their media experience, and make it really interactive so that it suits their needs.

So how does the content provider actually do that? How do they transform “True Grit” or the latest episode of “True Blood” delivered to different devices and in different formats, sometimes thousands of formats for one single movie?

The original source of media is originated in limited formats. Previously, movies were delivered in the theater and then on VHS and later DVDs. The options were simple.

But with emerging devices and technologies, the number of formats has grown dramatically. It can be difficult for a provider to know in which format and how the consumer will want to view this media: Would she like own the copy on formats like DVDs, Blu-ray, view it by On Demand via cable, satellite or fiber, or would she like to stream it to her PC, Mac or on one of her media-enabled devices? For example, an Android phone, iPhone, BlackBerry, Xbox, Kinect, Wii, PS3, iPod, portable media player, tablet or even handheld gaming consoles. The options are many, to say the least.

This problem has created heavy development in the transcoding world.  Transcoding engines – with live stream encoding, the ability to secure content and associate it with licenses that authorized the playback – and new distribution systems have evolved to dispatch content to every corner of the globe.

We saw providers materialize in the various sections of this sector to encode content; a set of companies emerged to provide content delivery networks; and finally, another set to sell the content.

Many of the solutions created thus far have been segmented – one company does the encoding, other provides distribution, another does the advertising and another incorporates the advertising.

We created Verizon Digital Media Services, which uses the company’s unified networks to deliver individualized high-quality digital media with radical scalability and flexibility and in the most cost effective way.

This is going to be a new category of business for Verizon, leveraging Verizon”s global network, including large data centers and a sophisticated infrastructure. (See the infographic attached to this blog for more information.) I would say that this is the first big step toward streamlining the digital media world. This is not only good for the digital content creators, it’s also important to us as consumers.

And if we do our jobs right, you’ll never know the complexity behind delivering “True Grit” on your phone, tablet, or TV.

[#2]

I just wanted to say how disappointed I am with your service and your sales representives misrepresentation.  I ordered your triple play service in August for 74.99 but when I was billed it was 107.99.  When I called Mr. Springs, who was very unhelpful, stated that there was nothing he could do but give me a 10.00 discount every month for 12 months because it was an online order offer only.  But your department was having problems with the online order service and I called the order in.  The representive I talked to stated he would be able to give me the online price since your online service was not working properly.  He also stated he would send me the wireless router for free because it came free for doing an online service.  Not only was I not given the 74.99 rate but since I switched from comcast to verizon I had not been able to use my internet but half of the time and then only if I reboot the modem everyday. This has been a nightmare, the service, the overbilling, and down right frustration.  I'm sorry I everleft comcast and submitted an order to cancel my service with your company. In a day were quality customer service is a must I think your company missed the boat.

Sincerely

Chris Wenner

[#3]

@disatisfiedcust - I'm really sorry to hear about the problems you have had with billing and your modem. We'll have someone contact you about this issue.