If you're attending Mobile World Congress this week, don't forget to stop by stand 2B101, where we will be showcasing our solutions for optimizing the delivery of video to mobile, tablet, PC and TV environments.

With video becoming an increasingly essential element of any mobile service providers’ strategy, we’ll be demonstrating how the RGB VMG/TransAct Packager solution enables seamless delivery of video to multiple devices, including an iPad, iPhone and Samsung Galaxy Tab, as well as a laptop PC and a large-screen HDTV.

The demonstration will also showcase the VMG’s ad insertion capabilities, showing how providers can extend their existing advertising strategies to incorporate any type of video-enabled device.

We look forward to answering your questions and providing hands-on demonstrations of the unique advantages of our multi-device video delivery and monetization solution. See you at the show!

As we prepare for Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in a few weeks, we have been discussing whether the term 'three screen video' that we have been using around here for some time now to describe delivery of video to TVs, PCs and mobile screens is still appropriate. With tablets emerging as a category of their own, it appears that we now have a fourth screen. But what about the new handheld gaming devices that promise to support video…and the next video-enabled device after that? Rather than continually updating our terminology (and our marketing materials), it seems that a move to ‘multi-screen video’ to describe our area of expertise is in order.

Whatever you call it, this discussion just highlights the fact that video is all around us and being delivered to a rapidly growing number of devices. It’s no longer enough for a service provider to deliver to just one screen (that’s so last decade!).

At Mobile World Congress, and other upcoming trade shows around the globe, RGB will be highlighting our unique solution for the delivery of video to any and all screens. We understand video (just ask Eric Feng!), and with video delivery becoming more complex, we can help video service providers—mobile operators, telecom carriers and cable operators alike—to easily expand their offerings to include the delivery of premium video services to multiple devices, without the headaches that they’ll encounter with other solutions.

To learn more about what we’ll be showing at Mobile World Congress, please read today’s press release, and stop by stand #2B101 at the show. You can also download our white paper on Three Screen IP Video Delivery now (it hasn’t made the transition to ‘multi-screen’ yet) and read it on the plane to Barcelona.

Before you head out, please let us know what you think—do you consider the iPad and its fellow tablets a separate category of device or should they be grouped in with the PCs or mobile devices? Please share your opinion by clicking on the comment link above.

In case you haven't already heard, 2010 was a spectacular year for RGB. While many companies struggled, we thrived, working around the clock to keep up with the demand for our solutions from cable operators, telecom carriers and other video service providers around the world.

One of the keys to our success in 2010 was the seriousness with which service providers began trials of three screen services in a rush to deliver TV Everywhere.

Our Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG) couldn’t have been better timed. As service providers worldwide initiated their three screen trials they quickly realized that capacity and scalability are key and that the modular VMG stood alone with its ability to process over 400 streams simultaneously. While transcoding a single stream is easily accomplished with low capacity solutions, the requirement for multi-screen video delivery is not to merely transcode an MPEG-2 program into a single MPEG-4/H.264 program. For PCs and mobile devices, you have to create a dozen or more streams or ‘profiles’ to ensure a high-quality experience for every viewer, regardless of screen resolution or format.

And here’s the kicker, if you’re even thinking of delivering live programming to small screen devices, you’ll need to perform all of this in real time!

It didn’t take service providers long to recognize that they needed a lot of transcoding capacity for their three screen TV Everywhere services … and it took them even less time to realize that using low capacity ‘pizza box’ transcoders was not only far too costly, but the management headaches and lack of scalability made the idea a non-starter for anything beyond small trials.

If the news coming out of last week’s CES is any indicator, the number of mobile devices available for video viewing is going to increase substantially this year, along with the demand for on-the-go video services.

Fortunately for service providers, the VMG offers unrivaled transcoding capacity in a carrier-class chassis with a comprehensive management system, making it simply the ideal solution for delivering a high-quality TV Everywhere service that can be enjoyed on any video-enabled device.

So as successful as 2010 was for RGB, our 2011 future is so bright we’re pulling out our shades!

Every year we look forward to CED’s annual year-end ranking of the most important things impacting the cable television industry—it provides a good reference check for what’s really top-of-mind with operators throughout the industry. Right on schedule, CED posted its annual ‘Broadband 50’ ranking, and as we expected, more than a few relate directly to RGB.

Advanced advertising (#3), multi-screen video (#4), IP video (#8), MPEG-4 (#28), CMAP (#45) and transcoding (#49) are all near-and-dear to RGB as they’re at the core of what we do.

We’re not surprised to find any of these topics on CED’s list—RGB’s focus from day one has been to bring the most advanced video processing technology to video service providers around the world.

We continue to do that today with next-generation solutions that are very relevant to operators’ plans for the future and CED’s rankings help demonstrate this. As we say goodbye to 2010 and move forward into a new and exciting year, please stay tuned for more news from RGB on the topics above (a subscription to this blog will provide you with easy, automatic updates to the latest news from RGB!).

RGB’s CEO, Jef Graham, spoke with Light Reading at this year’s Cable-Tec Expo. He discussed some of the takeaways from three screen trials that are underway now, including why the scalability and reliability provided by an integrated hardware platform are important to addressing deployment challenges.

Take a look at the video to learn a little about what RGB has been up to and how we’re working with our customers to make multi-screen deployments a reality.

We’re not surprised that our crowd-pleasing Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG) has won its third award in less than a year (fourth overall!). As we meet with customers around the world, their interest is continually peaked by our unique offering. The VMG is the only multi-screen solution that offers the capacity, scalability and reliability of a carrier-class chassis with software flexibility. This powerful combination allows for simple and cost-effective deployment of three screen services from a single video processing platform. And the clincher—with integrated transcoding and ad insertion capabilities—the VMG enables operators to monetize their video services across all devices—TVs, PCs and mobile. With competitive offerings requiring racks of equipment to do the same job, it’s no wonder that service providers are clamoring to get the VMG into their labs and into the field.

See us this week at IBC to learn more or catch us at Cable-Tec or TelcoTV, coming up soon.

This year’s IBC won’t just play host to an impressive 45,000 visitors, it will also be the venue for the 2010 CSI Awards, and the good news is, RGB Networks has been shortlisted!

Our Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG) is one of the solutions up for the ‘best digital video processing technology’ award in what CSI describes as a ‘record breaking year in terms of number and quality of entries.’

The VMG is no stranger to winning awards. Its ability to repurpose any type of video feed for delivery to any device has already won it recent accolades from the UK SCTE and TelcoTV. We’re hoping to complete the hat-trick on September 10, when the CSI winners are announced.

If you’re interested in finding out what the buzz is about, we’ll be demonstrating the VMG on our stand at IBC (#4.B91). As well as simultaneously delivering video content to TVs, PCs and mobile devices (including the iPhone and iPad) we’ll also be highlighting its unique three screen ad insertion capabilities. The VMG is the only solution capable of delivering tailored advertising simultaneously to all types of video-enabled devices.

For free entry into IBC (including a five-day local travel pass), please click here and use customer ticket code 15307.

As we move into the busy fall trade show season, TV Everywhere continues to grab headlines, along with the attention of analysts, operators and consumers alike. Here at RGB, we’ve been helping to spread the word, blogging often about the importance of readying your networks with the right tools to deliver the ‘three screen’ TV experience and analyzing the best products and services to propel you into the next generation of television viewing and monetization.

A recent report in FierceIPTV examines a new TDG study that probes the demand for TV Everywhere and the potential (think millions) in revenue up for grabs.

TDG estimates that “some 60 percent of adult broadband users are ‘enthusiastic’ about TV Everywhere, and more than half of them would be willing to pay $5 or more in addition to their pay-TV subscriptions each month to access a TVE service.”

“Current TVE-type offerings remain relatively fledging services with little in the way of compelling content,” said Michael Greeson, TDG founding partner and author of the new report. “That’s to be expected from a service breaking new ground and no doubt feeds operator belief that these services should be viewed as a free value-added service to existing residential TV subscribers as opposed to a new service capable of generating additional revenue.”

TDG stresses that failing to charge an additional fee for multi-screen access could leave operators with empty pockets—and regret.

With our in-house development and recent acquisition of RipCode, we at RGB are poised to enable video service providers to cost-effectively deliver TV-like services beyond the television to desktop and mobile devices (trials are underway!). By giving our customers the tools they need for successful three screen delivery, we are opening the doors for them to claim this untapped revenue—revenue that, as TDG states, could tip the scales in the tens of millions.

Now that’s a piece of pie worth snagging off the table!

No newcomer to the video industry, RGB’s VP of Product Marketing and Business Development, Ramin Farassat, has taken part in many developments over the years, but today’s market is seeing an exceptional number of transformations, each with its own challenges:

“Big changes are taking place in the way video is delivered by operators and how it is received by consumers—services have expanded beyond the television to desktop and mobile devices, and are increasingly being delivered over IP infrastructure. RGB is developing and delivering solutions that address the challenges presented by these changes, without requiring massive overhauls to existing infrastructure. We look forward to sharing our latest innovations for cost-effective video delivery to all devices at this year’s IBC.”

At IBC stand 4.B91 RGB Networks will be demonstrating multiple applications on its award-winning Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG), the industry’s most advanced video processing platform. The multi-function VMG enables video service providers to cost-effectively deliver services to their subscribers on any video-enabled device, and is the industry’s only platform capable of supporting ad insertion across all three screens using a proven ad ecosystem.

RGB’s stand will feature a live multi-screen solution, demonstrating how service providers can deliver content in MPEG-2 and MPEG-4/H.624 formats simultaneously to the TV, PC and mobile devices, including the iPhone and iPad. Attendees can learn the unique operational benefits of delivering three screen services utilizing the VMG’s high-performance, high-capacity and highly scalable platform. The demonstration will also highlight the VMG’s unique ad insertion capabilities, showing how providers can seamlessly extend their advertising strategies across all three screens.

Also at IBC, RGB Networks will demonstrate its 3D processing capabilities, showing how video service providers can deliver 3D content to the home in a bandwidth-efficient manner without compromising picture quality. Utilizing RGB’s VMG for transcoding 3D streams between MPEG-2 and H.264, Broadcast Network Processor (BNP) for broadcast statistical multiplexing and Dynamic Bandwidth Manager (DBM) for video-on-demand (VOD) statistical multiplexing, the demo will highlight how 3D content can be delivered alongside existing video services, allowing service providers to gradually and cost-effectively introduce 3D programming into their channel line-ups.

For free entry into IBC (including a five-day local travel pass), please click here and use customer ticket code 15307.

ABI Research released their latest report on mobile TV, forecasting accelerated worldwide adoption in 2012 and predicting up to $20 billion in revenues by 2015.

Many believe the last hurdle for cable operators and other service providers to provide live TV on mobile devices is the real-time transcoding of programming from the bandwidth-hefty MPEG-2 into the bandwidth-thrifty MPEG-4/ H.264, but this isn’t entirely the case.

Service providers are quickly learning that transcoding isn’t the hardest part of mobile video—it’s the integration and management of all the equipment to perform the variety of necessary video processing functions. While it’s certainly possible to cobble together transcoders, ad splicers, etc. into a viable solution, the cost and complexity of managing these devices is a tremendous headache, and reliability becomes a significant factor.

To address this obstacle, RGB has developed the Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG) as an “all in one” solution multi-screen video using a single management system. Rather than assemble multiple independent “pizza box” transcoders, ad inserters, etc., service providers can take advantage of the chassis-based VMG and its family of flexible modules, each devoted to a specific application, such as transcoding. Service providers can populate a multi-function VMG with any mix of modules for transcoding, ad insertion, etc. they require and easily manage everything with a single user interface. This modular system also allows for easy, license-based upgrades, while the carrier-class platform ensures superior reliability. The VMG is currently involved in several multi-screen video trials and the feedback is both positive and helpful in further refining the VMG to make it the ideal solution for mobile TV.

As we approach accelerated adoption in 2012, be sure not to count out 2011. Subscribers’ appetite for mobile video may likely accelerate faster as the popularity of mobile devices, such as the iPad and iPhone, continue to proliferate. The key to ensuring that service providers can scale their limited trials into a ubiquitous service are innovative new products like the VMG that take video processing to a new level.