Cisco Videoscape Aims To Unify Video Experience

Cisco Chairman/CEO John Chambers introduced Videoscape today at CES, a new software-based platform designed to unify video assets across different devices.

“Consumer behavior is changing, and they are tying devices together and sharing video content in simple ways,” he said. And, with research from the Cisco Visual Networking Index showing that more than 90% of Internet traffic will be video by 2014, an increase of sevenfold from today, management of video will become a key initiative for the industry.

The Videoscape platform, said Chambers, leverages Cisco investments in products like Scientific-Atlanta set-top boxes, Flip video cameras, Umi consumer-level telepresence systems, and more. A device outfitted with a Videoscape software client can become part of a larger environment in which content can be shared, regardless of manufacturer and even type of device.

“We want to reinvent the TV experience with our partners,” he said. “But you need to orchestrate this,” he added, citing such issues as network speeds, rights issues, and search and the ability to find content. And that, he said, is where Cisco routers and architecture products step in, combining with security, policy, and identity technologies.

“This is an architecture play and how we bring together our individual product portfolios, and we think it is very intuitive for where the market has to go,” he said. “Today, we are taking very small steps, and integrating video is a nightmare. But think about 50 billion devices doing video and the capabilities that come with it.”

According to Chambers, Cisco will announce tighter relationships on a quarterly basis in coming years to bring in more content providers and distribution partners. And everything from protecting existing capital investments, building new business models, and building an open architecture that can integrate different devices within a networking cloud will be part of the future efforts.

“This is about consistency of quality,” he said. “How many of us have been frustrated by a glitch while watching a sporting event or missing a key play?”

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