With the show now over, almost everything that happened can be found on the NCTA Cable Show 2013 YouTube Playlist and The Cable Show YouTube Channel. So whether you missed the show or you just want to re-visit key moments, everything from NCTA President & CEO Michael Powell’s keynote address to the Imagine Park sessions is available and ready to be shared.

If you don’t find a clip that you were hoping for, please let us know in the comments. We’ll do the best we can to post whatever you’re looking for.

Cable has built a robust broadband network – let’s even call it a platform of possibility – that is in nearly every American community creating limitless opportunities for all. As the nation’s leading broadband provider, cable has injected massive amounts of capital – over $200 billion since 1996 – to build a powerful network that is available to 93 percent of U.S. homes.

The investment has paid off. Cable is increasing Internet speeds over 50 percent a year, and some tiers have increased well over 1000 percent in the last decade.  Speeds have skyrocketed, with cable networks capable of delivering speeds of 100 Mbps or higher available to 85 percent of all American homes.

This platform of possibility means that our services and connectivity can also be found away from the home. Cable companies are opening up even more airwaves by deploying major Wi-Fi networks across the country.  More than 150,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots enable cable customers to live untethered in big cities and small towns, be it in Stamford, CT, or Shepherdstown, WV.

And we can’t forget how broadband has changed video.  The power of the open Internet has enabled video to flood into every crevice of American life.  Since video content could be digitized, the rise of video streams anywhere and everywhere was inevitable. Today, 65 percent of all Internet traffic is video, appearing on any connected screen.

We’ve seen how the Internet can transform industries, change health care, enhance education and build community.  America is an innovation powerhouse that is home to the world’s leading Internet companies, developers, investors and well-connected consumers.

This week’s #BroadData is a look at the impressive numbers that added up to make this year’s The Cable Show a convention unlike any other.

We hope to see you next year in Los Angeles from April 29th to May 1st.

Werner elaborated on Comcast’s Xfinity hotspot initiative, explaining that the effort adds a second SSID to your home gateway – so the service will not compete with your home network for capacity or bandwidth usage – to provide a massive national hotspot network.

Noting that Comcast already has more than 100,000 capable set-tops, and the potential more many, many more, the network will immediately create a substantial array of hotspot options for roaming users.

Werner also spent some time discussing the cooperative arrangement among cable operators to create a broad, shared network for cable users to roam.

To give users more options, Comcast also unveiled new Cloud tools that make things like parental controls more granular – allowing users to even adjust on a scale their language sensitivity.

Following Werner’s presentation, he and Ellis led a series of demos of other new technologies.  Leading off, Eric Schrag – also of Comcast – explored near-field communications (NFC) under the title “Tap Into Awesome.”  Schrag demonstrated the interaction of NFC with Comcast content, tapping his mobile phone against a sign on stage to immediately download apps and videos.

Aurangzeb Khan of Altia Systems walked the audience through PanaCast – a 200-degree, streaming HD panoramic camera.

The PanaCast system incorporates six cameras and stitches the images together. The Panacast system sells for $599 and allows multiple visitors (50-100 were mentioned) to have individual control of the stream –providing multiple camera images from one device.

Next up, Preston Smalley showed off an app called Movie Night that makes picking the next movie you watch with your friends or family a little more fun.

Participants can choose movies and particular actors or actresses they are interested in.  Movie Night then takes all of that input and uses the criteria supplied to provide movie recommendations. Once everyone votes on the movie, your options for viewing – including VOD and Streampix – are presented for the movies that are recommended.

As the session came to a close and the audience headed home, they were left with the sense that innovation is in full bloom here at Imagine Park and in the industry.

“In the past”, Johnson said, he “had no idea about the possibilities of cable. Now everyone desperately wants to get into TV – especially cable.” Cherry and Weisberg seemed to agree and set off discussing how the risks cable takes on content have reinvented the medium of TV. They also noted how the content schedule compared to broadcast TV plays a big role in how producing for cable allows for better content.

Cable, according to the panelists, lets producers and writers go deeper and create more sophisticated content because they have extra time. Broadcast, for example, demands more episodes over a shorter period of time. Cable allows producers the space to create much more complex content by permitting thirteen-episode seasons and longer breaks.

A big part of the discussion was the differences in what’s permitted on cable versus broadcast. Cherry recounted the time he sent the pilot of “Desperate Housewives” to HBO and it was turned down because “it wasn’t gritty enough”. HBO, knowing its audience and its brand, did so understanding that a big part of its success is thanks to delivering the very content others can’t (or won’t) show. “Desperate Housewives” was much better suited for broadcast TV. But there is a line, the producers agreed, where grit can become gratuitous, and that it’s their creative responsibility to know where that line is.

The panel made clear that great programming is fueled by the kind of creativity and content freedom producers love and that only cable offers. Cherry, Weisberg, and Johnson all agreed that a big part of the success of cable has been its permissiveness in allowing producers and writers to do what they do best – to create great content.

FULL VIDEO BELOW

The number of devices connected to the Internet pales in comparison to the number that aren’t. The session took the audience through a discussion of the possibilities and challenges as everything – from doorknobs to lamps – gets connected.

Don Bowman of Sandvine discussed trends in media consumption and noted that nothing ages more rapidly than predictions of the future.  He suggested that trends in growth of connected devices – already quite large – will explode in the next few years.

Bowman says the increase will drive more demand for both downstream and upstream capacity as the number of users and their connected devices grow.

Facilitating the consumption side of that equation, and providing operators a way of delivering TV content (just one type), Envivio’s Arnaud Perrier explored growth in the area of CloudTV.

Perrier illustrated the power of CloudTV by delivering two identical streams to different TVs using both traditional cable technology and Envivio’s unicast capability.  Envivio’s platform supports CatchUp, Network PVR (personal recording), and Video on Demand, as well as live TV.

For purposes of the demo, Perrier used a Roku box to serve the Envivio-based content, but indicated it is platform independent and can run on any device. Operators can also serve targeted and even personalized ads via Envivio.

Changing gears, Arlen engaged Bernard Kiriakos of Technicolor. Kiriakos says the company always begins with the question of how to deliver faster and better services to the customer. Kiriakos suggests that accommodating new connected devices and services requires a new way of thinking about machine to machine (M2M) communication.

Noting that devices are siloed, and do not efficiently talk laterally across silos, Kiriakos suggests that what the user wants from those devices is not data (is my door open) but comfort (everything is ok at my house).  To accomplish this, Technicolor has developed Qeo, an open software framework to allow simple, secure communication across devices.

Since the connected home will likely include multiple devices from many manufacturers, the need for an open platform is key.  Under the model, all devices can both publish and subscribe to information.

Qeo enables better apps by creating a consistent language.  As an example, the thermostat in a home could be subscribed to the front door.  When the door is opened, the thermostat automatically adjusts to the presence of people.

Finally, Robert Chandhok of Qualcomm presented a similar, but different approach to connecting devices. Chandhok noted that Bluetooth is, at its core, an attempt to address the same issue, but recent efforts by technology companies recognize that the pairing process and other limitations of Bluetooth make it somewhat unappealing to consumers.

As his example, Chandhok describes a scenario in which a person walks into a room and can automatically tell that a projector in the room can stream media, a stereo in the room can stream media, and other devices could serve as a gateway between devices.

With all of the speakers, one thing became clear. The technological challenge of making devices communicate is not only being addressed, but driving a lot of innovation.

At the outset of the event, Michael Powell, NCTA President & CEO and military veteran, welcomed an impressive crowd of active service men and women, veterans, military spouses, congressmen to the event. It was hard not to notice the large presence of veterans and military spouses, as they were all wearing special red, white and blue ribbons on their badges.

After the opening remarks, participants were able to walk the job fair floor where nearly 35 companies set up booths. The representation from cable industry companies included small and large U.S. cable providers, including Cablevision, Cox, Comcast, Time Warner and Midcontinent; cable networks such as HBO, A+E, and Showtime; and media companies including NBCUniversal, Fox Networks Group, and Viacom. There were also rooms away from the exhibit floor designated for one-on-one interviews and private meetings with veterans.

The floor was crowded and lively and it was an energetic and inspiring experience for all. We spoke to several veterans and military spouses who were all excited and honored to be a part of such an exclusive job fair with exceptional companies.

Mike Bliss, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army felt that, “this opportunity [for veterans] to break into the media market is an awesome opportunity for them.” He continued, “and hopefully the businesses will understand the value of the veteran and what a great service they will bring to any organization.”

Todd Gifford, First Class, U.S. Army spoke to us about the true impact a veteran has in any organization. “If they want loyal, consistent employees,” Gifford said, “if they want people that are driven and have integrity, then it’s a good place to look for that type of employee. I’ve worked with a lot of great people over the years [in the military] and I’ve worked with some of the best people in the world.”  Gifford concluded, that veterans are “a good pool to pull from, that’s for sure.”

To learn more about the cable industry’s vast array of opportunities, participating veterans and military spouses also received complimentary passes to The Cable Show exhibit floor.

Roberts, while being interviewed by CNBC’s Becky Quick, was asked whether there was a need for Gigabit broadband. Roberts responded, “I hope so!” And with that, kicked off a demo presentation by showing a blazing download of a 4 Gigabyte file of a 4K TV clip. The download bar was moving so quickly and on screen for such a short period of time, it was barely possible to take a picture. He then switched the demo screen to a speed test and revealed the speed he was utilizing to download through the cable network was over 3 Gbps. It was an impressive display to say the least.

As Roberts moved from talk of broadband and the role cable plays as a technology innovator to television tech, he discussed how big of a game changer cloud computing has been to home entertainment. He declared the winning companies to be the ones who can integrate across all platforms and all screens. And with that punctuation, shifted to reveal the Xi3, an all-new cable box that is four-times faster, three-times smaller, and uses 50 percent less energy than current models. This tiny box takes full advantage of cloud computing – the menu interface, for example, is not locally stored on the box. Among other things, this will allow for faster, better product updates.

Next up was Roberts’ announcement of X2, an all-new user interface focused on personalizing the TV experience. The unquestionably attractive design packed an impressive amount of data on screen while remaining clean and simple. Roberts showed off how multiple menu screens allowed for endless customizable options. Users can create a custom menu just for kids, or for sports fans, or even a menu that shows only new releases.

Roberts then previewed the new On-Demand features of X2. Perhaps most impressive was how new search functions allow users to search by any category or random content permutation (Roberts searched for movies about basketball) and the system not only displays what’s available through Comcast, but what matches the search criteria in web videos. It was a seamless integration of all digital content in one place.

Finally, Roberts dove into the new remote control. Smaller, sleeker, and with fewer buttons, the remote featured a keypad similar to a telephone (with letters corresponding to numbers) allowing the user to search by channel number or title. Most notable was the “Voice” button. Performing similarly to Apple’s “Siri”, the voice control button delivered a hands-free search demonstration without a hiccup. And the voice feature worked two ways. Not only can users speak their selections, but the system offered a feature where it talks back, giving cues and instructions for menu navigation– a feature especially important to users with disabilities.

Roberts’ demonstration was a tech demo of the highest caliber. And to cap it off, he discussed the importance of allowing openness in the platform. App building, Roberts suggested, is a key part of creating a healthy, growing ecosystem like the one living in X2.

Beyond the impressive speed stats and clean user interfaces of this next-gen cable TV and broadband demo was an overarching theme of the openness. By creating an integrated experience across all platforms on all devices and encouraging a wide range of content types and sources, Roberts was introducing not just the future tech of cable, but also the future spirit of cable – open, creative, innovative, and very, very fast.

WATCH THE FULL DEMO HERE:

Stewart Schley of ZoneWire.net took the audience through a number of demos and discussions to explore new options for finding and getting to content.  According to Schley, only 4% of TV viewers know what they’re going to watch when they drop comfortably into the couch.

So what’s coming to your cable experience?

Steve Necessary of Cox Communications took visitors through a new interactive app for controlling, viewing, and finding content.  The app allows separate profiles for family members – allowing all the users in a household to customize their content and recommendations.

Peter Docherty of Think Analytics noted the changing consumption patterns of cable consumers.  Necessary noted that search is somewhat inadequate in current models because it is based on finding a specific piece of content. New models will allow search for more nebulous concepts.

For instance, over at CableNet (also on the Show floor) vendors are demoing search functions that allow consumers to find ideas like “Action movies with Stallone, but not Rambo” or “Action movies without physical violence.”

Docherty says the key part of the experience is to incorporate your personal preferences and likes, but not preclude new experiences. It’s a balance between the comfort of the familiar and the discovery of new content.

Nuance Communications drives much of the speech recognition technology for phones and cars, and Bill Sheppard indicates they’re bringing voice to the cable platform.

Sheppard demoed a voice-enabled remote – walking through broad searches, specific channels, narrowing results, and accessing volume and DVR controls. In addition, Sheppard noted the ability to conduct web searches and interact with web sites and social networks via voice.  The latency in response to the remote was quite small – with less delay than simply hitting the channel up/down button might normally be.

People with physical challenges, for instance the deaf, can enable interactive voice options to receive feedback as well.

Ranga Muvavarirwa of Time Warner Cable (TWC) and Ben Weinberger of Digitalsmiths discussed the mapping of data across multiple streams and speech, social, and other forms of discovery. The rich user interface is capable of featuring a slew of various data streams to provide context for content.  Since Digitalsmiths has already mapped the streams, Multichannel Video Providers (MVPDs) can get to market faster with the framework these mappings provide.

Muvavarirwa says the advantage to operators is using discovery and recommendations to keep people within the cable circle by giving them all they expect, helping them find content they’re looking for as well as new content. In doing so, the need to spend time browsing multiple content providers is eliminated and “search just works.”

Finally, Sam Vasisht of Veveo presented another voice app for controlling content.  The Veveo app offered the ability to follow up on searches for specific content – for instance, a query for James Bond movies was met with the follow up, “There are a number of James Bond movies, would you like the most recent ones?”

The Veveo and Nuance demos clearly illustrated the opportunities for voice in navigation while the TWC and Cox demos featured dramatic improvements in app and remote navigation.

Digitalsmiths’ Weinberger summed up the theme of the discussion, saying the goal is to help people find content when the number of options gets wider and wider.

The panel, however, was just a short look at a small handful of the improvements in the way TV watchers will navigate the array of content available. For more, take a look at the vendors on the show floor, and the up and coming technologies in CableNet.

Second Screen Scene, the exciting first panel to hit The Cable Show’s Imagine Park was moderated by Stewart Schley, the editor and publisher of ZoneWire.net, which covers the advanced television advertising marketplace. It opened with a discussion with Lori Driscoll and Joseph Atkinson of PriceWaterhouse Cooper (PWC) who provided their data and analysis of this dynamic market.

Schley asked the tough questions about bypassing the cable infrastructure and if second screens are diluting the fully engaged experience with the television program. The panelists argued that it’s just the opposite. You have to give customers what they want, and reach consumers where they are, they said.

“When you look at engagement,” Atkinson stated, “you have to go where the consumer is.” The data show that these consumers are on second and third screens during the programming. PWC lifted the curtain on a few of these impressive numbers and stats.

For instance, over two-thirds of Americans are likely to search and shop for a product they have seen on TV. Sporting events and live Hollywood awards shows bring in incredibly high second screen numbers:

• each NBA game results in 1-3 million social impressions;
• Super Bowl 47 resulted in 52 million+ social impressions;
• The Academy Awards and The Grammys resulted in 13 million and 19 million social impressions.

PWC also reported that the number of connected devices per U.S. Internet household is 5.7 devices – and for higher income homes that number can be two to three times greater. So clearly there is an audience for these second screen experiences, and that audience is growing rapidly.

Second screen apps are taking a companion role, making television more unique and personalized, matching up with the particular consumers’ preferences and interests. Joseph Atkinson called it “mass media to mind media,” when noting how the US Open can go from an event reaching millions of viewers while also being an emotional experience for one viewer interacting with the companion app. If companies are not taking advantage of these opportunities, then they are not meeting the expectations of their customers, Atkinson argued.

As the entertainment experience is evolving, it is important for both businesses and consumers to take full advantage of the second screen experience. The value from all the interactive, advertising, personalization and social aspects of second screens is unparalleled, both complementing and enhancing television viewing.

Standing solo in front of a staggering 72-foot uninterrupted projection screen, Powell took stock of everything the cable industry has delivered over the last sixty years. From amazing television to some of the fastest broadband Internet on earth, the past, present, and future of cable was laid out in a fashion befitting an industry dedicated to technology and storytelling.

Impressive multimedia video, sounds and imagery complemented Powell’s presentation. We saw everything from the original sounds of a dial-up modem to the latest numbers in rural broadband investments and penetration. 93% of America can connect to cable Internet and 85% have access to speeds over 100 Mbps. This platform of possibilities comes from over $200 billion in infrastructure investments since 1996, not to mention serious risk and hard work.

During his address, Powell noted the challenges of delivering super-fast Internet to a country as large and as spread out as the United States. When paralleling broadband speeds between one nation and another, he said, “it is foolish to compare countries like Latvia and France to the United States of America. The landmass of the U.S. is 3.8 million square miles, much of it rural.  And we are home to 316 million people. Our challenges are different, but our results are nonetheless impressive.”

The U.S. has gone from 22^nd in worldwide broadband speeds to 8^th since 2009. If U.S. states are compared to countries like France and Latvia, Powell said “U.S. states [would represent] ten of the top fifteen fastest regions in the world.”

As the narrative of cable unfolds over the next three days, there couldn’t have been a better way to set the tone than Powell’s address. It was filled with the possibilities of television, technology, and the role cable has played in shaping our nationwide communications network. The Cable Show is sure to be a spectacle of tech and TV unlike any other.

If you’re here, enjoy! Be sure to share your experience on Twitter and Instagram using #Cable13. And if you’re not, don’t forget to take advantage of the live stream at live.thecableshow.com.

WATCH THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Located in the heart of the Convention Center, The Observatory is directly across from Imagine Park. It’s a practically impossible-to-miss 360-degree, 6600-square foot theater surrounded by floor-to-ceiling multimedia exhibits, product demonstrations and other displays.

The Observatory is going to be insanely cool and one of the things we’re most looking forward to. Inside the theater, videos will play 360 degrees around you; outside the theater, see cable’s rich history of milestones and innovations in a remarkable, larger-than-life timeline. As you make your way around the impressive exhibit, you will explore the world created by America’s Internet and cable innovators.

You’ll watch how entrepreneurs and pioneers worked to make TV better, improving the entertainment experience – how cable reinvented the way we watch television. You’ll experience the lightning fast Internet speeds first hand inside The Observatory exhibits and play with exciting new apps and interactive games. And you’ll learn how cable connects us to the people and brands we care about; how cable enables the communications we rely on every day; and how cable strengthens and empowers today’s dynamic digital lifestyle.

From past to present to future, The Observatory has it all – so take the journey and uncover cable’s impressive and exciting success story!

We hope you’re as excited as we are. We’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning!

http://www.ncta.com/impact-of-cable

The page offers data showing how cable is a key driver of the economy by delivering entertainment and information through aggressive capital investment and by directly employing more than 381,000 Americans in all fifty states.

But just because we’re taking about serious numbers doesn’t mean we can’t let them tell their story in a fun way! Check out the new page and see which TV show GIF we paired with “Cable Jobs by Congressional District”. We bet you can guess…

For a full events list and schedule, go to 2013.thecableshow.com

GENERAL SESSIONS

The Cable Show 2013’s trio of General Sessions offers candid, unscripted and insightful conversations involving some of the leading strategists from the worlds of media and communications (not to mention an opening act you won’t want to miss). You’ll hear some of the world’s most influential innovators from television, digital media, broadband communications and the investment community share insights about the impact of digital technologies on their businesses – and on the world.

Monday’s General Session includes NCTA President and CEO Michael Powell’s keynote presentation followed by two panels, the first includes some big names in new media like Jim Bankoff from Vox Media, Hosain Rahman from Jawbone, and Ali Rowghani from Twitter.

On Tuesday, General Session events include a one-on-one conversation with Michael Powell and Acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn. Following the conversation will be a highly anticipated tech demo from Comcast’s Brian Roberts.

Wednesday’s General Session starts with a conversation with Jennifer Lopez and a keynote address by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The General Sessions will conclude with an exclusive, Cable Show-first entertainment panel with some of Hollywood’s top TV producers and writers.

IMAGINE PARK

Imagine Park is The Cable Show’s live portal for killer concepts, major breakthroughs and audacious ideas that are about to take digital living to entirely new places. It’s the place where great ideas connect with great people. Where industry visionaries connect with today’s innovative youth. Where the next big thing might just be the next thing you see on stage.

A few sessions we’re looking forward to are the June 10^th Second Screen Scene and the June 11^th Internet of Everything. And don’t forget Tech Talk with Tony on June 12^th where some of the coolest tech demos of the week will be packed into one session.

OBSERVATORY

Situated directly across from Imagine Park you will find The Observatory, a 360-degree immersive multimedia venue that combines visual storytelling, product showcases and demos, and audio-video experiences.

Inside The Observatory you will be able to hear what some of cable’s most creative and entertaining storytellers have to say, watch cable’s evolution unfold before your eyes, play with captivating new apps on all sorts of second screen devices, interact with new user interfaces and much more – all powered by a network showing off what cable broadband can do!

OUTSIDE THE CONVENTION CENTER

This year expect exciting guerilla marketing from some of cable’s biggest names.

We’d love to tell you more, but it’s a bit of a mystery – even to us! But if you want the inside scoop, we’d be out front of the convention center with a camera on Monday, June 10^th at 11 AM if we were you.

WHILE IN DC

For those coming from out of town, DC has a lot to offer beyond monuments and museums. If you have a little bit of time in between Cable Show activities, here are a few ideas:

If you’re in early, take in a Nationals game. Cable Show attendees can get a special price on the Sunday, June 9th game before the show. Go here for tickets and more information.

If you’re a foodie, than you’re in luck! DC has become something of a gastronomic paradise. Be sure to check out DC institutions like Bens Chili Bowl for a half-smoke and Johnny’s Half Shell for a classic DC crab cake. If you really want to stamp your diner passport, visit Graffiato. From Mike Isabella (of Top Chef Season 6), Graffiato offers an amazing selection of locally sourced Italian style delicacies. It’s just around the corner from the D.C. Convention Center so there’s no excuse not to drop by!

Whether it’s your first Cable Show or your fiftieth, it’s tough to take the whole show in in just three short days. So make a plan, pick your favorites, and don’t forget to follow @CableShow and join the conversation through #Cable 13 on Twitter and Instagram to stay on top of the latest Cable Show news and information. We’ll see you next week!