Cisco Makes Connections at IBC Content Everywhere

Stunning display shows the possibilities when everything and everyone is connected

One of the highlights of IBC Content Everywhere MENA will be the connected home demonstration presented by Cisco. Visitors to the first IBC Content Everywhere event in the Middle East will be able to see and understand the revolution that will be brought about by the internet of everything – the near future when every device will be online.

Cisco’s presentation itself is stunning. It uses 3D projection mapping to create life-sized, lifelike people who explain how their lives have changed through connectivity. This remarkable presentation has been seen at CES in Las Vegas and IBC in Amsterdam, and now Cisco and IBC are bringing it to Dubai in January 2015 for IBC Content Everywhere MENA.

“We think the presentation is great fun, but this is not about the technology, it is about the vision,” said Cisco’s JT Taylor. “Sitting down and seeing it is fun, but these are new ideas that need to be addressed. These are real opportunities for service providers and for consumers that will change our lives fundamentally.”

The heart of the presentation is that every device is becoming more intelligent. With better bandwidth now widely available, each of those devices can be connected, talking to each other and sharing data. Cisco’s own research suggests that a boundary was crossed in 2010, with more things connected to the internet than people. In 2010 there were 12.5 billion connected devices, a number which will double by 2015 and double again – to 50 billion connected devices – by 2020. No wonder Taylor talks about “the internet of everything”.

“The intelligence, the connectivity moves into devices, so they are all working together to provide better services,” he explained. “Life becomes more efficient. This may happen slower than technologists predict, but certainly faster than consumers realise today.”

What does this mean for the service providers who will attend IBC Content Everywhere MENA? Taylor’s view is that they hold the key to making the home hub work seamlessly, which is critical for consumer acceptance. Already we have three or four remotes in the living room, and separate apps and controllers for other functions. Service providers should be wrapping all of these into a one-stop shop, delivering a common user interface whether you want to choose a programme from catch-up TV or adjust a thermostat.

He also suggests that the smart service provider will take it beyond that, using the home gateway as a means of managing the machine-to-machine communication that is the real benefit of the internet of everything. An energy company, for example, would be able to bill usage much more accurately, varying prices between peak periods and quieter times, but the home hub will counter-balance that by managing usage to avoid running into peak consumption, maybe by delaying the dishwasher or reducing the air conditioning by a degree.

“As technologists we get very excited by the possibilities,” Taylor concluded. “For the promise to be fulfilled, it has to be made simple and effective to ease the way for consumers. Our presentation at IBC Content Everywhere MENA gives a glimpse into our vision. I hope visitors will see and get excited by what is available now and in the very near future.”

IBC Content Everywhere MENA is part of a new series of global events spanning Europe, MENA and Latin America. These unique events – powered and created by IBC, the premier annual event for the electronic media industry – cover rich media production, devices, apps, digital marketing, social media, content personalisation, big data, cloud services, second screens, investment and more. Presentations like the Cisco vision of the internet of everything add value to all those who attend, by expanding the reach beyond media to the possibilities of the connected world.

Source: IBC Content Everywhere