nCube Introduces Server-based nPVR for TV Viewers

San Francisco-based nCube recently invited some of the largest cable
operators in the country to view demonstrations of the company’s
server-based personal video recorder.

With this new approach to cable TV and digital storage, customers don’t need their own individual
PVR boxes with separate hard disk drives.

A personal video recorder is like a VCR without the tape. The
computer processor inside the PVR allows digital storage of video
content, allows manipulation of that content, and in some cases
anticipates the end-user’s viewing and recording preferences.

Some popular PVR features include the ability to “pause” live action, and
fast-forwarding through commercials.

nCube wants to go a couple of steps better. The company says its server-based technology will eliminate the possibility of a crash in an individual PVR’s hard
disk and provide almost unlimited storage capacity.

The nCube server would receive instruction signals from the home
viewer via the cable company’s fiber-optic line. Essentially, nCube
transfers the computer from the home to a central location. The
company, which merged with Louisville-based SkyConnect two
years ago, unveiled the technology to the public at the
National Cable Television Association’s Cable 2001 trade show in
Chicago earlier this month.

As consumer interest in watching and sharing video on demand is growing, companies like nCube answer that demand with technological advances, while copyright issues over performance and advertising rights remain. Negotiations between content providers and companies like nCube are ongoing, as most parties want to avoid another Napster.

Napster is the Internet company that encouraged members to
share music files, creating a huge controversy over copyright
issues.

Some content providers dislike PVRs for the same reason they
objected to VCRs when they first hit the market in the 1980s. The companies don’t want copies of their movies being created and distributed for free.
In addition, many advertisers
are not fond of the PVRs’ fast-forward button.

On the other hand, advertisers might find nCube’s PVR advantageous.
With server-compiled information about the viewers’ watching habits, advertisers could begin injecting target advertising based on viewer demographics.