Upcoming VMedia "Stuff"

[mathewjohnson]

From a different thread:

...we do have something in the works...

I know that, a couple times, you've said that 2018 will be an exciting year for VMedia and, in other posts, you've implied that several things are being worked on for future release. This is a long shot, but I don't think it hurts to ask...

Are you at liberty to identify what items (products, features, agreements, etc) are actually being developed so we can get excited about them and annoy you with requests for updates on them every couple weeks?

So far, I'm aware of (at least, that I can think of right now):
1) standalone TV Android app for installation on 3rd party boxes... Possibly Android TV support
2) enhancing TV remote app for use on phones (maybe the same as #1)
3) some sort of home phone "expansion" beyond locked-down ATAs
4) some sort of referral program for signing people up
5) (maybe) support for 3rd party Z-Wave "smart" in-home devices through the security service

Any possibility of:
a) being able to pause&rewind live TV?
b) recording TV to a NAS or some sort of whole-home PVR?
c) expanding VCloud channels (to include Family Jr, specifically)?
d) getting an agreement in place with Bell to allow FTTH/FTTP DSL, as opposed to just FTTN?
e) reducing/removing the Internet throttling that happens during peak hours?
f) increasing bandwidth (encoding settings, resolution, frame rate) on additional channels?

I understand you need to be tight-lipped about certain things (particularly when mentioning ETAs), but I suspect most of us customers (and potential future customers) would be interested to know what up-and-coming items we can look forward to!

[MattVMedia]

Hi,

It's never an annoyance when we're asked about updates.

Unfortunately though, as a result of the nature and competitive landscape of our industry, we have to be vague with our plans to expand service and products at times. I wish this wasn't the case and we could be more forthcoming with progress reports and updates, but experience has taught us that we have to exercise caution.

Hope this helps.

So far, I'm aware of (at least, that I can think of right now):
1) standalone TV Android app for installation on 3rd party boxes... Possibly Android TV support
2) enhancing TV remote app for use on phones (maybe the same as #1)
3) some sort of home phone "expansion" beyond locked-down ATAs
4) some sort of referral program for signing people up
5) (maybe) support for 3rd party Z-Wave "smart" in-home devices through the security service

1) In development. (Yes, Android TV)
2) In development. Will have same limitation of STB though, namely, that content will only be accessible from within your home.
3) In development
4) In development
5) Under consideration. We'll expand Home Security offerings later this year (ex: cameras), but 3rd party Z-Wave support will likely come later.
6) tvOS and iOS - In development

We should be able to get to the items on this list by the end of the year, with the exception of Z-Wave support.

Any possibility of:
a) being able to pause&rewind live TV?
b) recording TV to a NAS or some sort of whole-home PVR?
c) expanding VCloud channels (to include Family Jr, specifically)?
d) getting an agreement in place with Bell to allow FTTH/FTTP DSL, as opposed to just FTTN?
e) reducing/removing the Internet throttling that happens during peak hours?
f) increasing bandwidth (encoding settings, resolution, frame rate) on additional channels?

a) In development. This will be limited to channels who we have an agreement in place to offer this feature.
b) Or to Cloud?
c) We're always looking to expand VCloud, but it's dependent on access being granted from channels. Look out for an announcement next week about new channels being made available (really excited about this one!)
d) There is framework currently for 3rd party FTTH access. However, it is extremely costly using the current aggregated transport model with existing tariffs, so nobody offers it. We'd have to price plans starting at $180 to make it work, plus there would be mandatory installation at $200+. Hopefully, when the CRTC adjusts tariffs and there is the possibility of moving to dis-aggregated transport, we'll be able to bring that cost down and offer it in certain areas.
e) Not without adjustments to plan pricing. We make adjustments quite frequently to try and minimize it's effect and noticeable impact on key services, but I don't see these being removed in the short term.
f) We moved Sportsnet regional channels and TSN 4 to higher bitrate encoders in the spring. We plan to move more key channels in the future, but I'm not sure when at this moment. As you can see, we have a lot on our plate

[mathewjohnson]

That's a great update! Thanks a lot, MattVMedia. I'm particularly happy to hear that item A (depending on the channels that are available) and B are planned. I look forward to hearing the announcement next week regarding item C.

[Woody]

My vote is for 3rd party Android TV support - namely for nVidia Shield!

[gstefane]

Hi,
e) Not without adjustments to plan pricing. We make adjustments quite frequently to try and minimize it's effect and noticeable impact on key services, but I don't see these being removed in the short term.

can you give some details of what you throttle? I noticed that updating apps on either Android or iPhone takes much longer at night (but it's gotten better lately). anything else? sometimes I have buffering in youtube, which is https, but that would mean you are actually "inspecting" encrypted traffic...

[MattVMedia]

Hi,

Sure. We have hard limits on things like Torrents, Bulk File Downloads (Mega, WeTransfer, etc) and Application/OS updates during peak hours (typically 8:30 PM -11:00 PM). These limits are somewhat variable, and we make small adjustments monthly based on network utilization. Then, we have have bucketed allocation for certain services, where a minimum is set aside for services which can be considered higher priority. This would be for things like Netflix, Twitch, YouTube, etc. Here, we take an average of usage over a given period, and allocate that to these services specifically. This means that if there happens to be a particular evening when overall network utilization is say 25% higher than usual, these services are still able to function generally as expected. I should point out also that for Netflix, we have a caching server, so the majority of popular content is available here and within our network, and as such, is never subject to ITMP.

[gstefane]

Hi,

Sure. We have hard limits on things like Torrents, Bulk File Downloads (Mega, WeTransfer, etc) and Application/OS updates during peak hours (typically 8:30 PM -11:00 PM). These limits are somewhat variable, and we make small adjustments monthly based on network utilization. Then, we have have bucketed allocation for certain services, where a minimum is set aside for services which can be considered higher priority. This would be for things like Netflix, Twitch, YouTube, etc. Here, we take an average of usage over a given period, and allocate that to these services specifically. This means that if there happens to be a particular evening when overall network utilization is say 25% higher than usual, these services are still able to function generally as expected. I should point out also that for Netflix, we have a caching server, so the majority of popular content is available here and within our network, and as such, is never subject to ITMP.

Thanks for the response. I used to have some buffering on Youtube a while ago, but not recently. You probably enabled the "minimum" within the last year or so (or at least increased the bandwidth for it). Overall happy with the Internet and the price.

[MattVMedia]

You're correct, we switched to allocation bucket model in the Fall. Happy to hear your feedback, we find this model to be the least invasive and allows us the opportunity to adjust regularly based on the needs of our customers

[Ginsbergg]

Matt, you reference looking out for announcements in your post above, but where are these announcements. So far this year I am aware of a couple of significant activities, but I haven't seen a single announcement nor have I received a single email about them - you have a new box, you have changed rates and some channel line ups and there have been several channels on free preview that I only found out by accident. What good is rolling out improvement if people only find out by accident?

[omega13]

Matt you have been awesome with replying and giving some info, thank you!

[MattVMedia]

Hi,

VCloud announcement was delayed, but we should get around to it hopefully next week.

With regard to other announcements, we usually post to our blog, facebook pages, and of course, update our website. This is in addition to the discussion which happen here.

Regarding the pricing changes which occurred a couple months back, this was a materiel change and all customers who were impacted by this change were notified by email, which led to several lengthy threads on here as well. I replied to your previous comment about not receiving an email notification here.

[QuadeCore]

Out of curiosity, you note that the Apple tv app will be for TVos, does that mean the app will only be available for the 4th/5th gen apple tvs? or will it also be available for the 3rd gen as well?

[Sevro]

I am also looking forward to Android TV support. I have a Nvidia shield tv. Please support Android TV.

[Woody]

I am also looking forward to Android TV support. I have a Nvidia shield tv. Please support Android TV.

I enthusiastically second this!!!