Amsterdam – April 15, 2021 – Media Distillery, leading provider of AI technology to understand what’s inside video, announces that VTR, Chile’s largest cable operator, part of Liberty Latin America, has selected it to improve video user experience. Thanks to Media Distillery’s AI technology, which went live at VTR this month, the operator’s 1 million cable TV subscribers are now able to re-watch their favourite programmes with precisely correct start times when using Replay.
VTR, the country’s largest multi-service provider, has rolled out Media Distillery’s EPG Correction™ solution across its TV channels. As a result of Media Distillery’s first deployment in Latin America, VTR’s subscribers are now getting more seamless TV viewing.
“We’re excited to optimise our Replay TV platform for VTR subscribers through Media Distillery innovation; our customers can now enjoy a better video experience,”
said Edwin Elberg, Senior Director Entertainment and Connectivity Products of Liberty Latin America.
Using real-time analysis across multiple channels, EPG Correction from Media Distillery makes automatic replay start-time adjustments to coincide with the actual start and end times of TV programmes as they are broadcast. As a result, users can navigate programmes more accurately, and enjoy a harmonious viewing experience.
Typically, a TV platform starts playing linear broadcasts from the EPG-indicated start time. However, TV programmes often don’t start exactly on the EPG time. Without correction, the viewer is forced to watch the end of the previous programme or part of the commercial break. Even worse, if a programme starts earlier than the EPG time, subscribers miss out on the start of their selected show.
In extreme cases, this time misalignment can mean the viewer having to endure as much 30 minutes of the previous programme; this means watching content possibly of no interest or, alternatively, inadvertently seeing a spoiler.
Otherwise the viewer might miss up to 10 minutes of his or her desired show, the beginning having been effectively cut off. These scenarios can cause huge frustration for consumers who today expect great video experiences for all TV content.
In order to remain competitive, service providers need to offer a seamless experience for viewing of broadcast content in replay as well as for on-demand content. Media Distillery‘s advanced technology uses AI to accurately identify time markers in video content. As a result, viewers can replay a broadcast TV programme and see the show precisely from the very beginning.
“Streaming services have in recent years set a new benchmark for seamless viewing experiences, and consumers today have high expectations for all aspects of video UX,” said Roland Sars, CEO of Media Distillery:
“We are honoured that VTR, our first Latin American customer, has chosen Media Distillery technology to deliver an enhanced viewer experience.”
The award-winning Media Distillery system uses Deep Content Understanding™ to identify and label features in audiovisual media automatically, enabling TV service providers to enhance the presentation of programmes and deliver a better viewing experience that meets the expectations of viewers.
Figure A. The image sequence illustrates Media Distillery’s EPG Correction™ in action on VTR Replay TV Platform:
The EPG-view shows which programmes have replay functionality available
When selecting a program, the viewer can select to restart the program from the beginning
Thanks to Media Distillery’s EPG Correction™, the programme starts at the actual start time, rather than the time reflected in the EPG
*Official figures from the Undersecretary of Telecommunications (SUBTEL) as of September 2020
VTR is a Chilean cable and mobile telecoms operator, subsidiary of US-based Liberty Latin America. It provides services of pay-TV, broadband internet, fixed and mobile telephony, VoIP telephony services, equipment, and long-distance roaming services for businesses. It separately commercializes his services through a Triple format Pack (Internet + telephony + TV by subscription). VTR has more than 1.5 million customers throughout the country and also operates an MVNO. www.vtr.com.
April 15, 2021
