For
the following categories:
Consumers:
All types of consumers want broad, easy access to all types of content
whether through subscriptions or on a per transaction basis. They
want greater control of the content, products and services they use
everyday and they want the delivery devices to be easy to use, reliable
and secure. Additionally, they want to build a customized system piecemeal
over time that meets their unique needs. In other words, they want
what they want, when they want it.
NextBend’s
modular UniStac system is designed from the ground
up to adapt to changing technology and consumer needs. Our unique
Base Station design provides a trusted central point
of connectivity to the outside world and forms the foundation for
a new world of interconnected digital products. The system allows
consumers to buy what they currently need or want and add new products
piecemeal over time as needs and finances dictate. For instance, they
may elect to start with the Base Station product that provides greater
security and access to content for existing legacy equipment i.e.
personal computers, set-tops and consumer electronics products. Next,
they may decide to add a media device that gives them control of entertainment
content and a library device that provides secure local storage for
movies, music and other digital information.
As
the system matures, the number and type of UniStac
digital products designed to stack on the Base Station
foundation will swell to provide nearly limitless choice with regard
to functions, brand and price. The system is extremely scalable and
provides practical solutions for all types of consumers from home
to enterprise and everything in between.
Content
Creators and Aggregators: The goal of content creators and
providers is always to reach the broadest possible audience and billions
are spent each year on distribution and marketing. Piracy and theft
of valuable content was well know long before the music industry experienced
the file sharing fiasco and billions have been spent on efforts to
protect content.
The
music file sharing experience did prove an important fact, that is;
given broad easy access, people will listen to more and a greater
variety of music. It also proved that the entertainment industry must
adapt more quickly in order to profit in the digital world.
Entertainment
can be delivered in a pure digital form and therefore is one of the
few products that can take full advantage of the frictionless nature
of Internet commerce. The UniStac system of products provide ease
of use and reliability without sacrificing power and expandability.
These products form the center of the entertainment experience, offering
advanced digital technology and easy adoption of future technologies.
Providing
the consumers with broad access to content combined with reasonable
pricing and an easy means of payment creates tremendous opportunities
for audience growth. Our system is designed to facilitate the secure
delivery and management of content and to adapt to changing protocols
and technology.
Service
Providers: The UniStac's modular design allows service providers
to expand service offerings in stages. As new technologies become
available and subscriber demand is deemed to have reached a level
that makes it profitable the service provider simply offers a new
product for the stacked system.
Providing
broadband connectivity is extremely profitable, it would be made even
more profitable by eliminating the cost of supporting PCs. The demand
for broadband connectivity has been limited by the lack of a suitable
receiver. Today, the choices are limited to either a PC or an appliance
fed by a broadband modem and faster Internet “surfing”
is the only motivation. As we move to deliver entertainment and communications
over the Web, a new system will be necessary.
Once
upon a time, cable and satellite service providers could deploy a
standard set-top to every subscriber; this is no longer the case.
Today, they must offer a wide range of set-tops with variable and
constantly changing combinations of functions. When the subscriber
wants new functions the “box” must be replaced with a
new one and this causes additional truck rolls. Failure to offer all
the latest functionality results in loss of subscribers or churn.
It
is impractical to put every available function into a standard box
to be delivered to every subscriber. It would be far too expensive
to deploy these ultra-set-tops to every subscriber unless they were
all willing to pay for these new features.
The UniStac system’s modularity gives the service
provider the flexibility to mix and match modular products to meet
every subscribers unique needs. The subscriber decides what additional
features they want and when they want them, then self-install the
new device into the system. This is far more cost effective because
the subscriber creates a customized system that meets their needs
and budget.
Product
Companies: The connected and specialized nature of UniStac
products reduces costs and speeds time-to-market for all digital products.
This is particularly true for traditional software developers who
are constantly forced to deal with problems caused by third party
operating systems, software and hardware.
Product
companies select the optimal configuration of hardware, operating
system, memory, and processing for their application(s) and deliver
it to the consumer as a complete digital product. This dedicated configuration
gives the developer the ability to thoroughly test and certify their
product and deliver it more rapidly to the market.
The
UniStac Base Station provides connectivity,
power, communications and a trust environment for all the products
in the stacked system. This further reduces cost and development time.
Relieved
of the burden of solving problems caused by third parties, developers
can focus on delivering new features and functions. The unique connectivity
provided by our Base Station and ECO support
system allows product companies to market new features and
functions and make them instantly available to all their customers.
Internet
telephony is an excellent example of a technology that had to break
free of the computer in order to soar. The VoIP appliance has caused
a huge surge in acceptance. Imagine how much more quickly all technologies
would be adopted if they could simply added to an existing UniStac
system.