Mountains, Deserts, and Robots: How Utah Plays Host to HBO’s Westworld
The second season of Westworld is well underway, but Evan Rachel Wood and her fellow cast members aren’t the only stars that are dazzling viewers week after week. The majestic backdrops on the show— red rock valleys, canyons, mountains, sand dunes, and Lake Powell—are playing a supporting yet pivotal role in setting the scene. While much of the production is filmed on a soundstage in Southern California, the show’s exteriors are filmed in Utah. "It's easy to think shows can just recreate [backdrops] to the green screen, but I know the cast and crew talk about how inspiring it is to be on the
More Americans Are Concerned About Online Privacy Than Net Neutrality
Today, the Senate is scheduled to vote on a Congressional Review Act, or CRA, that attempts to roll back last December’s FCC Order that freed the internet from 1930’s era regulations – regulations that have been proven to hurt investment in broadband networks. This partisan maneuver is being touted as a way to save net neutrality but, as we’ve been saying for years, the only real path to permanent net neutrality is through a bipartisan law in Congress. If you listen to the floor speeches, be prepared. There will be no shortage of hyperbole and hyperventilation in the many fantastic claims
The Internet of Things Continues to Transform the Way We Live
The Internet of Things has been making people's lives more efficient and more comfortable for the past several decades, and it's only expected to get better. As technology becomes more sophisticated and innovators come out with the next best device, this web of interconnected objects–from kitchen appliances to wearables to voice-operated assistants like Amazon's ALEXA and Google Home–is only going to grow exponentially. Cisco predicts that in the next two years, the number of connected devices will exceed 50 billion, more than double the number of devices in 2015. Cable's high-speed networks
TV Programmers Embrace New Ways of Viewing Via Apps
TV Everywhere usage is up, as CTAM’s TVE tracking survey recently found, and TV content creators are driving viewership through offering more types of programming via their apps than ever before. Technology improvements, such as single-sign on mechanisms are making it easier for subscribers to log in to multiple apps at once, motivating viewers to access content while they are on the go. Cable programmers are reporting more interaction with their TVE services and more experimentation by networks to present and release content across multiple devices and screens. Discovery indicated last month
Three Facts You Didn't Know About Fast Internet
Over the past decade, internet speeds have grown by an astounding 12,400 percent. In fact, networks today enabled by DOCSIS 3.1 technology are capable of reaching speeds up to 10 Gbps. Though people don't necessarily need this type of network capability right now, the next generation technologies that are headed our way, like virtual reality and augmented reality, will most certainly require super speeds. From the most rural and arctic terrain in Alaska to big and populous cities like Las Vegas, gigabit networks are becoming more and more widespread across the country. So what exactly is
How Do Most U.S. Adults Access TV Programming?
A recent survey reveals that even with the myriad of ways available to watch television programming today, watching content live on a TV through a cable subscription is still the most popular choice among U.S. adults. The Morning Consult Poll uncovered that 46 percent of people rely on their subscriptions to access programming, more than double those who stream programming through a streaming service like Netflix or Hulu. But while the linear TV experience is still going strong, new entertainment paradigms are popping up and only strengthening viewers' engagement with their favorite cable
CableLabs is Fueling Innovation Through a Neurodiverse Workplace
"When we use the term neurodiversity, it's really about taking a look at the thinking styles of people," said Phil McKinney, CEO of the Colorado-based CableLabs, the cable industry’s technology and innovation consortium. McKinney is a long-time advocate for the hiring and managing of neurodiverse individuals; people who live with varying forms of neurological differences, such as autism. He launched a neurodiversity hiring program at CableLabs a couple of years ago, and the organization now receives calls from all over the world from people and organizations seeking advice on how to manage and
Smart Gigabit Communities: How Cox is Setting Cities up for Success
Smart gigabit communities have been popping up all over the country over the past couple of years. An initiative created and funded by the National Science Foundation’s US Ignite program, a smart gigabit community is defined by the organization as a “living lab” environment for the next generation of gigabit applications. These communities are encouraged to drive innovation and economic opportunities through utilizing high-speed networks and local resources, and Cox Communications has been a leading partner in this effort. The ISP is the first private business to fund multiple cities in the
World IP Day is a Chance to Recognize Cable’s Best Creators
Today is World Intellectual Property Day, a celebration of intellectual property, such as patents, trademarks and copyright, and a chance to learn more about how IP rights drive innovation and creativity. There is no shortage of ideas, services, and products coming out of the cable industry. Ultimately, these innovations shape the internet and television experience of millions of Americans and transform their way of life in every way possible. Internet service providers and TV programmers know how important it is to protect the IP behind these ideas. This year’s theme for World IP Day is
What the Internet Means for Human Relationships
Last year, NCTA partnered with TED and Miracle Messages, a non-profit that reunites homeless people with their loved ones through social media and video messages, to produce a video on how fast internet is making an impact on human relationships. We recently caught up with Kevin Adler, Founder of Miracle Messages, to check in on how the efforts are going and what hurdles remain, but to also remind ourselves of the role that broadband networks play in enabling people-to-people connections. Adler shared his insights on the misconceptions about homeless people, and the lack of relationships in