Applications
Cisco, Scientific Atlanta, Linksys team up to offer solutions to video operators
MUMBAI: The exponential growth in the number of people using video to communicate and collaborate is creating a video landscape filled with new service and revenue opportunities for video operators and service providers. As more and more consumers enjoy the freedom to access all types of content and services across a variety of devices, they are beginning to live The Connected Life. Cisco, Scientific Atlanta and Linksys offer unique capabilities and innovative end-to-end solutions to help video operators and service providers bring The Connected Life to consumers, whether at home or at work. |
Extreme Video Quality at Low Bit Rates : The Scientific Atlanta D9054 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) encoder delivers the latest compression technology to video operators and service providers, provides bandwidth maximization technology for advanced services, and accelerates the ability to launch new or expanded services, such as high-definition broadcast and video on demand. The encoder’s single-slice encoding architecture, designed to deliver a performance at bandwidth-saving bit rates for years to come. IPTV from Start to Finish : Cisco IP Next-Generation Networks (IP NGNs) provide the network intelligence designed to deliver a scalable Video 2.0 experience from carrier routing systems and Carrier Ethernet solutions optimised for high-quality video transport, content-delivery systems that support both broadcast and on-demand services, high-definition and standard-definition encoders available today over content aggregators and transraters, to a comprehensive line of IP set-tops supporting both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 and a wide range of DRM systems. |
Video on Demand, Anytime, Anywhere, Any Device : Cisco recently launched an enhancement to its Content Delivery System (CDS), adding Internet streaming-media capabilities that allow service providers to offer an ever-expanding scope of online content to help meet their customers’ expectations of accessing any content, anywhere, anytime and on any device. The enhanced Cisco CDS offers much more than other video-on-demand and streaming systems. The Cisco CDS Internet Streaming solution incorporates applications for delivering video to digital televisions and set-top boxes as well as delivering video, voice, music and data to a wide range of IP devices such as personal computers, Wi-Fi-connected mobile phones and personal digital assistants. Flexible Digital Content Management : Scientific Atlanta’s Digital Content Manager (DCM) delivers game-changing, massive video processing horsepower for SD and HD programming, plus the versatility to deliver seamless regional digital program insertion (DPI) and local ad insertion. The DCM’s SuperCrypt network and content security solution delivers session-based scrambling to protect content and can be located in either the modulation site or locally in the main headend. Voice, Data and Wireless Solutions : The Scientific Atlanta EPC2505TM downstream channel bonding cable modem provides a throughput of more than 100+ megabits per second, and the EPC2434TM wireless home gateway with embedded multimedia terminal adapter (eMTA) combines a cable modem, two-line VoIP terminal adapter, router and wireless access point in a single device. Complete DVR Experience : The Explorer 8455DVB high-definition video recorder allows viewers to time-shift television and watch what they want when it is convenient, enabling service providers to generate more revenue. Scientific Atlanta’s extensive DVR experience and new interactive 8455DVB HD DVR with optional IP multi-Room capability takes advantage of the bandwidth maximization and video storage benefits of MPEG-4 part 10/H.264 compression for high-definition television and personal video recorder services. Additionally, three video tuners in the set-top will allow customers to record three shows simultaneously. Leading third-party middleware and conditional access solutions are also supported. |
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
