TPF ‘Emerging Tech’ Panel: Focusing on the User Experience

TEMPE, Ariz. — The panel assembled for Friday’s “Emerging Technologies” seminar at the Phoenix Forum emphasized that content delivery technologies currently in development are focused on improving web users’ experience and taking users beyond being passive recipients of content.

Moderated by Walter H of CCBill and Cave Creek Hosting, the panel included David Reisfeld of Level 3 Communications, Tim Ash of Site Tuners, Peter Goldstein from VideoBox.com and David Robinson of Evotum.

Robinson said that Evotum’s technology is designed to give web users an experience more like that of watching television, delivering full-screen, high quality video that is cross-platform compatible and that does not rely on the user having specific plug-ins or codecs installed.

“We’re agnostic across all platforms and formats,” Robinson said.

Goldstein spoke about VideoBox’s proprietary technology that allows users to select only the portions of scenes that they want to watch, and allowing them to stream or download clips accordingly.

Goldstein said that according to the data tracking that VideoBox has done, there is a clear trend among costumers towards using the highest quality file that their own technical resources will permit them to consume.

“As end users’ available bandwidth and the power of their machines continue to increase, users download the highest level that their pipe can fit, and that their machine can handle,” Goldstein said.

Reisfeld spoke about Level 3’s content delivery network (CDN) and the advantages of using CDNs generally, describing CDNs as a form of “outsourced infrastructure to serve content.”

“Instead of building out your own infrastructure, you outsource that delivery to the CDN,” Reisfeld said, drawing an analogy between CDNs and the services provided by Federal Express, which delivers packages through a variety of hubs throughout the world.

Some of the advantages of employing a CDN include the CDN’s ability to “mitigate network congestion,” and to “address the ‘last mile’ challenge.”

Ash, who specializes in optimizing landing pages to make most effective use of the traffic that a site receives, stressed the importance of analyzing user behavior and testing the efficacy of your site’s landing pages, tours and other crucial site components.

“None of you understand your users,” Ash said, adding that if one tests their assumptions extensively, they will learn that many of their preconceived notions are wrong.

“I’ve done lots of testing, and a lot of the time, I’m wrong,” Ash said.

At the end of the day, Goldstein said, the most important pending development is one that sounds incredibly simple, but has yet to manifest itself.

“We think it’s crucial that [it becomes] possible for you to easily download content from the web and play it on your TV,” Goldstein said, adding that while he’s sure that such a solution is bound to be crafted, it’s not yet clear which of the players in the market will be the first to develop it.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Whisper Fans Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Whisper Fans has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Utherverse Launches 'Red Light Center' Virtual World

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse has launched its new virtual world, RedLightCenter.io.

European Commission Approves AV Guidelines, Unveils Prototype App

The European Commission on Monday released its final, approved guidelines for protecting minors online under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and made public a “white label” age verification app intended to help sites and platforms comply with age verification rules under the DSA.

New Membership Site 'Sluts Corner' Launches

R18 Entertainment has launched a new membership site, SlutsCorner.com.

Roxie Rae Relaunches Site Through XSiteAbility

Roxie Rae has relaunched her site through XSiteAbility.

Federal Appeals Court Vacates FTC 'Click to Cancel' Rule Pending Review

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit on Tuesday vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s “click-to-cancel” rule aimed at making it easier for consumers to cancel online subscriptions, pending further review.

Show More