Orbital Research at IBC 2019: Executive Q&A with Trevor Hiebert

Trevor Hiebert, Orbital’s VP of Business Development, in an executive Q&A with IBC

Trevor Hiebert, VP Business Development, Orbital Research

IBC 2019 – “the world’s most influential media, entertainment and technology show” – is taking place September 13 to 17 in Amsterdam. Orbital Research will be attending (booth B11), along with 1,700 other top technology suppliers. Here, Orbital’s VP of business development, Trevor Hiebert, answers the organizers’ top 5 executive questions.

1. In your opinion, what are the most pressing challenges facing the media and entertainment industry?

In my view, delivering over-the-top (OTT) content – streaming video, voice and data – in an efficient, cost-effective way is the most pressing challenge in the industry today. Service providers are already starting to reaggregate their offerings to deliver more and more content to users with a single subscription. The demand for voice – with voice-enabled digital assistants and speakers – is growing too. The OTT appetite seems insatiable.

2. What do you think are the main threats to your market sector?

As a frequency converter company, the main threat and challenge is digitization. Customers are moving to cloud-based OTT delivery systems and hardware vendors need to adapt. A low noise block downconverter (LNB) needs to be more than just a frequency converter. It needs to evolve to deliver digital content directly to the cloud.

3. What trends or themes do you expect to dominate/emerge at this year’s IBC?

I expect the “streaming wars” to dominate this year’s IBC. Established industry leaders like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and HBO Go are facing increased competition from major new players that are about to launch their own services – like Disney+ and Apple TV+. Not to mention a whole host of niche services. The question will be who can deliver the best content at the best price.

4. What are the main areas of focus for your company at IBC?

For Orbital Research, the main areas of focus will be head-end and in-flight connectivity (IFC) providers who want to boost profitability for their OTT content delivery by increasing the efficiency of their hardware assets. Higher order modulation schemes can lower their cost-per-bit but come with complications. Orbital Research can help.

5. Why should delegates visit your stand at IBC?

We would love to talk to delegates about how we can help them lower their cost-per-bit and deliver uninterrupted OTT content in any condition – extreme temperatures, storms, turbulence on planes – you name it. We’ll have our most popular frequency converters on hand, along with some of our engineers to answer any questions.

Are you attending IBC? Stop by Booth B11 to chat with Trevor and the team.

You can also check out our frequency converters for OTT and IFC providers here.