Anytime/Anywhere Content Lab (AACL)

The Entertainment Technology Center @ USC (ETC@USC) is building the Anytime/Anywhere Content Lab (AACL), a modular, state-of-the-art, research and testing site where the industry can explore how consumers interact with high-quality entertainment in an integrated environment.

ETC@USC is uniquely positioned to implement the AACL because it:

• Is neutral to the technology outcome;

• Works with university students to provide the next-generation-consumer point of view;

• Can call on USC experts to validate its findings;

• Has studio sponsors with access to one-of-a-kind resources including professional content.

OVERVIEW

The AACL will showcase a wide spectrum of leading edge products, services and technologies in action. It will use these tools to examine the technological and sociological implications of providing content to consumers who desire it at anytime, on any device, anywhere they happen to be. The Lab’s activities will advance the interests of all industry stakeholders, especially content producers and distributors, network providers, electronics manufacturers, hardware and software companies, service providers and consumers.

PROJECT DESIGN AND ACTIVITIES

The AACL’s activities will be guided by sponsors and members of the Technology Advisory Board (TAB), a team of senior executives from leading entertainment, technology and hardware companies with extensive resources and expertise. Together, they will hold regular roundtable discussions to identify emerging trends and to develop and evaluate testing methodologies, technologies, equipment design and upgrades.

The AACL’s activities will focus on the following areas:

1. Understanding the Consumer – What are consumer expectations for the integrated digital home and for content on the go? What new attributes and features will consumers find valuable? How can we begin to illustrate tomorrow’s consumer demands and usage patterns, today

2. Digital Delivery – How will consumer demand shape the delivery of digital content, whether by pipe (terrestrial TV, cable, satellite, broadband) or by physical media (DVD, solidstate memory, portable devices)?

3. Managing Content – How will content be moved from device to device and from server to device? How can access to content be made seamless, yet still support commercial transactions and a range of consumer usage options?

4. Identifying Synergies – What are the potential areas for cross-industry collaboration to create new product offerings and to provide greater choice and enjoyment to consumers?

MISSION

The AACL will be a catalyst for industry innovation. Its mission is to be the global leader in providing a view into the life, desires and media-related expectations of a fully wired, digital consumer.

The goals are:

• To provide a neutral forum in Southern California where leading innovators in content, technology, products and services come together to discuss how to create new products that best address consumer expectations;

• To evaluate proposed technology solutions for quality, robustness and interoperability;

• To reach out to the creative community to help solve problems and to help uncover opportunities in anytime/anywhere content, and

• To build synergy and momentum among international groups dedicated to advancing the digital entertainment environment.

ABOUT ETC@USC

The Entertainment Technology Center at USC (ETC@USC) is a neutral, non-partisan organization in the School of Cinematic Arts that studies entertainment technology developments that are critical to the creative community, production companies, content owners, distributors, exhibitors and technology companies. ETC@USC's sponsors include USC-School of Cinematic Arts; Hollywood’s major studios: NBC-Universal, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Viacom/Paramount Studios, The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros.; Lucasfilm Ltd.; Cisco; Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, Inc; Sharp Laboratories of America; TATA Consultancy Services (TCS) Limited; Thomson; and Volkswagen of America-ERL.