• by Mitch Oscar , Op-Ed Contributor, November 17, 2009

The math just doesn't seem to add up:

 

 

Comcast announces EBIF deployment in 11 million households by year's end

 

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Canoe launches its RFI application with TruTV in 3 million homes without fanfare

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Time Warner, Cablevision, Cox and Charter remain mum on EBIF-ing but I would imagine have generously injected the common denominated application into myriads of set tops

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A mystery's shroud. 

From what I have been able to glean, there are two stages of EBIF deployment: the chrysalized EBIF-enabled, an application housed in the set top box waiting for the cable headend to ignite out of dormancy; and the EBIF active: lit up, broken free of its cocoon to be furiously pursued by the media community for its enabling visual enhancement. Which are the EBIFers talking about: the chrysalis or the butterfly.

Other technologists in hopes of attaining more rarefied heights of consumer, advertiser, agency, distributor and contenter's engagement also seemed to rely on varying terminologies to disclose deployment: interactive technologist and ad auctioneer Navic universes set top boxes; TiVo lists subscribers; Live, Live+, C3 un-peacefully co-exist between agencies, contenters, distributors and researchers; as well as a plethora of definitions adding to the cacophony of set top box reportage... to name a few.

In our ever-morphing media-centric universe constantly birthing new, exciting and fantastical applications, I think it is imperative that we, as a community, ask -- may I be so bold, demand -- clarity and transparency of new deployments in order to better comprehend and evaluate so that these new apps can take flight and have the opportunity to be appreciated as majestic Monarchs and not relegated to circling an electric light only to be burned.