AUSTAR to Use Thomson Hardware, OpenTV Software for New PVR Service

Pay-TV provider, AUSTAR (provides service to regional and rural Australia, and currently has around 525,331 subscribers), says that it will use hardware from French electronics giant, Thomson, for its PVR service, which it plans to launch in mid-2006 (note: AUSTAR refers to the service as "Personal Digital Recorder" or "PDR").

According to the company, the Thomson box, whose pricing has not yet been disclosed, will incorporate a digital terrestrial tuner--allowing it to receive free-to-air DTT signals--as well as three satellite tuners; a 160Gb hard drive; and conditional access technology from Irdeto Access. It will also have two-way interactive TV capabilities, and will run OpenTV's OpenTV Core middleware and that company's PVR 2.0 software (note: Australia's other major pay-TV provider, Foxtel, also employs OpenTV's middleware and PVR platform; among other things, OpenTV PVR 2.0 supports push-VOD and remote event booking, and includes the company's streaming file system, which is designed to increase the reliability and lifespan of disk drives).

"In opting for Thomson's PDR, our customers will enjoy the best interactive television experience, watching what they want, when they want," AUSTAR CEO, John Porter, said in a prepared statement. "This agreement allows AUSTAR to capitalize on Thomson's global leadership in set-top box and PDR technology. It will further expand our service offering and expand our subscriber base by offering our customers greater control, choice and flexibility than ever before." Thomson has been expanding its presence in the Asia-Pacific region in recent months: last month it was chosen as the primary supplier of set-top boxes to Singapore-based cable operator, Starhub, and it also supplies equipment to Malaysian pay-TV provider, Astro.