--Ports its IntAct IPTV Software Stack onto Intel's New System-on-a-Chip
UK-based IPTV set-top box and software provider, Amino, has integrated its AmiNET110 and AmiNET125 set-top boxes with Orb's MyCasting service. The integration of Orb's service with the AmiNET110 means that viewers equipped with the widely deployed set-top box will be able to use it to access via their TV sets personal media files stored on their PC, as well as streamed media (and Web sites) delivered over the open Internet. The integration thus "closes the gap between the set-top box and the PC, using the Orb MyCast application platform as the bridge," the companies say. Meanwhile, the integration of Orb MyCasting with the AmiNET125, which is Amino's second-generation multi-codec set-top, will allow MPEG-2/4 and VC-1/WM9 content to be streamed in native format from the PC to the TV--which should mean that even older PC's with less horsepower will be able to benefit from the Orb MyCasting service, the companies say. "We are happy to be working with Amino to bring media convergence to the TV," Herve Utheza, VP and executive producer for TV properties at Orb Networks, said in a prepared statement. "With Orb, Amino's product line will enable a single set-top box to manage IPTV, pay TV, PC media including movies, videos, user-generated videos, and even Web browsing, directly to the TV through a unified user interface. Service operators can bring their own branded version of Orb to their customer base, and let them appreciate the depth and breadth of what IP television can deliver." In practical terms, the integration of Orb MyCasting into Amino's IP set-tops will allow viewers to, for example, watch their home movies and listen to their MP3 library on the TV; use their TV to access and view the entire video catalog of such services as YouTube and AOL Video; and record broadband TV programming for playback in the livingroom.
In other Amino news:
- The company has announced plans to port its IntAct IPTV software stack onto Intel's new system-on-a-chip (SoC), the CE 2110 Media Processor. Amino says that the integration will make it easier for operators to offer such services as advanced interactive TV applications, Web browsing, and video telephony and other communications applications. It claims that the IntAct software stack enables IP set-top box platforms to be created in such a way as to support a wide range of IPTV middleware and conditional access systems, thus allowing set-top box vendors to concentrate on their core design and engineering business "while Amino provides the most cutting-edge processor ecosystems." Thanks to an open software platform architecture, Amino claims, third-party application software can also be ported to add new features for IPTV service providers. "The Amino IntAct IPTV software stack coupled with Intel's SoC media processing platform allows operators and set-top box manufacturers to deliver a premium IPTV experience," William O. Leszinske, Jr., general manager of Intel's Consumer Electronics Group, said in a prepared statement. "Working with the broader CE ecosystem, the Intel CE 2110 Media Processor delivers the processing performance, flexibility and headroom needed to bring advanced information and entertainment services into consumers' homes."
- At the NAB show in Las Vegas last month, the company provided a concept preview of its newest HD PVR, the AmiNET530. Features of the box include support for MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, alpha blending, and international fonts.
Originally Published: May 30, 2007 in [itvt] Issue 7.32 Part 2
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