--Launches HTML-Based VOD Application-Authoring Platform
--Secures Deals with Panama's Cable Onda, Estonia's Elion
--Forms Partnerships with Scansatec, Scaberia, 3Vision
VOD technology provider, Concurrent, has launched an HTML-based VOD application-authoring platform, which it says is particularly suited for promoting real-time content such as time-shifted TV and network DVR programs. Dubbed MediaHawk PRISM, the new Web authoring platform--which has already been employed by Japanese MSO, Jupiter Telecommunications (J:COM), and which is now commercially available--is based on commercial-off-the-shelf Web-development technologies and standards, the company says, allowing cable operators to control their applications' look-and-feel via standard Web-authoring tools.
According to Concurrent, the MH PRISM Web application development platform is hosted on a Microsoft .NET Web server. The HTML Web pages authored through the platform are accessed via commercially available Web browser technology on the set-top box over a DOCSIS network, the company says. Using the platform, MSO and third-party developers can create custom, traditional VOD menu navigation, including category-based navigation, jacket art display of VOD titles and launch of VOD titles and previews. According to Concurrent, the platform also allows the incorporation of scaled video into customer interfaces, and is capable of supporting marketing packages and special promotions. "As the volume of on-demand content continues to explode, advanced navigation technologies are needed to connect the consumer with the programming they desire," Michael Pasquinilli, Concurrent's VP of engineering for VOD, said in a prepared statement. "MH PRISM represents the next-generation of VOD navigation application development, targeting a new generation of IPTV, OCAP and DOCSIS enabled set-top boxes. It signifies Concurrent's continued adherence to industry standards, yet provides a development platform for future custom VOD applications, the types of which are limited only by the imagination of Concurrent customers."
According to Concurrent, MH PRISM, which is part of what the company terms its "BEYONDEMAND" line of VOD products, incorporates its MediaHawk Navigation Server and its MediaHawk Database Server, which it says provide a scalable VOD menuing and navigation solution built upon industry-standard Web and Web-development technologies. The MH Navigation Server operates on one or more Dell 2950 servers, utilizing hardware load-balancing to distribute incoming HTTP traffic. MH PRISM traffic is isolated from the Concurrent backoffice software by replicating the navigational metadata into the MH Database Server. The latter is developed utilizing Oracle 10g Real Application Clusters technology running on Linux on one or more Dell 2950 servers. According to Concurrent, J:COM launched a new VOD navigation system in June that was entirely developed using MH PRISM.
In other Concurrent news:
- The company's MediaHawk 4000 video server has been tapped to power what it claims is the first commercial deployment of VOD in Central America. Panamanian cable operator, Cable Onda, is using the platform to offer VOD to around 15,000 digital subscribers via a centralized architecture. The operator has also launched Concurrent's Real-Time Media, enabling it to offer its subscribers on-demand access to real-time content, such as news, sports, select broadcast television series, and its own original programming. Real-Time Media is an optional component of the MediaHawk platform that allows viewers to pause, fast-forward and rewind broadcast programs shortly after they have aired. "Panama has long been considered the 'gateway' to Latin America," Concurrent president and CEO, Gary Trimm, said in a prepared statement. "There are over 15 million cable households in Latin America, with 1.2 million in Central America and the Caribbean. The Cable Onda launch represents Concurrent's continued success in this lucrative cable market."
- The company has formed a partnership with Scansatec, a supplier of broadband and IP technologies and services, that will see the latter marketing Concurrent's flagship MediaHawk VOD platform in the Nordic and Baltic regions. Under the terms of the deal, Scansatec will offer MediaHawk as its "recommended" VOD platform for cable and broadband operators looking to offer on-demand services. According to Concurrent, Scansatec, which is based in Finland and serves all of the Baltic states, has established a network of key contacts in those states' emerging television markets. "We are proud to add Concurrent's products and services to our product portfolio," Tero Jousi, Scansatec's owner and general manager, said in a prepared statement. "The MediaHawk on-demand platform is reliable and widely deployed, and can easily integrate with both Nordija middleware and Widevine CAS. We look forward to working with Concurrent to make our partnership a success."
- The company has formed a partnership with Norwegian technology consulting company, Scaberia, and UK-based content strategy and acquisition specialist, 3Vision, that the partners say will allow them to offer clients in Europe "creative technology and content solutions for on-demand." "Scaberia and 3Vision have defined a strategy merging technology and content which provides a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for on-demand to our customers," Concurrent's Trimm said in a prepared statement. "We are pleased that Concurrent can be a part of this solution." Added Scaberia CEO, Frank Schmull: "The on-demand market has evolved from an experimental phase to a full-blown business. With a global technology player like Concurrent and a content expert like 3Vision, Scaberia can now provide an all-in-one service to systems looking to add on-demand to their video product line."
- The company says that Estonian telecommunications and IT provider, Elion, has chosen its MediaHawk 4000 platform for what it claims is the first commercial deployment of VOD in the Baltic states. The deployment--which was secured for Concurrent by Scansatec--sees the platform providing roughly 1,200 streams to around 40,000 IPTV subscribers via a decentralized architecture. "Concurrent was chosen because of easy integration with our proprietary middleware and Widevine CAS," Scansatec's Tero Jousi said in a prepared statement. Added Elion technical manager, Jaan Inno: "[Concurrent's] technical support during the test phase was extraordinary, and we are confident that this strong support will continue throughout the relationship. We also were impressed with Concurrent's product roadmap, which convinced us they will be there with the products and services to support our continued growth."
Originally Published: October 12, 2007 in [itvt] Issue 7.39 Part 2A
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