LogiWays Licenses S&T's RedKey 2 MHEG Technology

Strategy & Technology--a UK-based company that specializes in solutions for standards-based interactive TV (its products include the TSBroadcaster and TSPlayer systems, which are used for the creation and transmission of MHP, MHEG, tru2way and ETV applications; and the widely licensed RedKey MHEG engines)--said Tuesday that it has licensed its RedKey 2 MHEG technology to French DVB digital TV software company, LogiWays, which plans to incorporate it into software for TV and set-top box manufacturers that are targeting the Asia-Pacific and European markets. The companies are currently working to integrate the RedKey 2 MHEG libraries into LogiWays' Magello DVB software stack for use in several regions that require MHEG-5 support, including Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia and the UK (where an HD version of the MHEG-5-based free-to-air digital terrestrial service, Freeview, is scheduled to launch later this year).

LogiWays says that its DVB software has already been deployed by a number of leading chipset providers and is embedded on various set-top boxes and integrated HDTV's for the European market. Its deal with S&T is billed as strengthening its strategy of providing a complete software solution for the single-chipset architectures deployed by major digital TV brands, through the establishment of strong relationships with an "elite group" of partners. "RedKey 2 is the most advanced and most stable solution we have tested," Arnault Olivier, CEO of the Shenzhen-based LogiWays China division, said in a prepared statement. "Not only is it the easiest to integrate, but S&T also guarantees the scalability of the solution and provides efficient support. By licensing S&T's RedKey 2 MHEG solution, LogiWays confirms its willingness to provide value-added interactive TV solutions by taking advantage of the skills of its partner." Added Paul Daly, S&T's general manager of MHEG systems: "We are delighted that our collaboration with LogiWays will bring new features to the Magello platform to satisfy the most advanced market requirements. S&T's RedKey 2 MHEG solution will open the door to feature-rich PVR capabilities including time-shift functions and trick modes management, a host of information services, secure interactive voting and quizzes, and a new breed of hybrid interactive TV over IP services that will further enrich existing digital broadcast television."