Israeli IPTV middleware and applications provider, Orca Interactive, and Turkish consumer electronics company, AirTies, announced last week that they have collaborated on what they claim is the first pre-integrated wireless, end-to-end IPTV and Web TV solution. According to the companies, the solution includes Orca's RiGHTv middleware, the company's Compass content discovery/personalized TV solution (suggests programs based on user profiles, popular choices and individual usage history, and also incorporates social TV features), and AirTies' latest set-top box, which features built-in support for wireless and 3D graphics.
The companies are billing the new offering as a turnkey IPTV or Web TV solution for operators or content providers that offers personalized programming recommendations, social TV functionality, support for highly targeted user promotions, HD and 3D graphics support, and a user interface and EPG that provide "instantaneous response"--all with wireless connectivity that eliminates the need for cables between multiple set-top boxes. "We chose the AirTies STB because it offers state-of-the-art functionality including: high performance, good implementation of the 7413 Broadcom chipset, [and] support for WiFi, IPTV or Web TV," Sefy Ariely, Orca's VP of sales and marketing, said in a prepared statement. "We've also had a very positive reaction from a number of our existing customers about this new STB partner." Added AirTies CEO, Bulent Celebi: "We are already working together on a number of new opportunities. We see huge potential for an integrated solution that offers personalization plus the flexibility to wirelessly connect not only to other STB's but also act as a home network that links together different devices like printers, PC's, TV's and storage into a cohesive network, which allows consumers to share audio/video content between devices seamlessly."
