Brightcove to Support Google's AdSense for Video

--Signs Deals with Bebo, Meebo, RockYou, Slide, Veoh, Gruner + Jahr
--Helps Power Showtime's 2008 Primetime Emmys Campaign

Broadband video publishing services provider, Brightcove, has announced plans to support Google's new contextual advertising technology for broadband video, AdSense for Video, which is currently in beta. The company says that its participation in the AdSense for Video beta program will provide its customers with "additional and complementary" advertising opportunities.

AdSense for Video--which serves ads based both on the content of a piece of broadband video and on the context of the Web page within which that video appears--is billed as giving media publishers the ability (beyond their own direct ad sales) to target tailored in-stream overlay ads from Google's large base of advertisers. According to Google, it allows publishers and content providers to control which videos are paired with which ads and when those ads play in each video. The company claims that AdSense for Video's in-video and text overlay ad format does not disrupt the viewing experience. "Video and rich media continue to account for an increasingly large segment of online content--Brightcove customers alone reach 130 million unique users a month across thousands of Web sites," Chris Johnston, director of ad product management at Brightcove, said in a prepared statement. "Brightcove's support of Google's AdSense for video beta is particularly important because it combines a vast ad network with the market-leading Internet video publishing platform--ultimately creating a new and powerful, consumer-friendly monetization opportunity for news and entertainment programmers worldwide." AdSense for Video is currently being offered to a selection of Brightcove customers in limited beta release; and the company says it plans to make the service available to all its customers later this year.

In other Brightcove news:

• The company has signed distribution partnerships with new media companies, Bebo, Meebo, RockYou, Slide and Veoh. "Our distribution partners represent the fastest-growing segments of the social Web and hold enormous potential for our media customers to grow online audiences and scale their advertising inventory," Brightcove chairman and CEO, Jeremy Allaire, said in a prepared statement. "To date, taking advantage of viral promotion and distribution through online communities has been tricky business for media companies who want to maintain control over the brand experience and advertising sales. Using our Internet TV platform to manage and monetize this distribution answers these dual requirements of reach and control." Brightcove describes the new deals as enabling "an exciting array of high-quality, premium video content...to be viewed on Bebo channels, shared through viral widgets from RockYou and Slide on Facebook and MySpace, included in instant messaging activities on Meebo, and viewed in full-screen at Veoh's Internet television portal." It also claims that a number of high-profile media companies--including VBS.tv and The Weather Channel--are "already planning to tap into" the new distribution partnerships. (Note: the first Brightcove customer to provide programming to Bebo users as a result of Bebo's new partnership with Brightcove is the UK's largest commercial broadcaster, ITV. The broadcaster is offering a series of "channels" on Bebo, each devoted to a specific program, and featuring embeddable clips and such interactive and community features as blogs, forums, and polls.)
• The company has been tapped by CBS-subsidiary, Showtime Networks, to assist with the latter's 2008 Primetime Emmy campaign. Brightcove and Showtime have built a customized Web site where voting members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences can view full seasons of Showtime's original series (Showtime claims to be the first network to make entire seasons available to Academy members over the Internet). The site launched February 15th, and will be available to qualified Academy members throughout the June balloting and final August judging phases of the Emmy Awards. The site uses Brightcove's Brightcove Show technology, a broadband video application that is billed as delivering an instant, full-screen, broadcast- quality viewing experience through standard Web browsers. Eligible ATAS members access the site (sho.com/foryourconsideration) through a password that was mailed to them together with a brochure and select episodes of Showtime series under consideration on three DVD's (last year, Showtime mailed ATAS members 20 DVD's). At launch, the site offered complete current seasons of "Weeds," "Dexter," "Brotherhood," "Californication," and "The L Word." Shows scheduled to premiere after the launch--including "The Tudors Season 2," "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union," "This American Life Season 2," and "An American Crime"--are being made available on the site in conjunction with their broadcast premieres. According to a Showtime spokesperson, one of the reasons the programmer is using broadband video for its Emmys campaign is to "eliminate the enormous amount of packaging which has inundated members and ultimately ends up in our landfills." Their collaboration on Showtime's broadband video Emmys campaign is part of a broader partnership between Showtime and Brightcove, that will also see the latter powering broadband video on the programmer's official Web site, sho.com.
• The company has secured its first major media customer in Germany: Gruner + Jahr, which claims to be Europe's largest magazine publisher (note: Brightcove's other European magazine and newspaper publisher customers include Emap, Guardian News & Media, IPC Media, Telegraph Media Group, and Hachette Filipacchi UK). G+J will use Brightcove's broadband TV platform to publish and distribute ad-supported video through its various Web sites, and says it plans to expand the amount of news and entertainment video it offers.

ICTV in ActiveVideo Deal with iPanel Technologies

--Deal Targets China and other Asia-Pacific Markets
--Company Appoints New VP's of Programming and Business Development

ICTV, a Silicon Valley-based company that offers solutions for bringing Web media to television, announced last month that it has signed a deal with iPanel Technologies, a provider of embedded software platforms for digital and IPTV services and applications. The deal is designed to increase the availability of ICTV's flagship ActiveVideo technology and service in China and other Asia-Pacific markets. (Note: ActiveVideo technology mixes linear and on-demand programming with broadband content from the Internet, and delivers it as personalized MPEG video streams. Because content can be created and modified using standard Web tools and creatives, ICTV claims, network operators, programmers and advertisers can create content once for delivery via the company's ActiveVideo Distribution Network to any cable or IPTV set-top box, regardless of hardware, software and EPG differences. Viewers can then navigate through, and interact with, the individual elements of the stream, using key clicks of their remote controls. ICTV bills ActiveVideo channels as allowing "network operators and programmers to provide an unlimited variety of content in a personalized experience that includes access to entire libraries of video, navigational elements, channel branding, targeted, interactive banner advertisements, and links to ad showcases.")

Under the terms of their agreement, ICTV and iPanel will use iPanel's middleware and browser to directly enable ActiveVideo interactive streaming media, thus bringing what they describe as a "rich, actionable media experience" to any set-top box running iPanel's software suite. The companies will also collaborate on marketing and promoting their combined solution to Asian cable and satellite operators, in conjunction with each company's individual sales efforts. "Our customers recognize the enormous importance of bringing the Web video experience directly to the television," iPanel president, Xu Jiahong, said in a prepared statement. "ICTV's innovative technological approach and the breakthrough capabilities of ActiveVideo through iPanel's overwhelming market share will help digital and IPTV service providers in China and the Asia-Pacific region to improve broadly their users' TV viewing experience and to increase significantly their capability to generate targeted advertising revenues." Added ICTV president and CEO, Jeff Miller: "iPanel's pre-eminent role in the Asia-Pacific market--and particularly in China--will play a key role in our ability to accelerate deployment of ActiveVideo to the largest and most promising market for interactive programming, retailing and advertising."

In other ICTV news:

• The company has appointed Mark Dawson as VP of programming services for its ActiveMedia Group. Dawson joins ICTV from Gemstar-TV Guide, where he was director of cross-platform TV guidance product management, and where his responsibilities included the launch of the company's My TV Guide suite of services. At ICTV, he will be responsible for driving the creation and launch of ActiveVideo programming, including original content, by the various broadcasters and content providers that have formed ActiveVideo programming partnerships with ICTV, including HSN, Fox, CNN, and Reuters. "The widespread deployment of interactive services to the television has been limited by fragmented approaches available to content providers, advertisers and ultimately the consumers," Dawson said in a prepared statement. "ActiveVideo is unique in its ability to offer a standards-based, end-to-end intuitive experience: programmers can author content once for every set-top box and Web-connected device, and viewers can personalize, navigate through and interact with television content just as they would on the Web." Prior to his stint at Gemstar-TV Guide, Dawson worked at Helio, Fox Sports Interactive Media, Microsoft, News Corp., and Fox Home Entertainment's Fox Interactive gaming division.
• The company has appointed Duncan Campbell as VP of business development. Campbell, who has worked at a number of cable channels and interactive TV companies, was most recently general manager and head of US operations at UK-based interactive TV production company, Two Way TV. At ICTV, he will be tasked with building relationships with broadcast, cable and new media programmers for the creation and deployment of new, interactive programming channels on the company's ActiveVideo Distribution Network. "Maintaining brand loyalty amidst an increasingly large array of Web content options has become a significant challenge for programmers," ICTV's SVP of business development, Michael Taylor, said in a prepared statement. "Duncan Campbell's background in production, advertising and the development of new opportunities for content providers uniquely enables him to discuss at a variety of corporate levels how ActiveVideo can keep viewers' attention on the television." Added Campbell: "One of the great challenges for programmers today is how to give television viewers the same levels of interactivity and personalization that they find on the Web. The fundamental simplicity of ActiveVideo--Web-based content creation and remote control navigation--enables the rapid development of programming in an environment that encourages viewer interaction." Prior to his stint at Two Way TV, Campbell worked for a year as a consultant to GSN, a channel that pioneered participation TV programming in the US, and spent six years in two executive positions at GoldPocket Interactive, the interactive TV company that was acquired by Tandberg Television in 2006: as its VP of business development, programming and content production, and then as SVP of business development and advertising of its OneMedia division. His resume also includes stints working in production at CNN (where he was a producer for "Larry King Live" from 1989-1992), Fox News (where he was a senior producer), and HGTV (where he was an executive producer and show creator). He holds a BA in history and political science from Duke University.

Narrowstep News:

--Player Version 2.7 Integrates Microsoft Silverlight, Atlas Ad Server
--Appoints New President and COO
--New Deals with tvtv, CAN Communicate and FIFA, Fox Intl's BabyTV

Broadband TV infrastructure company, Narrowstep (note: the company's telvOS technology has been used to power a number of high-profile broadband TV services, including the ITV Local service of UK commercial terrestrial broadcaster, the Independent Television Network; it recently announced that it was shifting the focus of its sales and marketing efforts away from smaller niche content providers--which it says "traditionally had lower margins and less financial resources"--and placing it instead on larger enterprises that require "sophisticated tools and functionality" for broadband video--see [itvt] Issue 5.78 Part 1), has generated a fair amount of news over the past few weeks:

• The company has released what it claims is the first commercialized Internet video player to integrate Microsoft Silverlight technologies with Atlas Ad Server solutions. According to Narrowstep, the new version 2.7 of its player offers video playout on various operating systems and browsers, including current versions of Mac, Safari and Firefox, and is the first product of its kind to integrate a multi-functional industry-standard tool for delivering ads across platforms. Additionally, the company says, the Narrowstep Player 2.7 will provide improved functionality to end-users and increased backend support for the company's channel-operator clients. "We are excited to deploy Player 2.7," Michael Stanislawek, Narrowstep's chief software architect, said in a prepared statement. "This release not only gives a rich cross-browser experience but further helps our customers to monetize content with the first integration of Silverlight and Atlas." Narrowstep says that the new player also offers enhanced scheduling, flexible player client-side API's, and improved community tools such as comments and ratings. A number of Narrowstep-powered broadband TV channels have already migrated to the new player, including Torque.TV (targets car, truck and motorcycle enthusiasts), Outdoor Channel, and MTBcut (targets mountain bike enthusiasts), and the company says that several others will be adopting it within the coming weeks. Narrowstep also says that it has made various improvements to its platform in anticipation of the launch of Player 2.7 and to further support its new business strategy of providing customized video solutions to large enterprise customers. Because larger broadcasters and content-owners require a broadband video solution with an enterprise-class advertising platform, the company says, it decided to develop the first integration of Atlas and Silverlight (which it showcased in Microsoft's booth at the recent NAB show). "The integration with Atlas will enable our customers to utilize a sophisticated advertising platform to leverage third-party ad networks, in addition to using in-house advertising efforts, to deliver both banner and video advertisements," Anthony Yi, Narrowstep's SVP of worldwide sales and business development, said in a prepared statement. "This Player upgrade is just one example of how Narrowstep will continue to integrate the best tools to help our customers develop profitable on-line video models--which is a rarity outside of our customer base."
• The company says that it is partnering with tvtv services, a branch of Sony UK that has developed a cross-platform EPG, on a project to extend that EPG beyond the presentation of linear broadcast TV schedules to encompass information on VOD and broadband TV services across multiple hardware devices. According to Narrowstep, the project sees the companies "optimizing the use of a traditional broadcaster EPG in an Internet environment" in order to ensure that the EPG allows "users to be guided to Web TV and on-demand video content delivered through Narrowstep's Internet TV platform." "As a leading Internet TV technology provider with world-class customers in the UK and Europe, Narrowstep was a natural partner for us to work with on this project," Tassilo Raesig, general manager of tvtv services, said in a prepared statement. "We look forward to moving this project forward to deliver a next-generation EPG experience which leverages tvtv's expertise." Added Barak Bar-Cohen, Narrowstep's recently appointed president and COO (see below): "Working with tvtv's leading EPG product allows us to potentially extend the Narrowstep platform and the reach of our customers' channels to the livingroom across the best entertainment products from leading CE manufacturers who integrate tvtv's EPG in their products. This is a very exciting opportunity for us."
• The company has appointed Barak Bar-Cohen as president and COO. He was previously general manager of its European operations, and will continue to be based in London. "With February's release of our technology upgrade, which will include a new advertising platform, more community tools, as well as cross-browser and cross-platform support, I feel our technology is once again leading the industry," Narrowstep chairman and interim CEO, David C. McCourt, said in a prepared statement. "We have also streamlined the operations and removed roughly $7 million in costs that began to be reflected in the last quarter. We will continue to focus on driving sales and I can think of no better executive to focus on sales and the day-to-day execution than Mr. Bar-Cohen." According to Narrowstep, Bar-Cohen has over 12 years of international and operations experience in the telecommunications and media industries. Among other things, his resume includes stints as VP of customer service, marketing and public relations at competitive triple-play provider, RCN; as VP of investment banking at Tel Aviv-based international investment house, Zannex Investment; and as a senior associate at US-based economic consulting firm, Putnam, Hayes & Bartlett. He holds an MBA from Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business.
• The company has appointed 28-year telecommunications-industry veteran, Jon Harrington, to its board of directors. According to Narrowstep, Harrington's appointment is part of the company's new strategy of focusing its efforts on large enterprise customers. Harrington was previously a managing partner of Accenture's Communications & High Tech practice, in which role, Narrowstep says, he directed a portfolio of around 50 major communications, media/entertainment and high-tech companies in the US and Canada; managed a staff of around 3,700; oversaw sales and marketing, budgeting and planning, human resources and quality assurance functions; and was responsible for strategic direction, strategic growth initiatives, new client development and client relationships.
• The company says that CAN Communicate and international soccer body, FIFA, are using its platform to offer over 250 television networks around the world the ability to download (for broadcast, free of charge) a new, promotional documentary series entitled "Football's Hidden Story" (www.footballshiddenstory.com). The 26-part series, produced by CAN Communicate and Infront Sports & Media, features individually researched stories that are billed as providing "an up-close look into a world where football is more than just a game" and is "a way of life." "FIFA wanted us to provide an insight into how football has an impact at a grassroots level and feature some of the powerful human stories where football really does make a difference," David Wooster of CAN Communicate said in a prepared statement. "The Narrowstep platform provided us with an effective means to reach broadcasters through a high-quality and secure destination on the Internet so that they could then share these stories with millions of people around the world." According to Narrowstep, its downloadServer technology provides broadcasters with all the resources they need to offer the series to their viewers--whether in full or as part of another program (such as a news or sportscast): each episode is available in full via digital download on a 24/7 basis, and is also provided in edited three-minute segments and as a video news release; in addition, broadcasters can access supplemental B-roll footage, as well as scripts, and separate audio files for radio or podcasts. To date, content from the series has been downloaded and broadcast by ESPN Star Sports (Asia), Sky Italia, Bloomberg TV, Canal France International, Setanta, Sports News TV, Al Jazeera (English), CCTV (China), and a number of other broadcasters.
• The company has signed a deal with Fox International's BabyTV to deliver the latter's original programming (dedicated to infants and toddlers, and developed by a team of child-development experts) over the Internet. BabyTV, which as a result of the deal is now available on babychanneltv.com, is also available on 100 pay-TV systems in 65 different countries and in 12 different languages. In addition, it is available on VOD, mobile, home video and inflight services. The deal sees Narrowstep providing BabyTV with its flagship telvOS Internet TV platform, which includes a content-management system, and various DRM and monetization tools (Narrowstep claims that these tools allow broadcasters to "integrate a customized Internet TV strategy into their existing workflow without the need to deal with multiple vendors"). In addition, Narrowstep has designed and built a custom video player for BabyTV, which allows viewers to choose their child's favorite programs by themes or by characters, and also supports such activities as "baby karaoke," singalongs, and the ability to access programming in a number of different languages. "The fact that we were chosen by an industry-leading company like Fox International, only reaffirms that we have developed the right strategy of focusing on our technology and on targeting world-class broadcasters," Narrowstep's David C. McCourt said in a prepared statement.

thePlatform Launches Partner Program, thePlatform Framework

--Signs New Deals with GluTV, CelebTV.com, Corus, ExerciseTV
--Selects Harmonic's Rhozet Carbon Coder Video Transcoding Technology

Comcast-owned white-label broadband video publishing company, thePlatform, recently announced a partner program, which it claims encompasses the broadband video industry's largest collection of pre-integrated partner technologies and services, and which it says represents its "open approach" to assisting media companies with their online and mobile video initiatives (note: thePlatform's clients include the BBC, CNBC, Court TV, Comcast, Hearst, Helio, Primedia, Scripps, Sony/BMG Music, Vongo, Telstra, PBS, Gannett, HIT Entertainment, and Verizon Wireless; it claims to manage "the entire logistics process that governs the publication of broadband video from the content owner to the consumer"). According to the company, companies participating in its partner program, dubbed thePlatform Framework, span the entire ecosystem of online video, including ad campaign management systems, ad sales networks, content delivery networks, content protection, media formats, transcoding engines, payment processors, syndication outlets and video search. The company also says that its customers can easily use their own in-house digital asset management systems and customer relationship management and other backoffice applications in conjunction with its system. "Every media company has its own unique vision for online video, and they are becoming less tolerant of technology constraints or specialized vendors that inhibit their growth or agility," thePlatform CEO, Ian Blaine, said in a prepared statement. "Our customers want the ability to trial new technology and choose the best vendors without dramatically impacting their operations. thePlatform framework addresses this need with a robust menu of pre-integrated solutions that give them flexibility to easily create the optimal solution. No other broadband video management company has our open approach to partners or proven history in the space."

According to thePlatform, thePlatform Framework provides partner companies with software development kits, engineering support, training, and "development sandboxes" for quick implementation. Companies participating in the program include: Adap.TV, BlackArrow, CSG Systems, DoubleClick, Lightningcast, Panache, PayPal, ScanScout and SpotXchange (advertising and monetization); Akamai, BitGravity, Cisco, Edgecast Networks, GridNetworks, Highwinds, Internap, Limelight Networks, MediaMelon, and OnStream Media (content delivery); Apple, Adobe, Microsoft, and Move Networks (playback experience); Digital Rapids, On2, Harmonic/Rhozet, RipCode, and Telestream (transcoding); AT&T, Clearspring, Comcast.net, GoTV, iTunes Podcasts, MobiTV, MSN Video, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Yahoo! and YouTube (content syndication); Ascertane, Cypress Consulting, Genex, Online Video Service, and Schematic (professional services); ClearStory Systems and North Plains Systems (digital asset management); and Microsoft and Widevine (content protection).

In other thePlatform news:

• Together with Akamai and online video advertising network, SpotXchange, the company is powering a new broadband TV Web site, called GluTV, that features a range of Indian content, including TV programming, music videos and Bollywood movies. GluTV, which claims to be the first Web site to offer licensed premium Indian programming, is scheduled to launch this summer, but is currently in beta. It claims to offer thousands of full-length shows in full-screen mode, without pop-ups, downloads or the risk of viruses. "GluTV provides an extensive catalog of unique and compelling programming for its online audience," Marty Roberts, VP of marketing at thePlatform, said in a prepared statement. "Even in beta, GluTV has thousands of programs, and we're extremely pleased that they selected us as their backend management and logistics system for publishing their video to consumers."
• The company has secured a deal with CelebTV.com to manage and publish video and associated advertising on the latter's Web site and to help it syndicate its video to its various distribution partners, which include AOL Video, Comcast.net, iTunes and YouTube. CelebTV.com, which launched in February, claims that its viewers have watched its on-demand videos--12 to 14 two-minute segments refreshed on a daily basis--over 350 million times; the videos are shot with the limitations of a small screen in mind, using close-up camera angles and enhanced graphics.
• The company has signed a deal with Canadian media and entertainment company, Corus Entertainment, that will see it delivering broadband video to three of the latter's portals. The deal calls for it to provide broadband video management support for Corus's TreehouseTV (a Canadian national network for preschoolers), YTV (a network targeted at youth), and WNetwork (a network targeted at women). In addition to managing Corus's broadband video across its branded Web sites and also aggregating content from outside providers, thePlatform is syndicating the company's original programming to third-party portals, and providing it with its mpsPresent Player Development Kit, so that it can develop and deploy custom Flash-based players on each of its sites. According to thePlatform, Corus's clips and full-length programs are now generating over 4 million views per month through its system.
• The company has been tapped by ExerciseTV to publish free Web video workouts, download-to-own fitness programming and video clips, as part of the fitness programmer's online storefront and other online promotional activities (note: ExerciseTV, which claims that its cable VOD offering generates over 5 million views per month, has a library of around 200 download-to-own fitness titles). ExerciseTV--which has customized the look-and-feel of its Web site's Flash-based players, using thePlatform's mpsPresent Player Development Kit--says that the partnership will enable it to expand the video offerings on the site, as well as expand its viewership by allowing it to syndicate its original content to other destination sites.
• The company says that it has deployed Harmonic's Rhozet Carbon Coder video transcoding technology. The technology is being used in thePlatform's new mpsManage Transcoding Service, a hosted solution that offers two transcoding options (both powered by Carbon Coder): a shared service for customers that have low-to-medium volumes of content and general transcoding requirements; and dedicated servers for customers that have high volumes and/or custom transcoding requirements. Harmonic bills the Rhozet Carbon Coder (which was also recently selected by Akimbo Systems--see article in this issue) as a universal transcoding application that facilitates the transfer of media between a range of platforms, including acquisition, editing, playout, archive, the Internet and mobile devices. It can run as a stand-alone app, the company says, or as part of a multi-node, fully automated rendering farm.

NDS in Deals with DEN, Canal+, Viasat, ASTER

--MediaHighway Middleware Lets Canal+ Subs Transform HD STB's into DVR's

News Corp.-owned conditional access and interactive TV technology provider, NDS, has generated a fair amount of ITV-related news over the past few weeks. Among the highlights:

• The company says that Digital Entertainment Networks (DEN), a new entrant in the Indian digital cable space (note: the company already has a pan-Indian analog cable service), has selected a suite of its solutions--including its VideoGuard conditional access system, its MediaHighway middleware (which the company claims has been cumulatively deployed in 76.4 million devices), and a customized, advanced EPG--to support the launch of its service. According to NDS, DEN plans to eventually offer interactive TV services over its new digital plant. NDS's R&D facility in Bangalore, which has been operational for eight years and which now employs around 800, will lead the development of its solution for DEN.
• French pay-TV provider, Canal+ Group, has selected the latest version of the company's MediaHighway middleware in order to enable its subscribers to transform their HD set-top boxes into DVR's. Canal+ launched its HD satellite set-top two years ago, and to date has deployed around 250,000 units. The box allows subscribers to implement DVR functionality by connecting an external hard drive via a USB port: a list of hard drives that have been approved for use with the box (i.e. that meet various performance, stability and security requirements) is available on Canal+'s Web site. As part of Canal+'s adoption of the new version of MediaHighway, the middleware has automatically downloaded new software to its subscribers' HD set-tops: the software enables the boxes to detect if an external hard drive has been connected to them and then to format that drive for use as a DVR. According to NDS, subscribers may use multiple external hard drives with the boxes. Canal+ has begun a marketing campaign to encourage its subscribers to upgrade to its HD set-top and to take advantage of the latter's DVR capabilities.
• Indian cable TV services company, Hathway, has chosen the company's XTV DVR technology to launch what it claims is India's first cable DVR. The solution is scheduled to be deployed over the course of this year. According to NDS, it will support such services as series-linked TV shows, push-VOD, trickplay functionality, dual-tuner functionality, and the ability for end-users to build and manage their personal playlists using Hathway's existing NDS EPG. NDS claims that a cumulative total of over 10.4 million XTV-powered DVR's have now been deployed around the world.
• Viasat, a satellite TV operator that serves Scandinavia and the Baltic region, has extended its existing agreement with NDS, under which the company provides it with its VideoGuard conditional access technology, and has also signed a new agreement that calls for NDS to supply it with its MediaHighway middleware, its XTV DVR technology and a customized EPG to power its new HDTV service.
• Polish triple-play operator, ASTER, has selected the company to provide the technology for the next-generation of its cable TV service. Its deal with the operator sees NDS providing it with its VideoGuard conditional access technology, its MediaHighway middleware, a customized EPG, and a suite of interactive technologies. Following its upgrade of its system, ASTER plans to launch a range of interactive services, including DVR and VOD. According to NDS, its technology will enable ASTER to migrate its analog cable customers to digital more quickly (currently, around 55,000 of its 370,000 pay-TV subscribers have digital cable service). As part of its upgrade of its cable service, ASTER is also deploying new set-tops from Kaon Media, including an HD DVR.

In related news: the trial has finally begun in satellite TV provider DISH's (formerly EchoStar) corporate espionage lawsuit against NDS. DISH claims that NDS, in an attempt to boost the desirability of its own security solutions, paid hackers to crack and distribute code from DISH's NagraStar smartcards, which resulted in widespread theft of its service, and forced it to distribute new smartcards to its customers. NDS strongly denies the charges.

Tandberg Television News:

--Launches New Version of its MediaPath Secure Content Delivery System
--Secures New Deals in China, Poland and Dubai

Tandberg Television--the company which over the past two years or so has purchased VOD infrastructure provider, N2 Broadband, interactive TV technology and services provider, GoldPocket Interactive, IPTV content delivery company, SkyStream Networks, and Internet video company, Zetools; and which was itself subsequently acquired by Ericsson--has generated a fair amount of multiplatform-TV-, VOD-, and IPTV-related news over the past few weeks. Among the highlights:

• At the NAB show earlier this month, the company launched the next generation of its MediaPath Secure Content Delivery System, which it claims distributes content "across any platform to any device." According to the company, the new version of the system offers content providers and network operators a scalable, end-to-end solution for secure point-to-multipoint delivery of non-linear HD and SD programming, as well as any other file-based content (including advertising, music and games, in addition to VOD programs). It claims that it supports the delivery (in multiple formats, including MPEG-2 and MPEG-4) of such media assets to receiver locations serving set-top boxes, PC's and mobile media players; offers better performance than its predecessor; and supports DVB-S2 in order to provide faster satellite delivery, while simultaneously enabling terrestrial delivery via a shared network (terrestrial unicast and multicast distribution are supported, Tandberg says). The system also incorporates encryption software and error correction, and provides proactive monitoring. "Increasing amounts of HD content require a more efficient delivery method as that content is distributed to both traditional and new TV platforms," Andrew Rowe, Tandberg's VP of software product management, said in a prepared statement. "Consequently, Tandberg Television expanded the features of the MediaPath Secure Content Delivery System. The next-generation MediaPath system removes previous file limitations and now supports the delivery of media assets beyond VOD to also include non-VOD content such as advertising, music, and games. Its ability to simultaneously deliver content via satellite and terrestrially allows content providers and operators even more flexibility." Components of the new version of the MediaPath system include a Manager, a Pitcher and a Catcher: the Manager provides a set of tools to access details about inventory, scheduling, security and reporting, as well as about the other two components; the Pitcher provides simultaneous satellite and terrestrial (shared network) distribution; and the Catcher receives content from the Pitcher, and automatically delivers packages directly to an authorized asset management system or video complex, thus eliminating the need for manual processing.
• The company says that its OpenStream Digital Services Platform and its real-time ingest system have been chosen by China's state-owned Tianjin TEDA Cable to support an expansion of its cable TV service into VOD and network PVR. Tianjin TEDA Cable, which serves the Tianjin Technological and Economic Development Area (TEDA), already uses a Tandberg headend and network control solution to support a multichannel digital cable offering. In addition to the OpenStream Digital Services Platform, the operator is using Tandberg's Xport on-demand content production software system for its new VOD/nPVR service. "To achieve our goals, we needed a platform that was flexible and scalable and that had been proven in multiple deployments," Jia Xiaolei, vice general manager of Tianjin TEDA Cable, said in a prepared statement. "The open architecture and market leadership of Tandberg Television's OpenStream provides a reliable and forward-looking solution that will enable us to launch innovative on-demand services today and to grow those services in the future." According to Tandberg, OpenStream is an open standards-based solution that seamlessly integrates with third-party products, allowing Tianjin TEDA Cable to use servers, applications, billing systems and other components from the suppliers of its choice. The company's real-time ingest system is an extension of the OpenStream platform that is designed to enable operators to provide advanced time-shifted TV services without using DVR's. Tandberg says that the real-time ingest and catalog solution includes enhancements to its Xport Producer and OpenStream that allow Tianjin TEDA Cable to deploy nPVR services quickly and easily and to offer VOD titles within seconds of the beginning of their broadcast. Tandberg claims to be deploying five VOD backoffice systems in China to date (see below), as well as five in Europe (where its customers include UPC Netherlands and Multimedia Polska). It has deployed numerous such systems in North America, where its customers include Comcast, Charter and Time Warner Cable.
• The company says that its local business partner, Star Communication Network Technology, is deploying the OpenStream Digital Services Platform for three other Chinese regional cable operators. The systems will power VOD launches in the provinces of Shandong and Gansu and the city of Yangquan that are scheduled to begin this summer. Tandberg's partnership with Star Communication sees the latter carrying out all systems integration and operational deployment of the systems: Star Communication has been providing local integration support for Tandberg's VOD backoffice products for the past two years and, in 2007, deployed its first VOD system in the city of Datong.
• The company says that Polish triple-play provider, Multimedia Polska (note: the company, which has around 600,000 subs, operates a hybrid cable/IPTV service), has deployed the OpenStream Digital Services Platform to power a new VOD service (note: the service also employs Harmonic's StreamLiner video servers). The service features movies and sports and entertainment programming, offered on a free, subscription or pay-per-view basis, and also offers time-shift/catch-up services. Multimedia Polska is an existing Tandberg customer, having launched an HDTV service last year using the company's encoding technologies. According to Tandberg, it plans to introduce additional advanced services, including mobile TV. "Our on-demand platform is a major part of our vision for an advanced media service for Poland," Bartlomiej Kasinski, Multimedia Polska's director of strategy and development, said in a prepared statement. "We were the first Polish operator to launch digital television services for our telephony subscribers and we are now in a position to be innovators in the Polish VOD market...Flexibility is a key factor and OpenStream's open architecture will enable us to benefit from a multi-vendor environment and provide a firm foundation for our interactive, consumer-focused service." Its deal with Multimedia Polska also sees Tandberg supplying the operator with its Xport on-demand content production software system.
• The company says that Dubai-based telco, du, has chosen its iPlex UltraCompression HD and SD IPTV video processing and transcoding system as the headend for its IPTV service. According to Tandberg, the iPlex headend is based on the company's AVC platform and combines "the broadest choice of density and enhanced features with the industry's leading picture quality/performance." It supports MPEG-2 SD encoding, MPEG-4 AVC HD and SD encoding, MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 transcoding, MPEG-2 transrating and picture-in-picture service generation.

TiVo Rolls Out Broadband Video Functionality First Announced at CES

--Company Signs Broadband Video Deal with YouTube
--Omnicom, CBS to Use Company's StopWatch Research Service
--Company's Service, Now Offered by Comcast, is in Tech Trials with Cox
--Company Secures Two More Favorable Rulings in "Time Warp" Case

DVR vendor/service provider, TiVo, has generated a fair amount of news over the past few weeks:

• Last week, it was revealed that its chief marketing officer, Clent Richardson, has left the company to become president and CEO of Immersion, a provider of touch-feedback technology.
• The company has rolled out new functionality--first announced at CES--that allows its customers to subscribe to and watch Internet video on their television sets via RSS feeds (note: examples of video content currently available via RSS include the "Sesame Street" Podcast, MTV News's "Daily Headlines," CHTV's "College Humor," and new, independently produced content, such as that offered by DiggNation and Ask a Ninja). It is touting the new functionality as giving consumers "access to niche interest and hobbyist videos covering areas far more specialized than cable and satellite channels." In order to implement the new functionality, TiVo customers need version 2.6 of the company's Desktop Plus software (note: the software was originally developed to enable end-users to convert shows recorded on their TiVo box for viewing on portable devices, such as the iPod and the PlayStation Portable): the software is available for a one-time fee of $24.95 and is offered free of charge to customers who have purchased earlier versions. TiVo says that it is working with Roxio to implement equivalent functionality on the Mac platform. According to TiVo, end- users can now "choose Web videos downloaded on the home PC using Web browsers, RSS video clients...or other video download software to automatically copy to their TiVo DVR's Now Playing List alongside recorded broadcast and cable TV shows." To encourage usage of its platform's new Web video capability, the company is providing an on-screen guide of select Web video sources, and giving subscribers the option of setting up a Season Pass recording of their own personal video folders on their PC (i.e. the folders in which they save their home movies and video downloads). In addition, the company says that its HD-enabled boxes will preserve the original quality of high-resolution Web videos.
• Conde Nast-owned magazine, Gourmet, has launched a broadband video channel on the TiVo platform. The channel, accessed from the TiVo Central menu, offers such shows as "Sara's Weeknight Meals" and "Diary of a Foodie," as well as promotional video content.
• The company has signed a deal with YouTube that will enable TiVo subscribers with broadband-connected Series3 DVR's (including the new TiVo HD DVR) to access YouTube videos directly on their television sets. The TiVo-YouTube service is scheduled to launch later this year, and, according to TiVo, will enable its subscribes to search, browse and view YouTube videos, and will also allow them to log into their YouTube accounts directly from their TiVo boxes, so that they can easily access their favorite channels and their playlists. "We're delighted to be working with the world's leading online video community so that TiVo subscribers can access YouTube's popular content on the TV via the TiVo DVR," Tara Maitra, TiVo's VP and general manager of content services, said in a prepared statement. "Being able to make available YouTube videos to the TiVo subscriber base using one device, one remote and one user interface is another major step in our commitment to combine all of your television and Web video viewing options in one easy to use service."
• The company says that two very high-profile companies, Omnicom Media Group and CBS, have signed up for its research services. 1) Omnicom has purchased a subscription to TiVo's StopWatch ratings service that will enable its subsidiaries, OMD, PHD and Prometheus Media Services, to access second-by-second behavioral data on DVR customers' viewing habits. The service--whose other customers include NBC Universal, Interpublic, Starcom, Carat USA, MPMA, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Media IQ, and Euro RSCG New York--is based on a daily, aggregate, anonymous, stratified and random sample of 20,000 TiVo households, from which a second-by-second "clickstream" of behavior and viewership is collected and assessed. According to TiVo, the service's data is offered via an easily sortable database that is designed to track the specific viewership for nationally run programs and advertisements in both a live and a timeshifted viewing context: the service includes data for Total Viewing, Live Viewing, Timeshifted Viewing (less than an hour, 1-6 hours, 6-24 hours, 24-48 hours, 2-7 days and 7-14 days), Program Ratings, and Commercial Ratings, as well as a Commercial Viewership Index. The service uses ad occurrence data from TNS Media Intelligence to identify commercial spots. "DVR's are changing the television advertising playing field," Michael Atkin, director of media research at OMD, said in a prepared statement. "Having the ability to analyze second-by-second snapshots of audience viewing habits provides a clear advantage to our clients and can significantly impact the business and creative elements of a marketing campaign. TiVo's StopWatch service allows us to better evaluate program and commercial DVR viewing habits at the most granular level possible, which, in turn, helps us determine ROI for media investments and enables us to better understand what is resonating with our clients' target audiences and what needs retooling." According to TiVo, the deal will also see its advertising team working with OMG to "bring their clients the most up-to-date" interactive advertising opportunities available on its platform. 2) CBS, meanwhile, plans to use the StopWatch service to develop and measure new advertising strategies, including learning how to structure pods and interstitials in order to better hold audiences' attention during commercial breaks, and developing new promotional strategies for building audiences for its programming among timeshifting consumers. "As more and more television viewers add the DVR to their home entertainment systems and make the transition from linear to non-linear viewers, we at the networks must adapt to serve both these newly empowered viewers and the advertisers seeking to communicate with them," David F. Poltrack, chief research officer at CBS and president of CBS Vision, said in a prepared statement. "TiVo, through its user database and its innovative StopWatch research software, offers us the opportunity to analyze television viewing behavior and develop strategies to maximize the impact of our advertisers' messages and product placement arrangements in this new non-linear viewing environment. We also look forward to working with TiVo in the utilization of this research resource to enhance our program promotion and to gathering valuable feedback concerning the performance of these programs."
• Comcast has launched its long-awaited TiVo service in Boston. TiVo service, which is running on Comcast's Motorola DVR's (TiVo is currently working on an implementation of its service for Comcast's Scientific-Atlanta DVR's) and which costs $2.95 per month (in addition to a monthly DVR rental charge), "is the first application running on our network that comports with the tru2way platform," Kevin Casey, president of the MSO's NorthCentral Division, told USA Today. The process of adapting TiVo's platform for Comcast's networks was apparently very difficult: when the companies first announced their partnership in 2005, they anticipated that TiVo service would be available in most Comcast markets by mid-to-late 2006. The Comcast implementation of TiVo's service does not include the broadband content features that have become an increasingly important part of TiVo's business model for its own boxes, nor does it allow end-users to transfer their recorded shows to other devices, such as mobile players. However, it does include a number of new features, such as the ability to keep watching video while accessing the TiVo menu, and the ability to conduct searches not only of recorded programming, but of Comcast's VOD offerings. In related news, TiVo says that another major MSO, Cox Communications (with which it previously announced a deal), is currently conducting technical trials of its service, and plans to launch it on its New England networks (note: TiVo has been working with CableLabs to ensure that its technology is tru2way-compatible).
• Antivirus software company, Symantec, has signed on as the first company to sponsor interactive advertising on a TiVoCast program (note: TiVoCast is TiVo's broadband video programming service, accessed via the "Showcases" area on the main TiVo menu): during CNET's weekly 15-minute TiVoCast program (offers news and reviews of high-tech and consumer electronics products), Symantec is running program placements and interactive tags for its Norton product line. The interactive tags present viewers with a "thumbs-up" icon during the CNET program that they can click in order to obtain more information about Norton products: the program is paused while they access that information, and, once they are done, they can return to the point in the program at which they left off. The information is presented in a branded Norton showcase that features long-form content and a special offer.
• The company has signed a deal with Internet movie service, Jaman.com, that it says will allow end-users with broadband-connected TiVo Series2 and Series3 boxes to browse and rent or purchase movies from Jaman's library (movies will be priced from $1.99, though a selection of content will be available free of charge). TiVo describes the new feature, which it says will launch in the coming months, as a "perfect complement" to its existing Amazon Unbox service.

In related news: DISH Network (formerly EchoStar) says that it will appeal to the US Supreme Court a recent ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, DC, which denied DISH's request for a hearing en banc of that court's January 31st confirmation of a lower court's ruling that DISH/EchoStar must pay TiVo $74 million in damages in the so-called "Time Warp" patent case (note: the January 31st ruling did, however, overturn the lower court's ruling that DISH/EchoStar had infringed on the patent's hardware components). The patent dispute between TiVo and DISH dates back to 2004, when TiVo sued EchoStar, alleging that it was violating its US patent, #6,233,389 (i.e. the "Time Warp" patent), which was granted to the company in May, 2001. The patent describes methods for recording one program while playing back another, and for watching a show as it is recording, as well as a storage format that supports "trick-play" capabilities, such as pause-live-TV, fast-forward, rewind, instant replays, and slow motion.

PTCI Deploys Integra5's Personalizable TV and PC Caller-ID Technology

Integra5, a Burlington, Massachusetts-based company that specializes in technologies for converged services, announced last month that Panhandle Telephone Cooperative, Inc. (PTCI), a quad-play provider that offers both IPTV and digital cable services in Oklahoma and Texas, has become the first operator to launch personalized multi-device converged services based on Integra5's TV and PC "Picture" Caller-ID applications. The applications, which are powered by Integra5's i5 Converged Services Platform (CSP), can be customized by end-users via an operator-branded "i5 Customer Control Portal": subscribers log into their accounts on the portal, located on the operator's Web site, in order to personalize their TV and PC caller-ID notifications by adding photos and setting tones, nicknames, fonts and colors (note: the portal also allows subscribers to customize various other device and service-management features). PTCI is offering TV-based caller-ID service, branded as "OnScreen Caller-ID," to customers who subscribe to its digital TV and telephone caller-ID services, and offering PC-based caller-ID service to its high-speed Internet customers for an extra $3 per month. "PTCI offered a basic TV caller-ID application in the past," PTCI CEO, Ron Strecker, said in a prepared statement. "However, in this increasingly intense competitive environment, it became clear that we needed a long-term strategy for rapidly delivering new, differentiated services to our customers on an ongoing basis. The i5 CSP has allowed us to lay a foundation for the efficient, continuous rollout of new applications--starting with TV and PC caller-ID--that our subscribers can personalize and manage across TVs, PC's and mobile phones." Added Integra5 CEO, Meredith Flynn-Ripley (note: for an in-depth interview with Flynn-Ripley, see [itvt] Issue 7.46): "The ability to blend the bundle across multiple devices and put subscribers in charge of their experience with personalization and call control--as we've seen in the mobile industry--represents the next generation of converged communications. By enabling operators like PTCI to rapidly launch an infinite number of new applications that extend personalization and management features, the i5 CSP moves bundled services beyond commodity status through a unique, differentiated subscriber experience, proven to drive retention."

According to Integra5, the i5CSP also provides end-users with active call control, allowing them to manage PC and TV caller-ID notifications (for example, by pressing a button to ignore a call or divert it to voicemail, selecting which TV's and PC's receive the service, and viewing call logs that list names, numbers, dates and times associated with incoming calls). The platform's other customers include Knology, WideOpenWest, BVU OptiNet, Comporium, EATEL, Everest, Foothills Telephone Cooperative and Hargray.

SeaChange in Deals with HBO LAG, Cablevision Mexico, RCN, Camiant

VOD technology provider, SeaChange International, and digital video specialist, Thomson, said last week that they have deployed an advanced content delivery system for HBO Latin America Group. The system, which uses digital watermarking for enhanced security, is being used by HBO LAG to make movies available on the VOD platforms of a number of cable operators throughout Latin America. "As easily and efficiently as we can disseminate our content, it is equally important that we can ensure the content's integrity," Pierre Jaspar, SVP of technology and operations at HBO LAG, said in a prepared statement. "The combination of SeaChange's delivery solution and Thomson's watermarking technology provides us with the most effective and reliable means of achieving those goals."

According to SeaChange and Thomson, the solution they are supplying to HBO LAG is based on SeaChange's Vodcast content delivery system and Thomson's NexGuard video watermarking technology. They claim that the solution enables HBO LAG to securely and cost-effectively transfer file-based movie content "faster than real time," from a single origination point in Miami to hundreds of server locations simultaneously. The content is serialized on a per-operator basis, permitting any illicit copies to be traced back to the source of the leak. Using secure satellite transmission, the Vodcast system integrates the NexGuard software at each receiver site, where the MPEG files and streams are invisibly watermarked upon receipt of new content. The watermark data is based on a unique identifier on the catcher device, and the process is fully automated--which, the companies say, makes it impossible to be bypassed at the receiver site.

In other VOD-related news from SeaChange:

• The company says that Mexico's largest digital cable operator, Cablevision Mexico, has become the first of its customers to use its MediaServer Flash Memory Streamers (note: Cablevision Mexico launched VOD, using SeaChange's platform, in 2005; the service includes 720 broadcast programs that are ingested weekly for VOD consumption using SeaChange's Record System software). The SeaChange MediaServer Flash Memory Streamer is a 100%-flash-memory-based solution that is designed to decouple on-demand streaming from disk-based content storage. According to the company, the solution allows Cablevision Mexico to push its streaming resources to the network edge and meet its goal of growing its centralized content library to 14,000 hours of movies and TV programs. SeaChange also touts the Streamer as an optimal solution for time-shifted television, providing up to 4,400 hours of clustered storage in a single footprint, and (unlike DRAM) retaining real-time ingest content regardless of server failures. "On-demand has driven Cablevision's digital uptake at a remarkable clip, so we've been very aggressive about growing our library and streaming capabilities to meet subscriber expectations," Cablevision Mexico CEO, Jean Paul Broc, said in a prepared statement. "We identified flash memory as the very means to help us stay on target and on budget. Once again, SeaChange was in the position to bring pragmatic innovation to market first." SeaChange touts the MediaServer Flash Memory Streamers as the industry's only non-volatile flash memory streaming solution (no spinning disks) which also takes full advantage of the company's MediaCluster server architecture. According to the company, MediaCluster, without costly mirroring, stripes content files across flash modules in a server and across servers in an InfiniBand-connected cluster, in order to ensure service fault-resilience and scalability, since only one copy of a video is ever required at a server location. Overall, the company says, flash memory runs on one-tenth the power required by disks, and thus enables reduced overheads. According to SeaChange, its MediaCluster technology extends flash memory's life expectancy by a factor of five to at least 10 years: whereas content "write" hotspots would dramatically reduce life expectancy in any other architecture, the company claims, MediaCluster eliminates write hotspots by load-balancing content writes across all flash modules in a server and across all servers in a cluster.
• Triple-play provider, RCN, which launched VOD services in 2003, using SeaChange software and servers, has tapped the company once again to provide the technology for an extensive overhaul of its VOD platform. The overhaul sees RCN upgrading its operational software, replacing all its video storage and streaming resources, and upgrading its navigational software in order to provide a new VOD user interface. The operator says that the various upgrades will allow it to almost double the amount of content it offers, including HD programs, and provide a more intuitive VOD portal and virtual on-demand channels for easier accessibility. It promises that its revamped VOD service will be available to all its digital subscribers in Boston, Chicago, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC by June. Specific elements of RCN's upgrade include: 1) The deployment of SeaChange's Axiom On Demand end-to-end standards-based VOD software framework--RCN says the software will provide it with personalization capabilities, operations efficiency and support for third-party applications. 2) The replacement of all its video servers with SeaChange's MediaServer MDS 201 hybrid memory disk streamers--SeaChange bills the streamers as combining the advantages of standards-based hardware with its patented MediaCluster technology, and as providing high-density streaming and ingest, clustered memory caching, and scalable storage, in order to meet the varying demands of VOD usage patterns. 3) The deployment of SeaChange's VODlink Portal 4.0, a video-rich navigation interface. The product is billed by SeaChange as allowing operators, "without the hassles of difficult middleware packages," to easily integrate full-motion video into menus and user interfaces that can be changed quickly, in order to reflect new promotions and branding, enable use of movie posters in screen design, and support advanced capabilities such as DVD games.
• The company has partnered with Camiant, a provider of policy control and application assurance technology, on an integrated solution that is designed to guarantee quality of service and increase the quality of the subscriber experience for wireline, wireless and cable VOD service. According to the companies, the integrated solution--which combines Camiant's policy control resource management solution with SeaChange's Axiom VOD software environment--has been deployed by "a major broadband operator in North America" to support its nationwide VOD service. According to SeaChange and Camiant, the growing popularity of video, VoIP and gaming applications is making it increasingly necessary for operators to implement policy control, in order to guarantee the quality of high-bandwidth, time-sensitive applications for any subscriber at any time. Cable and IPTV operators use policy control resource managers in order to reclaim bandwidth and manage network resources in such a way as to ensure QoS: "With the opening of broadband networks, and the elimination of walled gardens, we are experiencing unprecedented growth of what operators perceive to be bandwidth-killers: video and gaming applications," Steve Slattery, president and CEO of Camiant, said in a prepared statement. "This puts policy control front and center with wireless, wireline and cable operators around the world, and Camiant is delighted to be in a leadership position in this sector. This deployment with SeaChange is the first of multiple deployments that enable service providers to guarantee quality of service for emerging multimedia applications. It's all about the user experience: the immediate availability and outstanding performance of video and gaming applications that leads to increased adoption of these services. With policy control, these services become revenue opportunities to embrace, not bandwidth-killers." According to the companies, the integration of Camiant's policy control solutions with SeaChange's Axiom VOD software allows QoS to be guaranteed for all or for selected sessions. This in turn, the companies say, permits enhanced content delivery, advertising personalization and improved on-demand services over dynamic network infrastructures, and allows new services to be launched with minimal impact on network operations. The integration of the companies' respective technologies will "enable operators to take full advantage of SeaChange's asset management and content delivery capabilities, aligned with Camiant to efficiently control resources for blended services, such as IPTV, VOD, VoIP, gaming and broadband data," they say.
• The company has promoted Yefim Nivoro to VP of sales for the Latin America region. He was previously SeaChange's director of sales for the region.

Concurrent News:

--Launches SCTE-130-Compliant Advanced Advertising Products
--Cox to Standardize on Company's MediaHawk 4500 in all its VOD Markets
--New MediaHawk 4500 Software Released
--New MediaHawk Deployments with Bright House, Videotron

VOD technology provider, Concurrent, last week announced two new Everstream advanced advertising products, which it says are fully compliant with the SCTE's technical standards. One of the products is a new version of Everstream Campaign Director, the company's distributed ad campaign management solution for interactive TV and broadband platforms and, according to the company, the first product in the Everstream line designed to comply with the SCTE-130 standard (note: previously known as DVS 629, the SCTE-130 standard supports a unified platform for addressable advertising, providing inventory and placement definitions, while merging content and subscriber metadata for targeting zones or--in a unicast environment--for targeting individuals; it is believed to be a key element of the cable industry's advanced advertising initiative, Project Canoe). "Concurrent is committed to the cable industry's advanced advertising initiatives," Gary Trimm, Concurrent's outgoing president and CEO, said in a prepared statement. "Supporting the SCTE technical standards is a vital step in the evolution of our advanced advertising product suite. Data drives advertising, even more so in targeted advertising. Updating our Everstream line of reporting and monitoring products to the latest SCTE advertising standards ensures pin-point accuracy when targeting ads. Now, the right ad will always go to the right subscriber at the right time." Concurrent says that bringing Campaign Director in line with the SCTE-130 standard will also ensure that it can easily integrate with other SCTE-compliant components, including its own MHBOSS backoffice solution. The company additionally says that a major MSO has "expressed interest" in testing the new version of the product.

Campaign Director is billed by Concurrent as a Web-based enterprise application for managing campaigns across single or multiple system networks, and as supporting VOD, telescoping, showcase portals and other interactive service middleware. According to the company, it has a built-in reporting module, supports a variety of industry standards (including ADI), and incorporates a centralized console for remotely managing the other product in the new Everstream suite, the Campaign Decision Engine. The latter is billed by the company as a high- performance, SCTE 130-compliant Ad Decision Service (ADS), capable of providing real-time targeted ad placements for various types of placement opportunities. At its core is a rules-based engine that uses Concurrent's patented targeted advertising technology to apply a range of geographic and demographic targeting parameters, along with other exposure, separation and saturation rules supplied by Campaign Director to respond to requests for ad decisions. It employs a distributed architecture.

In other Concurrent news:

• The company says that Cox Communications, the third-largest cable MSO in the US and a long-time Concurrent customer, has signed a multi-year master purchase agreement to deploy its flagship MediaHawk 4500 VOD servers across its entire VOD-enabled subscriber base. "Based on our tests and on our experience deploying the product in Arizona, we believe the MediaHawk 4500 to be a superior on-demand server," James Kelso, Cox's VP of video engineering, said in a prepared statement. "We've been equally pleased with Concurrent’s service. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Concurrent as we aggressively expand and integrate the roles of on-demand and advertising across our markets." According to Concurrent, the agreement will see Cox standardizing on the MediaHawk Content Delivery System across all its VOD markets, with the MediaHawk 4500 replacing other manufacturers' video servers that were previously deployed by the MSO, and integrating with SeaChange's AXIOM VOD backoffice system. The company says that, as a result of the deal, every Cox system will add more streaming capacity and content storage. The deal also calls for Concurrent to provide Cox with a license to its targeted advertising patent portfolio. Cox bills the MediaHawk 4500 as a standards-based, highly available video server, which is now capable of supporting 2,300 simultaneous VOD streams of SD content at 3.75 Mbps (see below) over a wide range of transport networks. The product, which requires only a 2RU enclosure, features a multilevel memory cache and runs on commercial hardware, in order, Concurrent says, to enable operators to employ scalable, pay-as-you-go deployment models. It also incorporates Concurrent's Gatling Resilient Streaming Technology, which is designed to automatically detect failures and instantly route stream demands to alternate resources in order to prevent loss of VOD sessions.
• The company has released new software for the MediaHawk 4500. According to the company, the new release 1) increases the server's output to 2,300 streams (of standard-definition content at 3.75Mbps), representing a 40% improvement over the server's initial release in January, 2007, and also 2) supports a number of additional next-generation on-demand (NGOD) requirements, beyond those supported by earlier releases. In addition, Concurrent says, the MediaHawk 4500 is ISA- and RTSP-compliant, and has been commercially deployed in both NGOD- and ISA-based VOD configurations, supporting such advanced VOD applications as Start Over. --The company recently announced that Bright House Networks has chosen the MediaHawk platform for an upgrade and expansion of its VOD service that includes the launch of a "Start Over" service in its Tampa Bay market. According to Concurrent, Bright House's Tampa Bay Start Over service--its first deployment of such a service--is also the largest such deployment in the world, with 23,000 streams. "With the launch in Bright House Networks Tampa Bay, Concurrent continues to strengthen its reputation as the clear market leader in time- shifted television technology," Concurrent's then-president and CEO, Gary Trimm (note: on April 23rd, Trimm retired from the company, and was replaced as CEO by Dan Mondor--see article in this issue), said in a prepared statement. "No other on-demand vendor has our track record of successful Start Over deployments." (Note: Time Warner Cable, some of whose technology is being used in the Bright House Tampa Bay Start Over deployment, chose Concurrent to power its first Start Over launch in Columbia, South Carolina, in 2005, and currently uses the company's technology to support around half of its Start Over markets; in January, 2007, Concurrent, together with Time Warner Cable, Scientific-Atlanta, Harmonic and BigBand, was awarded an Advanced Media Technology Emmy for its contributions to the development of Start Over.) Specifically, Bright House's Tampa Bay VOD upgrade sees the MSO deploying Concurrent's MediaHawk 4500 video server and its MediaCache 1000 non-volatile flash solid state drive storage solution. According to Concurrent, the Tampa Bay Start Over deployment is the first such service to move away from traditional disk drives for content storage. The company also claims that the MediaHawk-MediaCache product combo is highly scalable--which will be an important feature as new channels are added to the Start Over service (note: Time Warner Cable has stated that 150 channels is the "sweet spot" for Start Over services, and Comcast has announced similar targets for its 2008 Start Over launches). The Tampa Bay VOD upgrade also sees Bright House deploying Concurrent's Real Time Catcher 2000 components, which act as a content writer. The entire system is powered by MHLX RedHawk series software.
• The company has secured the first North American customer for its MediaHawk Back Office Software Suite (MHBOSS): Quebecois MSO, Videotron, which tested the software in January and February and which plans to deploy it later this year. "When we began plans to upgrade our VOD system, we realized we needed a more scalable backoffice based on open standards," Alain Boissonnault, Videotron's principal director of development for video technologies, said in a prepared statement. "Concurrent's new MHBOSS is highly scalable and supports any next-generation applications we may be considering for the future, such as time-shifted TV." According to Concurrent, MHBOSS is highly scalable and can be "effortlessly" expanded to support emerging applications: the company claims that upgrading systems and deploying new services does not cause service interruptions, and that operators can therefore deploy applications like time-shifted TV and nPVR in a phased manner. As more subscribers are added and VOD usage increases, MHBOSS's capacity can be increased by adding computing and storage modules. Any and all replications of data and load balancing are automatic, Concurrent says, and can occur when the system is operating at full capacity. Content libraries can be expanded and user-generated content can be added without limit, the company claims. According to Concurrent, MHBOSS features an open architecture that allows interoperability with multiple VOD servers and software applications through standard interfaces, such as XML and SOAP; and provides Web services for reporting, subscription management, billing and any other applications that require information from the backoffice. Its modular architecture provides interfaces for advanced, more capable clients, the company says, and it is also designed for easy integration of OCAP applications.

Akimbo Launches Turnkey Internet VOD Solution

--Appoints New CTO, Director of Marketing
--Selects Harmonic's Rhozet Carbon Coder Video Transcoding Solution

Broadband video company, Akimbo, continues its transition from a B2C to a B2B play, under the leadership of its new president and CEO, Thomas Frank: the company has launched a turnkey Internet VOD solution that content providers can implement on their own Web sites. It bills the solution as offering a comprehensive advertising system and as supporting multiple business models, including ad-supported, transactional, subscription, download-to-own, download-to-burn, pay-per-minute, gift cards, and account credits. "One of the most important pieces missing in the stampede to the Internet video market has been an easy solution for content owners to control the marketing and sale of their own video assets," Frank said in a prepared statement. "Until now, content owners have been forced to use incomplete solutions or rely entirely on distribution deals to publish professional content. We have engineered a solution that allows content owners to take control of their own destiny without incurring costly infrastructure expenses or unreasonable revenue splits with third parties."

Akimbo has already secured its first customer for the new solution: MavTV, a multiplatform programming venture that targets an 18-to-54 male demographic with programming devoted to sports, gaming, comedy, women and relationships, health and fitness, finance, and gadgets, as well as a selection of movies. In addition, Akimbo says that it has secured new financing (believed to total around $4 million) to support the launch of its new solution, from a group of investors led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, and Zone Ventures.

According to Akimbo, the new solution allows content providers to control their broadband video offerings through the company's Web-based Library Distribution Management system, which it bills as a user-friendly tool for managing content and distribution rights, pricing, tracking and ad rotation. Other components of the solution include:

• Consumer Program Guide, a frontend interface for selecting and viewing full-screen videos, including HD content. According to Akimbo, the CPG is highly customizable and is intended to appear as part of the content provider's own Web site (note: all pricing options and scheduling are controlled by the content provider).
• Download Manager, which maintains all the security and usage rights of a provider's content, in order to allow end-users to view and manage that content without being connected to the Internet.
• Content Publishing System, a set of Web-based tools that allow content providers to manage all content and usage rights, and preview library content and advertising prior to distribution. The CPS also provides them with real-time customizable reports. Encoding and uploading can be carried out by Akimbo or by the content provider itself.
• Advertising Management System, which Akimbo says offers extensive reporting capabilities and simplifies the process of pricing, tracking and rotating ads.
• Subscriber Management System, which is billed by the company as integrating with existing SMS and billing systems, and as offering maximal privacy and security protections.

In other Akimbo news:

• The company has appointed a new CTO and a new director of marketing (note: other recent additions to its senior management team include the appointment last year of Neil Goldberg as COO and of Peter Chantel as CFO). The new CTO is Phil Sakakihara, who was previously VP of engineering and ediscovery operations at CaseCentral, which bills itself as a provider of "large-scale document management solutions and electronic discovery services for full litigation services for the Fortune 5000." His resume includes stints as SVP and CTO at Fidelity National Financial; as SVP of engineering at GoRemote and Prism Solutions; as CTO and general manager at Hewlett Packard; and as a visiting professor at UC Davis. The new director of marketing is Brant J. Smith, who was previously VP of marketing and business development at broadband video start-up, Broadline Media. His resume additionally includes stints as CEO of interactive agency, Imagesmith (which he founded), and as part of the team that founded the Internet Underground Music Archive. He is also an independent filmmaker: he produced and distributed the feature film, "Quality of Life," which won a Special Mention jury award at the Berlin International Film Festival; and he regularly teaches a filmmaking class at UC Santa Cruz.
• The company has selected Harmonic's Rhozet Carbon Coder video transcoding solution for automated Web-based video transcoding and packaging. According to Harmonic, Akimbo chose the solution to facilitate the management of its "vast" library of mainstream and niche encoded video content, which it acquired through relationships with multiple content providers: since the content comes from a variety of sources and in a range of formats, Akimbo needed a process for easily collecting and quickly transcoding a large amount of content while maintaining video quality. Harmonic says that the Rhozet Carbon Coder has allowed Akimbo to create a Web-based solution that makes it easy for its content partners to submit video, which is then automatically transcoded and sent to its publishing system. "At Akimbo we need a tool that supports the gamut of formats our content partners deliver to us, and that can quickly output high-quality compressed content ready to publish," Akimbo's director of content operations, Seth Bennett, said in a prepared statement. "With Rhozet's Carbon API, our engineers were able to easily automate the acquisition of new content, the transcoding, and the hand-off to our content delivery network." Harmonic bills the Rhozet Carbon Coder as a universal transcoding application that facilitates the transfer of media between a range of platforms, including acquisition, editing, playout, archive, the Internet and mobile devices. It can run as a stand-alone app, the company says, or as part of a multi-node, fully automated rendering farm.

GalleryPlayer Secures Deal with Mitsubishi

GalleryPlayer, a company perhaps best known for the on-demand galleries of high-definition 1080p imagery it offers on Comcast's HD VOD platform (note: last year, the company announced that consumer electronics giant, Panasonic, was incorporating support for its service into its entire 2007 line of plasma and HD TV sets), has signed a deal with Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America that will see it embedding its proprietary technology into 2008 Mitsubishi HDTV sets, set to launch this spring. The integration will allow Mitsubishi HDTV customers to access and view GalleryPlayer's library of rights-protected fine art and photography. "At this year's CES, we saw more and more TV manufacturers launching new models with features that either connect the TV to the Internet or feature USB interfaces to enable the playback of high value digital content," GalleryPlayer founder and president, Paul Brownlow, said in a prepared statement. "We are extremely pleased to be partnering with Mitsubishi and today's announcement further validates how the industry is seeing the revenue-generating potential in digital content." In addition to integrating GalleryPlayer's technology into its new line of HDTV sets, Mitsubishi will work with GalleryPlayer to create a co-branded Web site, from which Mitsubishi HDTV customers can access the latter's online store and download, manage and export images.

Strategy & Technology Launches New Version of its RedKey MHEG-5 Engine

--Company's TSBroadcaster 2 System Now Supports ETV Standard
--Company Secures MHEG-5 Deals in New Zealand, India, China, Germany

UK-based interactive TV technology provider, Strategy & Technology (note: the company's offerings include DSM-CC object and data carousels, MHEG application development, MHEG engines for receiver applications, TV-Anytime stream generation, and more), has generated a fair amount of news over the past few weeks:

• At the NAB show in Las Vegas earlier this month, the company launched a new version of its RedKey interactive TV receiver engine. RedKey 2, as the new version is called, is a software-based receiver engine that adds MHEG-5 capabilities to set-top boxes and integrated digital television sets (note: for more on recent MHEG-5 deployments, see below). According to S&T, it provides significant enhancements over its predecessor, and has been designed to address the needs of new ITV markets that are emerging around the world. Those enhancements include support for an IP-based return channel (i.e. an "Interaction Channel"), support for HD graphics, an enhanced font renderer that supports downloadable fonts, and support for PVR control for push-VOD services. S&T says it has taken a modular approach to RedKey 2's design, so that set-top and iDTV manufacturers can include only those features necessary to the markets they serve: by choosing RedKey 2, the company claims, customers can re-use large sections of product development to address all MHEG market opportunities worldwide, thus optimizing the use of product development budgets and resources. "With RedKey 2, we have significantly enhanced the scope of the technology without compromising two of its core assets: it is highly cost-effective and requires a very small memory footprint to operate," Paul Daly, general manager of S&T Client Systems, said in a prepared statement.
• The company also used the opportunity presented by the NAB show to announce that its TSBroadcaster 2 system now supports ETV streaming. ETV is a US cable-industry standard which is designed to enable sophisticated ITV applications to run on a broad range of legacy digital set-top boxes. One of its modes of operation is to enable broadcasters to deliver applications alongside their existing digital content feeds: according to S&T, TSBroadcaster 2 can now be used to inject ETV applications and data into digital TV streams for distribution to cable operators. The company says that its implementation of ETV support in TSBroadcaster 2 takes the application data and transmits it on a data carousel; the signaling necessary for ETV is also generated, the company says, along with "stream events" that are used to trigger applications to operate at particular moments--for example, to prompt a user during an interactive ad. "The interactive TV industry is looking to this ETV initiative to create the possibility of real volume deployment of applications," S&T managing director, David Cutts, said in a prepared statement. "In TSBroadcaster2 we are offering a highly reliable stream creation component of the system for broadcasters and operators. Already deployed for the rollout of OCAP, TSBroadcaster is the leading product of its type in the market. The ETV option, now available, helps to enable wider and deeper deployment of interactive TV in the next few years."
• The company says that it has extended its relationship with New Zealand's free-to-air digital TV service, Freeview: its MHEG-5 interactive playout technology has been exclusively deployed for the launch of the new high-definition digital terrestrial version of the service, which is branded as Freeview/HD. New Zealand's Freeview launched last year with a satellite service: its new DTT/HD service, which launched April 14th, is, according to S&T, the first live service in the world to use MHEG-5 middleware technology with MPEG-4 compression. At launch, Freeview/HD offers three HDTV channels: TVONE, TV2 and TV3, and a line-up of seven standard-definition channels and two radio services. In addition, later this year, it will carry TVNZ's planned HDTV coverage of the Beijing Olympics. According to S&T, the number of channels on the service is expected to grow over the coming months. The company says it has supplied six of its TSBroadcaster/TSPlayer Object Carousel generation and playout systems to the service's multiplex operators to play out content and signaling for interactive TV applications. "The service is also using S&T's MHEG EPG application that provides an eight-day listing service with a consistent look-and-feel regardless of which receiver manufacturer supplies reception equipment," S&T's director of international sales, Colin Prior, said in a prepared statement. "We are also supplying receiver manufacturers operating in the New Zealand market with our RedKey MHEG-5 middleware engine." According to S&T, Freeview/HD will cover approximately 75% of New Zealand households in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Napier, Hastings, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
• The company says that four Asian receiver manufacturers--Sichuan Changhong Network Technologies, Homecast, Pixel Magic Systems and Value Platforms--have licensed its RedKey MHEG-5 receiver engine. The MHEG-5 standard (which is employed most notably by the UK's free-to-air digital terrestrial platform, Freeview) was recently adopted by Hong Kong broadcaster, TVB, and Indian MSO, Digicable (see below): S&T says that, in light of these recent developments, it anticipates that "other broadcasters across the region will also select the public standard middleware." Territory-specific profiles of the MHEG-5 standard, based on UK Profile 1.06, are being progressively released to support different character sets and receiver requirements (note: according to S&T, RedKey was the first MHEG-5 engine to fully support UK profile 1.06). "Homecast is one of the leading set-top box manufacturers based in Korea," Homecast managing director, Young Kyung Song, said in a prepared statement. "We have received requests from some operators recently to include MHEG-5, and Freeview in New Zealand recently selected our technology. It also recommended S&T to us." Added Nelson Choi, managing director of Pixel Magic Systems: "With TVB in Hong Kong selecting MHEG-5, there is a clear market opportunity. It is a proven technology and S&T is a well-known company is this sector, with a good reputation."
• The company says that Digicable, an MSO based in Mumbai, India, has chosen its MHEG-5 technology to support an end-to-end interactive TV solution. Specifically, Digicable--which is the first Indian operator to use MHEG-5--has ordered the company's TSBroadcaster and TSPlayer headend systems and a multilingual EPG application; in addition, the deal includes licensing of S&T's RedKey MHEG-5 middleware for Digicable's receiver suppliers. According to S&T, the system ordered by Digicable will provide the operator with a fully redundant playout platform for a wide range of interactive applications, and will ensure that the EPG has a consistent appearance on multiple manufacturers' set-top boxes. "We are delighted to have concluded this contract with Digicable and in particular with Digicable's decision to select the MHEG-5 standard for their network," S&T's Colin Prior said in a prepared statement. "MHEG-5 offers a flexible interactive platform, as well as the significant advantage of low incremental cost in set-top boxes that is such an important factor in high-volume markets such as India." Digicable plans to roll out its new MHEG-5-based digital platform progressively over the course of this year. S&T's local distributor, Novacom Digitronics, will provide the operator with ongoing installation and support services as part of the overall contract.
• The company says that German receiver equipment manufacturer, TechniSat Digital, has licensed its RedKey MHEG-5 engine. TechniSat, which also operates a TV channel--TechniTipp TV--that explores and explains new technologies, plans to enter the UK digital TV market with a range of standard- and high-definition set-top boxes, DVR's, satellite antennas and high-end HD integrated digital TV's. "RedKey perfectly meets our requirements as an MHEG engine for Freeview and other opportunities," Martin Cole, managing director of TechniSat's UK operations, said in a prepared statement. "S&T is a competent company with extensive experience of both the client and headend software markets. This partnership provides opportunities for other markets including Germany, Austria and Switzerland."

Zodiac Launches Mobile Content Search Engine for TV and Other Platforms

Interactive TV software company, Zodiac Interactive, has launched a mobile content search engine for the television, the PC, and various other platforms. Dubbed Zodigo, the new search engine, which debuted at the DEMO 08 conference in Palm Springs, is navigated via a remote control or a keyboard and mouse, and is billed as making it easy for even inexperienced mobile consumers to discover and download mobile content (such as games, applications, ringtones, movies, podcasts, coupons, mobile manga, tickets, alerts, and songs). According to Zodiac, it will work on cable, satellite and IPTV systems (supported middleware platforms include tru2way, PowerTV and OpenTV), on Blu-ray and HD-DVD players, on all next-generation gaming consoles (such as the Wii, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3), and on the Web (it is available via Zodigo.com and through various Web distribution partners). Zodiac claims that it also features built-in intelligence, allowing it to quickly and automatically learn about users' preferences, as well as their exact mobile phone type, and to recommend only content that works on that phone. "Consumers are beginning to experience an explosion in the breadth and diversity of content and applications available for the mobile phone, and, until today, have not had an adequate content discovery solution," Matt Johnston, Zodiac's SVP of strategy, said in a prepared statement (note: Johnston has been named CEO of a new Zodigo operating company). "Part of the problem is that content directories, for the most part, have only been available either on the mobile phone through existing mobile operators, through cluttered teen-targeted Web sites, or directly from individual, fragmented content publishers. Zodigo was developed with a better shopping experience in mind and the result is an easy-to-use search experience that creates a truly long-tail of mobile content discovery."

Osmosys Launches Graphics Library for its EGG 3D ITV Graphics Engine

--Launches End-to-End Delivery Platform for SD and HD IPTV

Interactive TV software company, Osmosys (note: the company, which is part of the ADB Group, specializes in Java-based ITV solutions, such as MHP and OCAP), says that it has developed a high-level graphics library for EGG, the 3D-enabled ITV graphics engine that it launched at the IBC last fall. According to the company, EGG-FX, as the new product is called, is an optional library that defines a palette of effects, transitions and filters; incorporates a real-time engine for animation; and requires no previous 3D experience to use. The company touts the EGG/EGG-FX combo as enabling system vendors to create differentiated embedded applications, application developers to create visually rich EPG's and VOD systems, games developers to "seriously consider digital television as a target platform," and advertising agencies to "grab the attention of the viewer with spectacular on-screen effects"--all on set-top boxes that were previously limited to 2D. "When we launched EGG, we pushed the boundaries for what was possible on existing 2D set-top boxes and devices," Osmosys CTO, Paul Bristow, said in a prepared statement. "We have now taken another step forward with added capabilities for effects and animation, further enhancing the graphical sophistication that it is possible to achieve. EGG-FX enables a common ground for designer/programmer communication, making it easier and faster to develop interpolated and switchable graphics applications."

According to Osmosys, EGG-FX enables a number of transitions, filters and effects to be attached to or detached from images at any time. The company says that capabilities enabled by the product include:

• Reflection, zoom, blur, move around wheel, fade in and out, and other "visually inspiring" effects.
• The ability for graphics to "ease in" and "ease out" for smooth animation.
• The ability to control movement, direction, style and orientation.
• The ability to use effects, filters and transitions in combination with one another "subject to compatibility."
• The ability to use transitions for photo viewers, between menus in user interfaces.
• The ability of filters to enable image processing effects, which can be used to preprocess an image for using effects or transitions, to draw the image quickly.

Osmosys touts EGG as being designed so as to be very parsimonious in its memory requirements, and so as to easily port to future API's, such as OpenGL (standard or embedded subset), OpenVG and DirectX. Thus, the company says, moving applications written using EGG to future hardware and software environments will be easy. Osmosys also claims that the engine is middleware-independent and is portable to all current HDTV set-tops: it works in both Java and C-centric environments, and presents API's in both languages, the company says, and it also operates in a multi-threaded or multi-application environment, meaning that multiple applications can exploit it simultaneously

In other Osmosys news: The company has launched an end-to-end IPTV delivery platform for both standard- and high-definition TV. The solution incorporates Osmosys' EGG 3D graphics engine; its open- standards middleware, which is based on GEM (Globally Executable MHP) technology; various server modules, some of which are specifically designed to be revenue-generating; and a "user-friendly" frontend system. The solution's various components are all designed to run on standard Linux servers. "Our GEM-based IPTV Solution has been designed and built around an open standard that has stood the test of time, offering a robust and fault-tolerant system," Osmosys CTO, Bristow, said in a prepared statement. "Furthermore, the solution provides content interoperability with thousands of standards-based Java and HTML applications, something that proprietary IPTV systems do not, and cannot, offer. With Blu-ray having been declared the winner in the HD DVD battle, every studio is now producing applications in Java, the mandatory standard method for implementing interactive menus on Blu-ray discs. The interoperability of our solution makes it easier for Blu-ray disc content features to be made available on VOD platforms."

Benefits claimed by Osmosys for the new solution include: a set of read-to-deploy applications and services; an EGG-powered HD user interface; support for PVR, VOD and push-VOD business models; set- top box applications that continue working even during server maintenance or upgrades; consistent response times (i.e. response times are not affected by network size); a high degree of scalability (the company claims that 50,000 users can be supported per server and that broadcast services can be deployed to millions of devices); the ability for applications to share existing broadband network, server and caching infrastructure; ease of integration with existing BSS/OSS systems; integration with popular CA/DRM, VOD and headend systems; a simple, proven porting process for set-top boxes, that insulates operators from hardware changes; and the availability of thousands of off-the-shelf applications that can be used with the solution. "Our proven client middleware offering comes in either a 'pure' IPTV flavor, or as a hybrid version, providing access to broadcast digital television services from terrestrial, cable or satellite networks," Osmosys managing director, David McElhatten, said in a prepared statement. "What's more, by integrating our IPTV Solution with our EGG graphics engine, we are enabling network operators to roll out services that stand out from the visually flat, lifeless offerings that currently exist. Osmosys' IPTV Solution goes beyond the expectations of the industry, taking the end-user beyond the dated, channel-based broadcast environment to provide a powerful platform for the delivery of advanced multimedia services, enabling a 'what I want, when I want it' world of IPTV."

UEI Licenses Hillcrest's Freespace Pointing and Motion-Control Tech

Rockville, Maryland-based interactive TV company, Hillcrest Labs (note: the company recently announced that it had secured $25 million in a fourth round of funding--see [itvt] Issue 5.78 Part 1; it has raised a total of around $50 million to date), said last month that TV remote control company, Universal Electronics, Inc. (UEI), has signed a license agreement for its patented Freespace pointing and motion-control technology (note: Hillcrest also licenses the technology to Logitech). Under the terms of the companies' agreement, UEI plans to explore "potential product concepts" based on the technology. "As consumer demand for television entertainment and control continues to evolve, we are always seeking new ways to differentiate," UEI chairman and CEO, Paul Arling, said in a prepared statement. "We're pleased to partner with Hillcrest to license Freespace technology and explore innovative ways to help users to more easily interact with their entertainment devices and content."

Hillcrest developed the Freespace technology for use in advanced TV remote controls, including the company's own pointer-based, reference-device remote, dubbed the Loop, which allows navigation of TV services using just two buttons and a scroll wheel. The company bills the technology as enabling pay-TV operators and consumer electronics manufacturers to embed motion control and pointing capabilities into a wide range of device