(31 January 2006 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Espial, a provider of client IPTV middleware and applications, and Amino, which is an IPTV software and consumer premises equipment provider, have partnered to provide innovative IPTV set-top box technology for Allin Interactive.

This combined IPTV solution includes Espial Evo running on top of the underlying Amino's IntAct IPTV software platform to provide a seamless operating system and middleware environment enabling a rich and highly responsive user experience.

Allin Interactive, a player in application development and systems integration services for interactive media, has been developing ITV systems in a variety of industries for over 10 years for customers such as Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Crociere, the Mayo Clinic and Royal Caribbean International.

Allin will utilise the set top box technology from Amino and Espial in its second generation digital ITV platform. Allin will introduce this technology to the market at a March industry tradeshow, SeaTrade.

With this unique combination of software from Espial and Amino, along with the Amino AmiNET110H set-top box, Allin can develop customized ITV solutions that can be easily developed and rapidly deployed. In 2005, more than 340-million dollars in revenue were transacted over Allin ITV Systems. To ensure continued success for Allin, Amino and Espial products can help to decrease time-to-market costs with low-cost set-top boxes with extremely responsive, rich user interfaces.

"This new set-top box technology from Espial and Amino is a great contributor to the improvements we will introduce with our second generation digital ITV platform," said Allin Interactive managing director Doug Tempero.

"The Espial/Amino technology provides a performance and price mixture that we believe is unmatched in the industry. This has allowed us to develop innovative applications that will contribute to the exceptional viewer experience users of our second generation digital platform will realise, while also reducing our implementation time and offering the flexibility and cost effectiveness we need," Tempero added.

Espial Evo, using its IPTV middleware framework and unlike solutions based on Web browsers, delivers an exceptionally fast consumer experience by eliminating performance penalties such as progressive page loading and page flips. In addition to this unique client IPTV middleware framework, Espial Evo includes applications such as Electronic Program Guide, Video on Demand, Portal and Settings.

"Having a comprehensive ITV solution that is compact, extensible and highly customizable allows Allin Interactive to lower costs and improve their ITV viewer's experience. By integrating Espial Evo on the Amino software and set-top box, operators can easily build interactive and customised services that will attract viewers and increase revenues," said Espial senior vice president operations Ella Mar.

"The Espial Evo application framework and toolkit enables our customers to develop their own user interfaces very rapidly without the architectural limitations, large memory footprints and slow user response times that traditional browser-based routes have previously imposed. Espial Evo makes full use of the proven Amino "Intact" software platform, enabling customers with a first-class, complete, top-to-bottom solution for the IPTV set-top box which hits the sweet spot of cost, time to market, and performance," said Amino chief technology officer Paul Fellows.