C+T will also showcase Mediahighway, its middleware, which enables the set-top box software to interpret and execute interactive applications.

Mediaguard provides digital broadcasters with business-critical
reliability, ease of use and secure conditional access. The system also offers maximum flexibility for the introduction of multiple programme offerings to segmented audiences, coupled with transaction management, such as pay-per-view and e-commerce.

Nicolas Andrieu, general manager (sales) of Asia/Pacific, Canal+
Technologies in an official statement says: "Indian Television industry is coming of age and is ready for the technological revolution, which has been long overdue. We, at C+T, are proud to be a part of the revolution and having pulled off yet another 'first' by staging this live demo of CAS in India."

C+T was the first to deploy digital satellite and cable in the European interactive TV space in 1996 and 1997 respectively, and, in 1998, was the first digital terrestrial player in interactive TV in the world. It was also the first to deploy a Java-based middleware solution in 1999.

"I am certain that C+T will play a major role in India's interactive TV revolution as well," adds Andrieu.

C+T powers more than 14 million set-top boxes that are deployed on every continent on cable, satellite and digital terrestrial networks. Over 30 digital operators and broadcasters have already deployed its interactive TV middleware MediahighwayT and the conditional access system MediaguardT,
including CANALSATELLITE in France, SUREWEST (formerly WINfirst) in the United States, Astro Measat and ZeeTV in Asia, to deliver true interactive applications to subscribers via interactive applications. C+T has already
deployed its CAS, Mediaguard, for the Zee bouquet in India.

According to Recreate Solutions CEO Bhaskar Majumdar: "The success enjoyed by C+T's products in other parts of the world is the result of its commitment to providing quality to its customers. C+T is looking at the Asian subcontinent as the market of the future. The high-rate of television consumption and the growing needs of the organised cable TV sector are clear indicators that India will soon be one of the leading regions and C+T is all
set to provide its solutions for cable, DTH and DTT platforms."

C+T announced in mid last year, its intention to market its Mediaguard and Mediahighway in India. The company has expertise in designing and implementing digital TV systems and in offering its clients open standard solutions.

Canal+ Technologies is a leading international provider of interactive TV software solutions offering a range of flexible open standard solutions to broadcasters and digital operators around the world. C+T also claims that it has achieved leadership through innovation as it has the ability to integrate both head-end and set-top boxes.

C+T has been a radical innovator right from inception in the 90s in the fast moving areas of TV browsing, pay TV, enhanced TV, Internet TV, T-commerce, entertainment and personal recordings. C+T was the global first to deploy a very popular horse racing home betting application in the millennium year 2000 and was also the first to deploy iTV over a fibre-to-the-home cable network in 2001.

Recreate Solutions is a London-based company, with a major development centre in Mumbai. It has skills in DVB, MHP and in Java TV applications and is working with major development platforms such as Mediahighway and OpenTVT. Digital TV giant Canal +Technologies has appointed Recreate Solutions as its representative in India for the Indian pay TV and DTH
scenarios.