MUMBAI: NDS, the provider of technology solutions for digital
pay-TV has announced a number of new technologies, deployments and partnerships
at CES.
The company has introduced a new entertainment server system,
new software that enables consumers to access Internet media directly through
their set-top box, and deployments that illustrate how movies, music, games and
photos can all be easily and securely managed from a consumer.s remote control.
These demonstrations are on display at the NDS Showcase in the Bellini
Room at the Venetian Hotel this week at the Consumer Electronics Show. The NDS
Showcase is by invitation only (see media contacts below).
Our considerable
experience in the pay-TV market has taught us that we need to create solutions
that are easy for consumers to use, while constantly expanding convenience and
choice, and which offer content providers and broadcast operators new sources
of protected
revenue streams.
These announcements at CES bear out
that market philosophy said NDS president and CEO Dr Abe Peled. Our work with
Directv to help them deliver the most advanced consumer television experience,
our partnerships with Samsung, Thomson, Broadcom and many others, along with our
deployments with Bell ExpressVu, Cablevision, and Sesame Street illustrate that
we have built some of the most advanced and effective TV technologies available
today, said in an official release.
New Technologies
•
Home AV Center II . NDS has teamed up with Samsung and Broadcom to demonstrate
a prototype home entertainment server system that includes a full suite of NDS
software solutions: XTV HomeNet; XTV Ready; and MediaHighway middleware. The server
has five tuners, a 300 GB hard drive for storage, IP connectivity, two USB 2.0
ports, router capabilities and VoIP. With the new server, consumers will be able
to enjoy High Definition programming
in multiple rooms, they can transfer
content . such as video, music, games and photos. Between the DVR and portable
devices, and they can control a range of peripheral devices such as printers and
security cameras.
• XSPACE . NDS has teamed up with Akimbo, FOX
Sports, and IGN Entertainment to demonstrate XSPACE, a comprehensive software
solution for hybrid set-top boxes (STBs) with broadband connectivity, providing
consumers with online access to audio and video content through their televisions.
XSPACE enables operators to offer consumers access to premium broadcast and web
content through hyperlinks from within regular TV programming, using an onscreen
link. A truly novel and integrated experience for the consumer, XSPACE provides
access to the vast catalog of content available on the Web through the STB. It
also includes the ability to search through the content so consumers can find
the specific content
they want to watch or hear. Consumers will interact with
the on-demand services through the integrated Electronic Program Guide (EPG).
New Deployments
• DirecTV PlusDVR, the new interactive
digital video recorder set-top box from DirecTV, boasts many technology innovations
from NDS. With 100 hours of programming storage available on the hard drive and
more space available for pushed VOD services, DirecTV Plus is designed to allow
viewers to control their programming like never before, as well as offering an
array of interactive services. NDS is powering the DVR engine of DirecTV Plus
with its XTV software, the platform that enables a broad set of new services,
including the personalization of programming. XTV allows content to remain copy
protected while stored on the disk, but it can still be easily viewed, searched
and managed. Although NDS XTV is deployed on major systems around the world, this
is the first deployment of XTV software in the US.
• Bell ExpressVU
- NDS has launched a suite of interactive applications for Bell ExpressVu, the
largest direct to home satellite TV provider in Canada. The interactive TV solution
allows viewers to interactively customize their viewing experience, making them
the .director. of programming. Using the application, which was designed and implemented
by NDS and Bell ExpressVu, subscribers can select between different video and
audio feeds, and can request
information during the broadcast. The interactive
solution has been created in a modular form, so it can be re-purposed for new
programming in a very short time period. Broadcasters and content providers benefit
from the easy-to-use production tools to quickly customize their content, rather
than having to re-develop an application every time they want to apply interactivity
to new programming.
• Sesame Street . NDS is announcing the successful
launch of the Sesame Street Games service which is now available to Cablevision.s
iO digital cable customers throughout the New
York metropolitan area. In collaboration
with Cablevision and Sesame Workshop, NDS played the lead technology role in the
design and development of this groundbreaking interactive games service. The games,
created for children two to five years old, enable kids to interact with the beloved
Sesame Street characters, while learning shapes, colors, numbers, letters and
other basic skills.
Expanded Relationships
• Broadcom . NDS
has ported its MediaHighway middleware to the Broadcom BCM97398 advanced decoder
reference platform. The NDS MediaHighway middleware is an open and easy-to-use
platform for the development of advanced television applications. The new global
solution is based on both the MediaHighway OCAP middleware and the Broadcom BCM7038
and BCM7411 chipset families. The innovative reference platform will simplify
the design
process for both cable operators and consumer electronics manufacturers,
reducing time to market for OCAP-compliant applications.
• Thomson
. NDS has also ported its MediaHighway OCAP middleware to an all-digital settop
box from Thomson, the worldwide leader in access solutions for satellite, cable,
terrestrial
broadcast, and telecommunications networks. The OCAP set-top box
from Thomson (the DCi62) reduces time to market and cost of deployment for cable
operators. The integration of MediaHighway middleware on the Thomson DCi62 set-top
box will provide an all-digital, lowcost solution for cable operators who are
ready for a digital switchover. The OpenCable. Application Platform (OCAP.) is
the middleware software specification adopted by the Cable industry to enable
application writers to create new interactive services that will run on a broad
range of advanced digital set tops and cable-ready TVs.
Protected
Content
As technology creates new opportunities to distribute content
broadly, NDS provides solutions to ensure that premium content and revenue streams
are protected. NDS VideoGuard is the conditional access choice of the world.s
leading pay-TV operators. Deployed in over 58 million set-top boxes worldwide,
VideoGuard offers TV platforms proven security and flexibility growth. NDS is
also a founding member of the SVP Alliance. SVP is a specification for protecting
digital video content from unauthorized use by adding security enhancements to
a standard video processor. SVP provides open, hardware-based content protection
that ensures content, keys,and related control data remain under control from
transmission to rendering. |
