Cable Technology Feature Article
March 09, 2010
TiVo, Conax Join to Offer DVB Set-Top Box TV Platform
By Shamila Janakiraman, TMCnet Contributor
TiVo (News - Alert) Inc., specializing in advanced television services and personal video recorders, and Conax, a provider of security solutions for digital TV and content distribution, announced a partnership for offering DVB set-top box platform for deployment by television operators.
Sources from the companies said that this partnership will change traditional means of delivering pay television. TiVo delivers advanced television services using an intuitive user interface and Conax’s multi-platform security technology forms the basis of television services in several countries.
TiVo’s IP-delivered video will be integrated into an off-the-shelf package that can be easily deployed by operators leveraging Conax-certified platforms in Scandinavia, Mainland Europe and India among other countries. This eliminates need for expensive and cumbersome middleware deployment, said TiVo sources.
In a release Geir Bjørndal, Executive Vice President of Products & Markets at Conax, said, “While the European market is ripe for VOD and other interactive services, many operators are stifled by the expensive integration efforts needed to convert roadmaps into reality. TiVo has a phenomenal reputation in the US, not only for inventing the PVR, but for creating the market’s most comprehensive hybrid broadcast/broadband platform.”
“They are the only player that has successfully integrated top-tier content from diverse Internet sources like Netflix, Blockbuster, YouTube (News - Alert), and Amazon VOD along with linear television into a single, vivid user interface already available to consumers in the United States. Our European customers have made clear that they plan to deploy similar capabilities and we can’t imagine a better technology partner than TiVo to help us make it happen, and strengthen our competitive market position,” Bjørndal said.
Joshua Danovitz, Vice President & General Manager International of TiVo Inc. added that Conax can hasten launch of new services in various environments without startup complexity. He was pleased with the new alliance as it allows operators to distribute a highly differentiated, user interface that applies TiVo’s expertise in combining broadband delivered content along with the traditional television experience.
The integration of TiVo’s software with Conax security solutions is expected to reduce hardware deployment costs besides allowing more security within the platform itself. Conax’s open standards STB approach provides a wide selection of certified consumer hardware devices. The collaboration will use TiVo’s brand image and experience in developing advanced television platforms.
Sources from the companies said that this partnership will change traditional means of delivering pay television. TiVo delivers advanced television services using an intuitive user interface and Conax’s multi-platform security technology forms the basis of television services in several countries.
TiVo’s IP-delivered video will be integrated into an off-the-shelf package that can be easily deployed by operators leveraging Conax-certified platforms in Scandinavia, Mainland Europe and India among other countries. This eliminates need for expensive and cumbersome middleware deployment, said TiVo sources.
In a release Geir Bjørndal, Executive Vice President of Products & Markets at Conax, said, “While the European market is ripe for VOD and other interactive services, many operators are stifled by the expensive integration efforts needed to convert roadmaps into reality. TiVo has a phenomenal reputation in the US, not only for inventing the PVR, but for creating the market’s most comprehensive hybrid broadcast/broadband platform.”
“They are the only player that has successfully integrated top-tier content from diverse Internet sources like Netflix, Blockbuster, YouTube (News - Alert), and Amazon VOD along with linear television into a single, vivid user interface already available to consumers in the United States. Our European customers have made clear that they plan to deploy similar capabilities and we can’t imagine a better technology partner than TiVo to help us make it happen, and strengthen our competitive market position,” Bjørndal said.
Joshua Danovitz, Vice President & General Manager International of TiVo Inc. added that Conax can hasten launch of new services in various environments without startup complexity. He was pleased with the new alliance as it allows operators to distribute a highly differentiated, user interface that applies TiVo’s expertise in combining broadband delivered content along with the traditional television experience.
The integration of TiVo’s software with Conax security solutions is expected to reduce hardware deployment costs besides allowing more security within the platform itself. Conax’s open standards STB approach provides a wide selection of certified consumer hardware devices. The collaboration will use TiVo’s brand image and experience in developing advanced television platforms.
Shamila Janakiraman is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Shamila’s articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Kelly McGuire
