IPTV Video Abounds at IBC

The annual International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam, Netherlands, last week had no shortage of companies showing off their latest IPTV wares.

• Payment-solutions provider Entriq unveiled its new IPTV service, and it announced German telco SevenSenses as the system’s first customer. Entriq will provide an application that allows SevenSense’s maxdome IPTV-service customers to access the same content offered on Thomson Consumer Electronics set-tops, as well as the provider’s sister Internet service, 1&1 Internet.

• IPTV-delivery-system provider BitBand landed a contract with Israeli satellite broadcast operator yes to deploy an IPTV on-demand service there. The deployment will use a hybrid network combining traditional satellite MPEG-2 video feeds and an IP feed, both funneled into a set-top box. To support that service, BitBand is supplying its Maestro content-distribution and management suite and its Vision servers.

• Softier launched its second-generation IP set-top box. The Wave-400 sports a Linux-based operating system and Texas Instruments’ DaVinci single-chip design (see below). It is able to support MPEG-4/H.264 video, video-on-demand, digital-video recording and gaming services.

• Concurrent Computer announced that Danish interactive-applications provider Nordija will use its MediaHawk 4000 video server as part of its IPTV middleware platform. Nordija’s middleware offers a TV portal that allows users to select channels and access on-demand, networked DVR and personal channel applications.

• Accedo Broadband announced that its TV-centric applications are now available on set-top boxes supported by development partner IntAct Software’s platform. The Accedo Applications Portfolio offers a raft of value-added services including games, karaoke on-demand, weather, puzzles, horoscope, comics, quizzes and PlasmaArt graphics for IPTV. The integration opens the door for Accedo’s applications to reach IntAct’s deployment base of more than 700,000 IP set-top boxes among several box vendors.