TiVo’s Cubiware Aligns With MStar Semiconductor

Cubiware, the TiVo-owned middleware provider, said it will further its expansion into Asia via a new partnership with MStar Semiconductor.

Under the deal, Taiwan-based MStar will integrate Cubiware’s CubiTV Hybrid Middleware with its HD MPEG-4/MPEG-HEVC hybrid chipset platform. The combo, which will implement “TiVo Lite” onto MStar chipsets, will be pitched to set-top makers targeting the pay TV and over-the-top service provider markets.

TiVo acquired Poland-based Cubiware last year, adding a maker of middleware for cable, satellite and IPTV operators that gave TiVo a way to pursue international markets using a product set that can deliver a TiVo experience on boxes that require less horsepower than the traditional TiVo platform.

TiVo, which is in the process of being acquired by Rovi for $1.1 billion, announced a similar Cubiware partnership with Ali Corp.,  another Taiwan-based set-top silicon supplier, earlier this year.

“MStar's capabilities fully complement Cubiware's IPTV and VOD functions. This will make for an enhanced and exciting offering for our customers and partners,” Jakub Gorski, co-founder of Cubiware, said in a statement.