On Wednesday, it was announced that Arris will be a key participant in the development of WorldBox 2.0, which is Charter’s next-gen video platform to be deployed on traditional TV sets across the operator’s footprint.

Charter and Arris have a long-standing relationship, which includes a recent warrant agreement, providing the operator with the opportunity to acquire ordinary shares of Arris based on specific sales targets of equipment to Charter in 2016, 2017 and 2018. More on that is here. The companies also joined forces to acquire ActiveVideo, the cloud-based technology platform that enables Charter’s cloud-based Spectrum Guide on prior generation set-tops (story here.)

“While Charter is focused on providing a secure video product on all devices, WorldBox 2.0 provides the same advanced video experience consumers are demanding on traditional television sets, and gives Charter the flexibility to deploy a single platform across our entire expanded network,” Jim Blackley, Charter EVP, engineering and IT, says. “Our ongoing work with Arris – in developing this platform, including the downloadable security component – and the establishment of the warrant program, speaks to the strength of our long-standing relationship and the value of Arris’ expertise in large-scale, next-generation deployments.”

WorldBox is a hybrid IP/QAM video platform that enables traditional and cloud-based user interfaces, content and new video. The 2.0 version expands on Charter’s current downloadable conditional access (DCAS) capabilities, enhancing legacy hardware-based CAS systems across Charter’s new footprint, which is said to allow for faster and more cost-effective deployment. Built-in security processing capabilities now available in generic chipsets reportedly makes this possible. Additionally, 2.0 adds more advanced graphics capabilities and processing power.

“We share Charter’s vision for a new era of entertainment technology that leverages the power of the network and cloud to adapt to its subscribers’ evolving needs,” Bruce McClelland, Arris CEO, says. “With WorldBox 2.0, we’re bringing to bear our expertise and scale to help Charter deliver next-gen entertainment experiences that will transform the way that its millions of subscribers will watch TV and access their favorite content on traditional television sets.”