Cox Communications, the nation’s third-largest cable operator, has selected NDS Group as its primary integrator for this summer’s launch of its tru2way platform.
With this agreement, NDS will be responsible for the management and implementation of the tru2way system that will be deployed by Cox. NDS will provide these services for the complete end-to-end platform, from the headend through to the set-top box components.
NDS’ role will start with the rollout of the tru2way set-top boxes to Cox customers in July. Going forward, NDS will also provide the tru2way user interface (UI) and interactive applications.
“NDS did a tremendous job on our new interactive program guide. The quality of their work and the consistent timeliness of their deliverables enable us to entrust NDS with the deployment of our entire tru2way platform,” said James Kelso, vice president of video engineering for Cox. “The knowledge and experience NDS has demonstrated give us great confidence for the rollout of new services, which we’re planning this summer.”
Cox and NDS recently announced their development of a tru2way-compliant user interface that encompasses a variety of interactive options for the consumer (story here).
The electronic program guide (EPG) and interactive applications suite, implemented by NDS, are integrated into Cox’s centralized, user-friendly UI, along with video-on-demand (VOD) and a digital video recorder (DVR).
Cox and NDS first announced the user interface last year (story here). Last year, Cox launched some interactive applications through On Ramp, which uses a subset of the OCAP Java APIs in order to reach legacy set-top boxes with interactive services and applications.
NDS’ EPG and UI will be on display at this week’s Cable Show, which starts tomorrow in Washington, D.C.
