German cable operator Kabel BW will use NDS’ MediaHighway middleware, XTV integrated DVR technology and NDS’ video-on-demand solution for the introduction of new entertainment services.
Separately, NDS and Axel Springer Digital TV Guide said they will join to promote personal TV in the German pay-TV market.
Kabel BW plans to introduce several features and services, including high-definition DVR and VOD, based on technology from NDS. The arrangement builds on an ongoing relationship between the operator and the vendor.
In 2007, Kabel BW was the first German cable operator to select and deploy NDS’ VideoGuard content protection technology. Kabel BW STBs are equipped with VideoGuard and will progressively also feature MediaHighway. The next step for the operator will be to introduce new entertainment services, as well as new consumer devices, including HD zapper boxes, HD DVRs based on NDS’ XTV DVR technology and VOD.
Meanwhile, NDS and Axel Springer Digital TV Guide are pushing what they’re calling personal TV, which the two describe as TV combined with DVR and electronic program guides (EPG).
The pair is at the Anga show in Germany demonstrating new revenue-generating opportunities that can result, including addressable and interactive advertising supported by accurate measurement of viewer interaction with TV content, advertising and the DVR.
NDS previously surveyed more than 1,000 DVR owners and discovered that consumers rank the DVR as the third-most indispensable item after the washing machine and the microwave oven. NDS and Axel Springer hope to leverage those findings to promote the value of DVRs in the German market.
At Anga Cable in Cologne, the companies will be showcasing NDS’ DVR functionality, advanced EPGs, high-quality measurement tools and related services, and, additionally, EPG metadata from NDS and Axel Springer Digital TV Guide.