Day two of the Telco TV conference in Orlando, Fla., brought forth another wave of deals and new product news:
• IPTV set-top maker Amino Communications said it will offer high-definition television capabilities by integrating Microsoft Corp. ‘s Windows Media 9 advanced codec.
Amino will offer WMV9 in its AmiNET120 set-top, which currently offers MPEG-2 support. The company noted that it also plans to launch an MPEG-4 AVC-compatible set-top in early 2005.
Amino also inked deals to port middleware and digital video recording applications from Minerva Networks and Myrio Corp. to the AmiNET500 IPTV set-top.
• Consolidated Communications, a consortium of telcos that serve north of 50,000 residential subs in central Illinois, is supporting an IP-video based service with middleware and other set-top software from Myrio Corp.
Consolidated is using the Java-based Myrio IP Video Platform to deliver advanced applications such as video-on-demand and pay-per-view.
• The Horry Telephone Cooperative has teamed with Motorola Broadband to offer broadband services to fiber-rich communities developed by South Carolina real estate firm Burroughs & Chapin Company Inc.
Horry Telephone serves 200,000 voice lines, 40,000 cable subs and 20,000 Internet access users in South Carolina.
• Tut Systems Inc. has integrated the “Cypher” software-based conditional access system from Widevine Technologies with Tut’s Astria digital headend platform and iViewTV middleware. Tut demonstrated the integrated package running on the Thomson IP900 IP set-top.
• Net Insight has introduced the Nimbra 340, a multi-service access and switching device for video and data services.
The new 2-RU device, capable of providing up to 10 Gbps of switching capacity, is designed for installation in customer headends and smaller co-location POPs, the company said. The Nimbra 340 is set for commercial release in Q1 2005.
• Myrio Corp. unleashed version 3.5 of its IP Video Platform, offering new features such as a digital video recording client, beefier content security and multiple language support.
Belgium-based Belgacom is the first service provider to use the platform, which includes Myrio’s TotalManage backoffice and content-management application and the Myrio Interactive end-user application for video-on-demand, digital music playback and Web browsing.
• ICTV Inc. announced HeadendWare partnerships/integration deals with two IPTV set-top makers: Amino Communications and i3 micro.
