Espial Teams with Conexant and Tematic on IPTV Client Solution

--Espial's Escape Browser Integrated into Wegener's New IP Set-Top Box

Set-top box software provider, Espial, semiconductor company, Conexant Systems, and IPTV software company, Tematic, have teamed on what they describe as a "complete platform" for telcos looking to rapidly deploy, low-cost, high-performance set-top boxes for IPTV networks. According to the companies, the hardware and software platform allows telcos to offer a powerful, customizable client IP set-top that supports VOD and other revenue-generating services "straight out of the box." The platform combines Conexant's video coding MPEG-4/H.264 coprocessor and standard-definition host decoder, Espial's Evo IPTV middleware and applications, and Tematic's IPTV software. Espial and Tematic collaborated to develop a pre-integrated IPTV client software stack, and Tematic provided development and integration services to support the deployment of the joint platform.

According to Espial, Espial Evo is based on an innovative architecture which separates the core application logic from the user interface design, and which the company says eliminates the performance penalties sometimes associated with browsers, such as progressive page loading and blanking. The product incorporates a variety of applications, including Evo Video, an EPG; Evo Portal, a standards-based application for interactive portal content design and rendering; Espial Escape, a browser designed to facilitate the development of on-demand portal content services and to support Internet-on-TV functionality; a VOD application that can be integrated with third-party servers; and various applications for managing or viewing the set-top box, and user settings and controls. Tematic's IPTV set-top box software, meanwhile, is designed to support the delivery of MPEG-2 and H.264 digital video over broadband IP networks: according to the company, the software supports a range of commonly used middleware, video server and content protection platforms, and has been used by a number of major telcos in North America and the Asia Pacific region. Conexant claims that its CX24183 is the world's first standards-compliant MPEG-4/H.264 video decoder. The new joint platform also incorporates the company's CX24436 MPEG-2 video decoder device, which includes a high-performance ARM920T processor, integrated Ethernet 10/100 MAC and MII, as well as transport stream interfaces to enable hybrid IP and DVB-T or DVB-S set-tops.

In other Espial news: the company says that Wegener Corporation has integrated its Espial Escape browser into its new IP set-top box, the SMD 515, in order to support a range of Web services. The browser--which enables content creation through its support of such standards as HTML 4, JavaScript 1.5, DOM1, DOM2-Events, CSS2.1, CSS-TV, and DVB-HTML--will allow operators that use the new box to provide their subscribers with TV-based Web access, as well as standards-based interactive portal services, such as news, weather, sports and games. "The Espial Escape browser allows operators to respond quickly to their subscribers' interests, demands or requests by allowing the rapid creation of new applications or services," Dilshan De Silva, director of marketing for Espial's browser business, said in a prepared statement. "For example, operators have the flexibility to quickly develop holiday-themed services for their subscribers and deploy them only for a certain period during a holiday season." The SMD 515, meanwhile, supports MPEG-4/H.264 and MPEG-2 decoding, SD and HD video and optional PVR.

Click http://www.itvt.com to subscribe to our free email newsletter, which contains all the news stories you see on this Web site, and additional breaking news and scoops, in-depth features, interviews, screenshots, videos, and other exclusive content you will not find anywhere else.