itvt

–Inuk Integrates SecureMedia’s CA/DRM Technology with igloo

UK-based IPTV specialist, Inuk Networks (note: the company is best known for its Freewire platform, which offers video, voice and data services and which was initially targeted at the student market; for an in-depth overview of the company and its offerings, see [itvt]’s interview with its CEO, Marcus Liassides, in Issue 7.65), says that Irish telecommunications provider, Magnet Networks, has selected its igloo “virtual set-top box” software to extend its IPTV service to PC’s and Macs. Inuk’s igloo virtual set-top box–which has been deployed to around 50,000 subscribers on Inuk’s Freewire service–is designed to emulate the operation and user interface of a standard set-top box on PC’s and Macs, and is billed as delivering all the features and functionality of an IPTV set-top box, regardless of browser, codec or conditional access system. According to Inuk, igloo can be customized with an operator’s look-and-feel; offers full EPG functionality; supports MPEG-2 and MPEG-4-encoded viewing in both windowed and full-screen modes; enables PVR functionality via a PC’s existing hard drive; presents on-screen information and standard TV controls as a graphical overlay on top of the video image; and comes with built-in infrared USB remote control capability.

Magnet is the first live customer deployment of igloo beyond Inuk’s own Freewire platform. Magnet’s service, which launched September 9th, currently offers customers on the company’s broadband network (note: Magnet claims to have 39 unbundled ADSL2+ exchanges and the largest fiber network in Ireland) a line-up of free television channels, and is slated to roll out premium channels and VOD over the coming months. “We are very excited to have Magnet as our first live igloo customer deployment, beyond our own Freewire platform,” Inuk CEO, Marcus Liassides, said in a prepared statement. “The reaction from IPTV operators around the globe to the concept of a true virtual set-top box has been phenomenal and we are also partnering with many middleware and CA vendors who also appreciate the potential of an easy-to-deploy PC product for their existing customer deployments.”

In related news:

• Inuk has integrated the igloo virtual set-top box software with SecureMedia’s Encryptonite ONE System conditional access/digital rights management software. According to the companies, the integrated offering will allow IPTV operators to deliver services securely across multiple devices and to provide a multi-room offering via home PC’s and Macs. In addition, the companies say, it will enable IPTV operators to move beyond their existing closed network infrastructure to offer new content services over the open Internet with the same high standards of security and DRM as on their closed networks. “The ability to deliver IPTV content securely beyond the set-top box alone is becoming an increasingly important business driver for telcos and broadband providers,” Inuk’s Liassides said in a prepared statement. “Our close partnership with SecureMedia shows how we are now able to open up the PC and Mac as a new viewing point for IPTV content, protected by the industry’s premier digital security solution that is approved by all Hollywood studios and network broadcasters. We look forward to increased IPTV adoption through PC’s and Macs, acquiring more subscribers and continuing to pioneer developments internationally throughout 2008 and beyond.”
• Inuk has also formed a strategic partnership with Move Networks–see article in this issue.