itvt

–Entone Launches Multi-Stream IP Video Gateway

Entone, a company which specializes in IPTV home connectivity solutions and which recently secured $14.5 million in a Series B funding round (see article in this issue), says that its Hydra HD IP video gateway and Amulet HD IPTV receiver have been chosen by Oklahoma-based Panhandle Telephone Cooperative, Inc. (PTCI) for its roll-out of HD IPTV service. PTCI offers both digital cable and IPTV as part of a quad-play service offering that also includes local and long- distance telephony, high-speed Internet, wireless mobile, and a range of interactive services such as TV Web surfing and DVR. “To be competitive in this dynamic marketplace, we needed a reliable, whole-home network solution that would allow us to cost-effectively deliver new and advanced IPTV services, such as HDTV, on-screen caller ID, and interactive applications,” PTCI CEO, Ron Strecker, said in a prepared statement. “We selected the Entone solution because of its field-proven track record and its ability to deliver these advanced services without having to rewire our subscribers’ homes, thus expediting our roll-out by reducing truck rolls.”

The Hydra HD IP video gateway and Amulet IPTV receiver are part of Entone’s Connected Home product suite, which the company bills as eliminating the need for multiple set-top boxes or new wiring in order to deliver IPTV services throughout a home. According to the company, they support whole-home networking technologies, such as HomePNA, HomePlug and 802.11n which enable high-speed delivery of rich media throughout the home using existing coax wiring, and which are therefore frequently touted as improving the economics of offering IPTV services by reducing installation costs and eliminating complexities associated with IP video deployment.

In other Entone news: The company launched what it claims is Europe’s first multi-stream IP Video Gateway at the IBC show in Amsterdam. Dubbed the Janus IP Video Gateway, the new product, which is based on the Hydra IP platform, is billed as supporting simultaneous decoding of multiple video streams, both in HD and SD. It would typically be connected to a primary television set via a wide variety of cabling options, including HDMI or SCART, the company says, and would distribute video to other television sets in the home over a range of home-networking technologies, including coax, Ethernet, phone lines, power lines and wireless (802.11n).

Entone says it worked closely with communications service operators to develop a version of the Janus gateway that specifically addresses the requirements of the European market. According to the company, the product is “ideal” for DSL and FTTH deployments; allows operators to support multi-TV households with a single gateway device rather than requiring a collection of networked set-top boxes; and also supports a customer self-installation model, which Entone says is “critical” to European operators. The European version of the device also features a dual DVB-T tuner for digital terrestrial reception. In addition, the device provides multiple storage capacity options for whole-home DVR capabilities, and supports media sharing within a home network, Entone says. According to the company, the new device allows users to independently record, pause, play, rewind and fast-forward live or recorded content from any TV in their home network, and to carry out simultaneous recording and playback from any TV in the home. “In developing the Janus gateway, we worked closely with the European operators to make sure we addressed their key needs and challenges,” Mark Evensen, Entone’s VP of product development, said in a prepared statement. “We heard loud and clear that the operators needed a solution for multiple television homes without requiring a home full of set-top boxes. We also understood the need for hybrid DVB-T/IP support, and the ability for customers to self-install the solution in their homes.”

Entone says that the Janus gateway is currently being deployed by a number of European operators, and that a North American version of the device will be available next quarter.