NDS, Blockbuster, ADB & Bitband To Showcase VOD solution xSpace

NDS, Blockbuster, ADB & Bitband To Showcase VOD solution xSpace

MUMBAI: NDS, the prominent provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV together with Blockbuster Digital Entertainment, set-top box (STB) supplier ADB and VOD (Video on Demand) solutions provider Bitband will be showcasing xSpace at IBC 2005, Amsterdam.

xSpace is a comprehensive VOD solution designed for broadcast operators deploying hybrid STBs with broadband connectivity.

xSpace is an on-demand platform that integrates with the operator's system and existing business. It extends the operator's back office eliminating the need for separate billing and content management systems, resulting in cost efficiency and operation simplicity. Furthermore, xSpace's scalable EPG provides easy navigation and advanced search capabilities, all within the legacy branded look and feel, states an official release.

Built upon NDS's proven VideoGuard® conditional access system, xSpace provides the security and the business packaging of on-demand content and, utilizing XTV-based STBs, enables the recording of IP content to disk. xSpace enables the introduction of new business models and creates bundles that tie together the broadcast channels with new on-demand content.

At IBC, the partners will demonstrate for the first time how an integrated VOD service based on the satellite operator's platform is expedited from a "one-box solution". Partners will showcase the following: NDS's xSpace platform that extends the operator's conditional access system and middleware into the VOD arena; Blockbuster movies-on-demand application integrated into operator's EPG; ADB's 3100S Hybrid STB equipped with an Ethernet port integrated into any broadband access network; Bitband's Vision - scalable distributed IP streaming platform, the release adds.

YES, Israel's pay-TV satellite operator will be the first operator to deploy a VOD solution based on the xSpace system, anticipated during 2006.

"The integrated vision of broadcast and IP has a strong value proposition for satellite operators" commented NDS's VP of Product Marketing Gadi Tirosh. "We are pleased to present, along with our partners, a first-to-market solution that truly addresses the need of pay-TV operators."

"Digital distribution of content is a natural progression for our business," states Steve Middleton, European director of New Media for Blockbuster Digital Entertainment. "With the evolution of broadband and pay-TV, millions of customers will be able to directly access our services from the comfort of their own home."

"ADB is proud to have its unique Ethernet-enabled STB integrated with NDS and Bitband to provide a ready-to-market solution for secure delivery of VOD," says ADB CEO Philippe Lambinet. He added: "This will provide pay-TV operators with a cost effective way of enhancing their service offering with premium, IP based content".

"Bitband is already providing IP-based video delivery to hundreds of thousands of Telco customers worldwide," commented BitBand EVP Sales & Marketing Yuval Sovinsky. "Now with xSpace, we are presenting to the market a new model for satellite providers wishing to offer advanced IPTV services, allowing them to better compete with alternative TV content providers."