INTEK Digital selects Opera to deliver better Web on world first Android-based hybrid set-top boxes

Opera, a must-have in set-top boxes

LAS VEGAS, USA — Opera Software and INTEK Digital, a leading set-top-box manufacturer, today announced that the two companies will work together to deliver a better web experience for connected TV viewers. Opera Software will provide licenses for the Opera Devices Software Development Tool Kit (SDK) on its Android-based Hybrid set-top box (STB) including HbbTV. This new STB will be shipped in the first half of 2012.

The hybrid STB provides viewers with both broadcast television and Internet content on their TVs. With analogue broadcast TV to be switched off by the European Commission’s recommended date of 2012, the demand for hybrid STB is now on the rise. IMS Research recently pointed out that worldwide digital terrestrial STB shipments will reach 20.5 million in 2012. With more and more web applications available for TVs, a good Internet solution plays an important role to elevate the users’ experience.

The Opera Devices SDK is a robust, open platform for creating web-standards-based Internet solutions. It provides the ideal foundation for developing connected, interactive TV solutions by combining web applications, widgets and full Internet browsing with emerging standards. In addition, it uses Opera’s most recent core, Opera Presto, which powers the latest Opera desktop browser. It has incorporated a significant update to the SVG engine, with up to 10x performance improvements over the SVG engine in previous versions. There are also improvements in CSS, DOM and JavaScript modules. Now it is available on Android-based platforms.

“For years, the Opera Devices SDK has been deployed by many leading TV OEMs and STB manufacturers. We keep improving the technology to make it compliant with up-to-date industry standards,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO of Opera Software. “With this partnership, Opera and INTEK Digital STB technology will deliver a seamless and enhanced hybrid TV experience to people all over the world.”

“2012 will be the year of connected TVs. As the demand increases, we remain dedicated to delivering the best to our customers,” said Shine Kim, CEO of INTEK Digital. “Opera Devices SDK for Android is easy to deploy. It enables INTEK Digital to both meet the time demands of the market as well as bring quality hybrid STBs with superb web-rendering performance to the market.”