EKT, Entropic and nangu.TV deliver advanced set-top box to Telefonica

Entropic-powered EKT Set-Top Box for Telefonica Czech Republic

SAN DIEGO and FURTWANGEN, Germany — EKT (Eagle Kingdom Technologies), a leading supplier of advanced STB solutions, was selected by Telefonica Czech Republic to supply their new interactive STB solution. Based on an Entropic ARM® Cortex™ A-9 secure integrated circuit (IC) solution, Telefonica’s customers can now experience true HD graphical user interface capabilities together with the latest features in IPTV interactivity.

“EKT has always been about delivering innovative STB solutions. The Telefonica project really brings together the power of our Entropic-based hardware with the robustness and flexibility of our solidTV™ middleware,” said Christof Winker, general manager of the EKT solidTV™ group. “We really look forward to bringing a fully managed box with the latest in HTML5-compliant browser capabilities, Smooth Streaming and PlayReady to Telefonica. Combining some of our unique features such as solidUpdater™, solidPlayer™ and solidBrowser™, Telefonica users can enjoy a truly future-ready product.”

Tomas Dratva, manager video services, Telefonica Czech Republic, a.s said, “We have been very diligent in selecting a partner for our IPTV (O2TV) next generation upgrade in the Czech region. The key selection criteria were quality of the product accompanied with professional level of the middleware support service, which together will provide best grade of Telefónica’s user experience whilst keeping cost under control. The combination of EKT with the nangu.TV IPTV platform has fulfilled our expectation and we are keen to start the new era of our O2TV in the Czech market.”

At the heart of the product is Entropic’s EN7551 ARM-based system-on-a-chip (SoC). This 1700DMIPS powered IC delivers true HD entertainment with a user experience that was previously only available on PCs.

“EKT’s combination of advanced hardware and software expertise puts them at the forefront of delivering innovative STBs to the global market. The contract with Telefonica is the result of that effort,” said Roger Gregory, vice president, Marketing at Entropic. “We are proud to call Telefonica a customer of our chipset solutions as they continue to innovate the way subscribers watch and engage with home entertainment content and services.”

The first units were delivered to the market in July 2013, and the new STB will be shown at the IBC Exhibition in Amsterdam at the RAI Convention Center, September 13-17, 2013, by Entropic (Hall 13; Meeting Suite G106/G107), EKT (Hall 2; Stand 2.C27) and nangu.TV (Hall 14; Stand 14.281).