StarHub partners Samsung and NAGRA for next-gen STBs

Thursday, April 10th, 2014
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StarHub Partners Samsung and NAGRA to Wow Audiences with First-Class Viewing Experience

SINGAPORE — In a move that aims to wow Singapore audiences with an unrivalled viewing experience on StarHub TV, StarHub announced today a strategic partnership with global technology leader Samsung Electronics and digital media technology leader NAGRA for its line-up of next-generation set-top boxes.

The first of three to be rolled out – the Samsung HD Interactive set-top box will be available to all StarHub TV customers starting 15 April. The two others will include an all-in-one box that enables features like multi-room recording and multi-screen capability, as well as one that is IPTV-enabled.

Boasting a sleeker and slimmer appearance, the Samsung HD Interactive set-top box incorporates NAGRA’s latest middleware technology to create a seamless and compelling user experience. Thanks to this enhanced middleware, users can navigate easier on a modern user interface which also provides up to four times faster access to Video On Demand titles, as compared to the current models. NAGRA, which is StarHub’s longtime partner, has been providing the content protection and middleware technologies for StarHub’s digital and two-way interactive set-top boxes.

Users will also be able to enjoy effortless accessibility to StarHub TV’s On Demand programmes with a new search function on the Samsung HD Interactive set-top box. In addition, with programme listings displayed on one page, users can now choose from StarHub’s rich variety of On Demand channels and Catch-Up TV, all at a glance.

​Designed for a seamless channel surfing experience, the box responds faster when users switch channels too. It also allows them to pause or rewind “live” TV. At launch, users will be able to check out interactive TV features such as ‘live’ traffic updates, real-time access to SGX Finance via the Samsung HD Interactive set-top box. For viewers who want to have the option to store their preferred content and consume it at any time, they can enable the box’s recording capabilities via an external hard disk drive by June.

“We are thrilled to partner with Samsung and NAGRA, both leaders in their respective fields, for our next-generation set-top boxes. We recognise that today, TV viewing goes beyond just a passive lean-back experience. Users now demand a more responsive and intuitive user experience when they search for content. The new superior viewing experience, powered by the new Samsung HD Interactive set-top box, and NAGRA’s enabling technology, is one of the many ways we constantly innovate to delight customers,” said Ms Lin Shu Fen, Head of Entertainment & SmartLife, StarHub.

“The Samsung HD Interactive Set-Top Box will be the first of three leading edge set-top boxes that Samsung will deliver to StarHub. Samsung believes that this technology will revolutionise StarHub’s customer viewing experience and is delighted to engage in this long term partnership,” said Stanley Goh, Vice President, Consumer Electronics, Samsung Singapore.

“We applaud StarHub in seizing the convergence opportunity and readying its platform for the future,” said Jean-Luc Jezouin, NAGRA’s Senior Vice President of Sales for Asia. “The vision behind our middleware technology, OpenTV5 was simple: to create a new category of solution that connects people to what matters to them, while enabling a feature-rich and quality viewing experience. We are excited to make this technology accessible to StarHub and their subscribers.”