Software (Media Players, Middleware, Browsers, Stacks, …) News

Humax Freeview Play STB based on Opera HbbTV 2.0 SDK
Oct 19, 2015 – Opera TV has announced that Humax's new UK set-top boxes, unveiled last week, will be the first live deployment of its HbbTV 2.0 SDK. Humax's new set-top boxes are the first Freeview-Play-enabled devices.
News categories: Opera TV, Humax, Aneesh Rajaram, Graham North, Digital TV, HbbTV, Set Top Box, Terrestrial, UK

Charter launches Spectrum TV as a Roku app
Oct 12, 2015 – Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR) has announced that its Spectrum TV App is now available as a channel on Roku players and Roku TVs. Charter TV customers are able to stream Spectrum TV content to any TV in the home connected to a Roku device.
News categories: Charter Communications, Roku, Tom Rutledge, Andrew Ferrone, Apps, Cable TV, Digital TV, Set Top Box, Smart Home, USA

TabletTV Plus to launch mid-Q4 in the United States
Oct 8, 2015 – Motive Television (AIM: MTV) has announced that Tablet Television, the joint venture between Motive Television and Granite Broadcasting, is launching TabletTV Plus in mid-4th quarter within the United States.
News categories: Motive Television, TabletTV, Granite Broadcasting, Leonard M Fertig, Luc Tomasino, Apps, Digital TV, Streaming, Tablet, Terrestrial, USA

DIRECTV launches first Virtual Reality App
Oct 8, 2015 – DIRECTV has taken its first jab at Virtual Reality (VR) with its Big Knockout Boxing (BKB) VR App. The app delivers highlights from the June 27 BKB fight event at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Users can experience the blows and knock downs on a VR-ready smartphone.
News categories: DIRECTV, Jon Molod, Apps, Digital TV, Metaverse, Mobile, USA

HDMI Licensing launches HDMI 2.0 Certification Program
Oct 5, 2015 – HDMI Licensing has announced a Premium HDMI Cable Certification Program. The program tests that the cable can support the 18Gbps bandwidth required by the HDMI 2.0 Specification - a throughput typically needed for video formats such as 4K/UltraHD.
News categories: HDMI Licensing, Jeff Park, Rob Tobias, QoE, Set Top Box, Smart Home, Smart TV, Worldwide

Google announces additional Android TV partners
Oct 1, 2015 – Google has said that Hisense and TCL have been added as Smart TV partners for Android TV. The company also announced that Pace, Sagemcom and Technicolor will manufacture set-top boxes, and that KDDI and Telecom Italia are planning to provide Pay TV services powered by Android TV.
News categories: Google, Android TV, Digital TV, Italy, Japan, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Worldwide

NAGRA powers Hinduja Group NXT Digital 'HITS' platform
Oct 1, 2015 – NAGRA (SIX:KUD.S) has announced that its anyCAST content protection and OpenTV middleware are enabling the Hinduja Group’s NXT Digital 'HITS' platform which will provide backend operations to local and multi-system cable operators in India.
News categories: NAGRA, Hinduja Ventures, Jean-Luc Jezouin, Tony D’Silva, Cable TV, Content Distribution, Content Protection, Digital TV, India, Middleware, Satellite

Brazil opens consultation on specifications for Ginga C middleware
Sep 24, 2015 – Brazil's national standards body, the ABNT (Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas), has opened public consultation on technical specifications for Ginga C, the next version of the country's digital television middleware.
News categories: Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas, Brazil, Digital TV, Middleware, SBTVD, Set Top Box, Terrestrial

Futarque releases MStar-based Android STB dev kit
Sep 17, 2015 – Futarque has announced the release of their DVB-T2 based Android STB development kit. The kit is available as small complete STB motherboard that can be purchased directly in large volume and used as the heart of an STB development.
News categories: Futarque, MStar, Jesper Kaagaard, Trevor Neal, Digital TV, IBCShow, Middleware, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, Worldwide