IP Vision Signs Agreement with Entriq for Hybrid Platform

For the First Time, Consumers Will Have Access to Content from Broadcast and Broadband — All via Their TV

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — IP Vision, the UK’s independent hybrid DTT/IPTV specialists, has announced an agreement with Entriq Inc., the world’s leader in pay media, to build a fully integrated service for the delivery of on-demand video content directly to digital terrestrial TV receivers.

The ground-breaking system, which will be demonstrated at the IBC2007 content conference and exhibition in Amsterdam, will include digital TV, home media sharing, television on demand and movies on demand.

IP Vision has appointed Entriq as its partner for the provision of authentication, security and commerce services for the new platform, which will launch in the UK in the last quarter of 2007.

IP Vision provides an end-to-end hybrid IPTV solution that uses both broadband and digital terrestrial television (‘DTT’) technologies. The system enables delivery of on-demand content, including high-definition programming, broadcast television, PVR functionality and streaming of content directly from the Internet to the TV — all through a cost-effective, single-box solution.

As well as catch-up TV services and video on demand, viewers can access local content on their home networks to view their photos, listen to their music or watch their videos on their TV.

The full range of services will be available through a single set-top box that is fully high-definition-ready. The Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) and on-demand features are tightly integrated, enabling consumers to access content via a single seamless interface. This allows a transparent integration between the EPG, DTT broadcasts and an IP-based service.

IP Vision has focused on making access to on-demand content as easy as access to broadcast content. To facilitate this, Entriq and IP Vision have developed a unified consumer authentication and payment system that allows viewers to obtain content from different providers without the need for multiple accounts.

‘Our experience tells us that it is essential for access to on-demand content to be simple. We also know that it is vital to bring on-demand and broadcast content together in one device to maximize the opportunities for promotions and sales,’ said Steve Middleton, head of content at IP Vision.

‘Services such as this are essential in establishing broadband content as a mass-market consumer proposition. It allows consumers to access the content they want, when they want and to view it in comfort on their televisions. Entriq is delighted to be working with IP Vision to provide critical support for this state-of-the-art service,’ said Entriq Chief Operating Officer Guy Tennant, adding: ‘We’re riding the wave of the future today.’

For more information, please visit www.entriq.com. Or visit us at IBC2007, Amsterdam: Hall 3, stand 219.