Televes chooses 'httvBOX' for HbbTV-compliant STB deployment

At IBC 2012, httv, the France and Singapore based solutions provider for Digital TV, will showcase the first commercial deployment of its STB turnkey solution: “httvBOX”. Televes, a leading European STB manufacturer, has chosen httv’s httvBOX firmware solution to launch its HbbTV compliant set top box. Based on the Sigma Designs (NASDAQ: SIGM) SMP8670 SoC it will also be the first HbbTV deployment for the California chipset vendor. This product offers an advanced and cost effective solution for HbbTV and hybrid DVB-T/IP markets.

Televes is a leading global company in the design, development and manufacture of systems and products associated with telecommunications services for the home, and specialized in the reception and broadcast of the radio-television signal.

Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Santiago de Compostela (Spain), the company today forms a corporation of technological firms with a commercial presence in over 80 countries. It has 20 industrial and service subsidiaries, over 700 employees and 56 world patents.

Just one year after the initial httvBOX preview demonstrated at IBC 2011, httv is launching the first commercial deployment of its solution with a leading European set top box manufacturer. Powered by Sigma’s SMP 8670 chipset, the TELEVES device addresses all free to air markets combining DVB-T and OTT video signals. httv’s software enables DTT channels and adds up the OTT delivery for streamed live channels, as well as catch-up and VOD.

This httvBOX product features the HbbTV 1.1.1 implementation and will be targeting primarily France, Spain, Portugal but also DVB-T HbbTV markets, a rapidly spreading hybrid standard in Europe. httvBOX is future-proof and will support the download of HbbTV 1.5 bringing DRMs and Mpeg-dash features without any hardware modifications.

Bernard Dupin, CEO of the httv group declared: “httv is proud to announce this first deployment of httvBox. with Televes. httvBox is one the most performing and cost effective HbbTV solutions of the market as it is a fully integrated Turnkey solution.” He added “HbbTV is a fast growing standard and we will have more business opportunities with Televes and Sigma Designs in Europe.”

Sergio Martin, Dircom of the Televes Corporation has stated “Televes is valued worldwide as a brand that stands for quality. We are delighted to have partnered with httv in the deployment of our Zas Hbb set-top box.”

Manuel Martinez, General Manager of Sales and Marketing has indicated “the Zas Hbb is a key strategic development for Televes. Sigma Designs technology and httv development offer the highest reliability in what we foresee as a successful product for the HbbTV growing market.”

“Sigma’s SMP8670 SoC for the Hybrid Free to Air STB market offers the best in class performance for interactive broadcast standards such as HBBTV,” said Waheed Rasheed, VP of Marketing at Sigma Designs. “Sigma’s open framework SDK solution for SMP8670 that supports QT-Webkit enabled the fast port of httvBox middleware.” The partnership between Sigma Designs and httv brings an advanced highly interactive, cost effective hybrid solution to the fast growing FTA market in the EU.”

httv will demonstrate the demo on its booth 5.B26 at IBC 2012 in Amsterdam.