Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has launched a software platform that enables mobile operators to provide live, recorded or video-on-demand TV to mobile phone, Internet-connected PC, or satellite or digital terrestrial TV screens. The solution also offers an open platform for creating new applications, and provides remote personal video recording, catch-up TV, operator-to-subscriber messaging, and enhanced IPTV picture stability.
This new software platform lets subscribers enjoy video content and manage it in a consistent way, whether inside or outside the home, says NSNs Head of Media and Entertainment Solutions, Brook Longdon. By offering quality video on a range of different devices, across different networks, and by providing an open environment for app development, we free operators to partner with developers, without being bound to any one vendor's roadmaps.
NSN notes that supporting a consistent user experience across a range of devices and networks, while compelling for the consumer, can be complex and costly for the operator. It says its new platform resolves this by supporting different environments from a single, cost-efficient control point based on the DVB-IPTV and Open IPTV Forum's Baseline Managed Profile specifications.
The platform supports several types of network-based personal video recording, including user-controlled and operator-controlled recording functionality, to allow flexibility in business models and in navigating content rights issues. This allows people to watch one channel while recording another for later viewing.
The platform also sees the introduction of network-based catch-up TV, whereby previously shown content is automatically made available for later viewing. It also offers operator-to-subscriber messaging, enabling operators to send relevant operational and marketing messages to all or a subset of their subscriber base. It is a component of an end-to-end solution that enables operators to introduce advanced TV services rapidly. NSN points out that it has extensive experience as an end-to-end IPTV system integrator and middleware provider, and delivers a wide range of related professional services, including business and technical consulting, systems integration, and installation.