CANAL+ Chooses the Latest Generation of NDS Middleware to Transform Subscribers’ Set-top Boxes into Digital Video Recorders
Highlights:
- CANAL+ GROUP has deployed the latest generation of NDS’ MediaHighway®
middleware, allowing subscribers to easily transform their
HD set-top boxes (STBs) into
HD digital video recorders (DVRs)
- CANAL+ and CANALSAT subscribers in France can now add an
external hard drive via
the USB port on their HD STB to have a fully functional HD
DVR
- CANAL+ has also deployed NDS’ MediaHighway
to support its latest dual-tuner HD STB
LONDON, UK, PARIS, FRANCE – February
26, 2008 – NDS,
the leading provider of
technology solutions for digital Pay-TV, today announced that
CANAL+ GROUP, France’s
leading Pay TV provider, has chosen the latest generation of
MediaHighway® middleware to
enable subscribers to transform their HD STBs into DVRs. CANAL+
launched its first HD
STB two years ago and currently there are about 250,000 HD satellite
STBs installed in
subscribers’ homes.
CANAL+ subscribers can connect an external hard disk to their
HD STB via the USB port.
Only external hard disk units which meet the requirements of
CANAL+ for performance,
stability and security will be integrated to provide the service.
On its website, CANAL+
GROUP publishes a list of approved hard disks that are now
available to buy in retail outlets.
As part of the adoption of the new version of MediaHighway,
the middleware has
automatically downloaded new software to each HD STB. The HD
STBs now detect the
addition of a new external hard drive and format the drive
for use as a DVR. Subscribers may
use more than one external hard drive if they wish.
CANAL+ has kicked off a marketing program to encourage customers
to upgrade to HD and
DVR functionality.
In addition, NDS today announced that CANAL+ has deployed
NDS’ MediaHighway to
support its latest satellite dual-tuner HD STB for the French
market.
MediaHighway is the market-leading middleware for digital
pay TV worldwide. There are
currently over 76.4 million NDS middleware clients deployed,
and there are over 10.4 million
NDS-powered DVRs in viewers’ homes around the world.
“MediaHighway was the only middleware that enabled CANAL+
to offer its consumers the
choice of industry-leading pay-TV solutions it required. MediaHighway
has demonstrated yet
again that it can handle complex requirements,” commented
Caroline Le Bigot, NDS Vice
President, EMEA.
About CANAL+ GROUP
CANAL+ GROUP is the leader in Pay-TV in France with more than
10 million
subscriptions to a wide range of offers including CANAL+, CANALSat
and the former TPS.
Within its offer, CANAL+ LE BOUQUET, the first multi-channel
premium offer in France,
available via satellite, cable, digital terrestrial television
and ADSL networks, features six premium content channels built
around the leading premium general-interest channel,
CANAL+. CANAL+ GROUP also produces a range of channels dedicated
to subscribers’
favorite themes which include films (CinéCinéma),
sport (Sport+, Infosport), news (i>Télé),
series (Jimmy), documentaries (Planète) and programs for
young people (Piwi, Télétoon).
CANAL+ GROUP distributes CANALSAT as well, a multichannel offering
available on
satellite, cable, ADSL, DTT through a minipack and adapted for
third generation (3G)
mobile telephones. CANAL+ GROUP is also a major producer of French
pay-TV
channels and, through StudioCANAL, a significant contributor
to the financing, acquisition
and distribution of films. A pionner in new technologies, CANAL+
GROUP is the first Pay
TV operator to have launched HD programs via satellite in Spring
2006 and have today
the largest offering in the French TV market with more than 10
HD channels.
About NDS
NDS Group plc (NASDAQ: NNDS), a majority owned subsidiary of
News Corporation, supplies open end-to-end digital technology
and services to digital pay-television platform operators and
content providers. See www.nds.com for
more information about NDS.
###
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| NDS |
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| Cynthia Ritchie |
T: +44 20 8476 8378 |
| Director, Corporate Communications |
M: +44 7799 768464 |
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critchie@nds.com |
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| Ansgar Gerber |
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