Secure | Enable | Interact NDS

Meeting the
    challenge of change

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Today's set-top boxes (STBs) are expected to do a lot more than ever before. Besides delivering standard DVR and HD services, they must support advanced services like video-on-demand (VOD), catch-up, content distribution to multiple devices, over-the-top (OTT) content and contextual related widgets

NDS MediaHighway® set-top box software enables STBs to meet all these expectations… and more. It is the industry's fastest growing set-top box software and will soon be the most deployed.

The choice of pay-TV leaders

MediaHighway has been selected by more than 40 operators worldwide, including leading digital pay-TV platforms such as BSkyB (UK), DIRECTV (US), CanalSat (France), Sky Deutschland (Germany), Airtel (India) and Astro (Malaysia). It is the software behind the world's most popular and fastest growing SD/HD DVR which now has over a third of market share.

 

Supports all platforms types and sizes

MediaHighway's infrastructure and advanced architecture make it flexible, powerful and feature-rich. It supports platforms large and small using all types of STBs, from low-end zappers or thin IP clients, through mid-end, hybrid HD DVRs to high-end multi-tuner gateway boxes. Advanced MediaHighway-equipped boxes also support dual-core functionality enabling more actions to be done simultaneously without impacting on each other.


A dynamic feature set

 

MediaHighway's feature set is constantly being tested and evaluated and has a well defined roadmap for the future.

It offers unrivalled features and services designed to boost ARPU and keep subscribers loyal to your platform:

  • Manages cable, satellite or terrestrial signals together with IP to deliver rich content across any network

  • Supports all content delivery methods-broadcast, hybrid and OTT-through a single hybrid STB or gateway

  • Features a sleek new selection of Electronic Program Guides (EPGs) using different application engines (Java, Flash, HTML) and backed by consulting and global studio design services

  • Includes integrated HTML browser to enable web-based services

 

  • Supports multi-threading so that EPG coexists with HTML widgets

  • Supports multi-room DVR and content distribution to multiple devices

  • Includes development, authoring, testing and publishing tools for updating EPGs and creating interactive applications

  • Supports rich broadband features—VOD, Catch-up, Restart-TV, content discovery, recommendations etc.

Delivering the future
                      of pay-TV


Reflecting more than a decade of intensive R&D and significant investment, NDS is now working with customers to create a MediaHighway roadmap of advanced functions and features for the near and long term.

Electronic Program Guides
and UIs

At the heart of any pay-TV operation, today's EPG is the operator's branded, all-in-one portal with content navigation, promotional space, new apps and widgets.

An effective EPG drives revenues and reduces churn while keeping your brand upfront. It maintains your platform's status as the one-stop-shop for broadcast, on-demand, Internet and interactive TV (iTV) services.

 

 

MediaHighway follows the NDS strategy which simplifies buying, moving, storing and enjoying content on any device. Our UI designs provide a familiar, yet sleek user experience on all devices while enhancing your brand.

With MediaHighway, you can take advantage of a rich selection of ready-made or tailored SD and HD EPGs. NDS has won several interactive and design awards for its EPGs, created in our network of global design centers. MediaHighway's multi-threaded approach enables operators to use different application engines (Java, Flash, HTML) for running EPGs and applications at the same time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MediaHighway STBs support EPGs with multiple languages and character sets, including Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic, Korean and Hebrew, so you can deploy in any market.

With MediaHighway's design and development tools, EPG Designer and EPG Framework, you can change and update your EPG's look and feel in-house without changing the underlying code.

 


The world's most
               popular DVR


NDS is the world leader in DVR technology, with over 45 million DVRs devices currently deployed.

Advanced DVRs

The MediaHighway® DVR has tightly integrated content protection for recorded content, while offering a host of advanced features and business opportunities:

  • Over a dozen pre-integrated STBs and multiple chipsets for reduced costs and fast time-to-market

  • Series recording, review buffer and Push-VOD

  • Smart recording management ensures all programs are recorded at the right time

  • Audience measurement for all kinds of content including: live, on-demand and recorded

  • Remote booking from PC/Mobile

  • Booking from TV promos

  • Revenue generating advertising capabilities with NDS Dynamic™ that turns the DVR into a smart ad server in the home

 

External DVR

MediaHighway's DVR Lite solution turns legacy STBs into fully functioning DVRs by simply connecting an external hard drive. NDS' DRM technology keeps content encrypted and fully protected on external disks while your subscribers enjoy the benefits of a DVR experience without the associated hardware cost. DVR Lite passes the cost of storage from the operator to the subscriber and increases operational benefits.

 

 

 

 

 


Offer it all
       on your platform


Today's subscribers want it all-broadcast TV, VOD and OTT long tail Internet content. MediaHighway® ensures that your platform remains the one site to go to for all types of content.


Video-on-demand

MediaHighway supports streaming VOD on cable, IPTV and hybrid STBs. It has been integrated with many of the world's leading VOD servers to provide an efficient, secure and feature-rich experience with these important features:

  • Multiple catalogs for regional pricing and availability

  • Movie promotions and trailers

  • Rich metadata such as content synopsis, poster images, cast list, parental rating, video/audio formats and closed captions

  • Unique skins for different on-demand pages

  • Catch-up TV and Restart-TV for either "rewinding" the EPG to watch previously aired titles or watching currently broadcast titles from the beginning before they finish













Hybrid pay-TV services

MediaHighway's, two–way network capability lets you deliver advanced broadband services through a single hybrid STB or gateway; for example, VOD, content from home-network devices, user-generated content and other revenue-enhancing services.









Progressive download (PDL)

PDL maintains your quality-of-service while delivering IP content over variable bandwidth connections. It avoids the need for expensive VOD servers or high speed networks to deliver HD content and so reduces your cost.

Advertising solutions

MediaHighway fully integrates with the NDS Dynamic™ suite of advanced end-to-end advertising solutions. NDS Dynamic delivers advertising that is measurable, addressable and interactive. It uses MediaHighway and your DVR to measure what subscribers watch, and then delivers targeted, more meaningful advertising as well as exciting interactive ads.


Leveraging the
               Internet


MediaHighway® keeps you at the center of your subscribers' video experience by integrating online content with your broadcast services.

Gateway to Internet opportunities

Using MediaHighway's integrated W3C compliant HTML browser, viewers can enjoy Internet audio and video content as an integral part of your branded offering. You can also apply new revenue generating features including bumper advertising, contextual widgets, linking paid premium titles with Internet content and Internet pay-per-view (PPV), to ensure your customers remain loyal.

Gateway to Internet opportunities

MediaHighway's unique search mechanism consolidates results from linear channels, the VOD catalog, DVR recordings, PPV titles and even walled-garden Internet content. It uses metadata and cross-links to present recommended titles that open up new revenue streams.



Over-the-Top (OTT) content delivery

MediaHighway supports adaptive–bit rate (ABR) based HTTP streaming technology for delivering live TV and on-demand over unmanaged IP networks. This is ideal for delivering niche live channels to select audiences without taking up costly broadcast bandwidth. All content, whether delivered over both broadcast and IP, is presented seamlessly through a unified programming guide.


BSkyB search feature


Recommendation widget


Home networking for
             more enjoyment


Its home-networking capabilities practically turn simple STBs around the home into DVRs without any local storage.

Subscribers can share content between horizontal devices, such as tablets and PCs, and in the near future, with connected TVs and game consoles. They can also stream photos, music and video stored on the PC to the big screen.

NDS Unified Gateway™

MediaHighway software is a key enabling technology that is making the next generation of converged services a reality. It drives the NDS Unified Gateway to bring triple-play services into a single operator-managed device with home network capabilities. These include:

  • Multi-room DVR

  • Connectivity between the gateway and companion devices

  • Voice and broadband management

  • VOD enhancements such as global search, recommendations, contextual TV widgets

  • Home automation services

  • Addressable advertising

    Each client supports a remote UI, while the native UI resides on the Gateway box or in the headend.

MediaHighway makes it easier for subscribers to share DVR and VOD content between multiple devices.

                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Interactive TV services

 

NDS' next generation interactive TV solution keeps the TV as the primary entertainment source in the home.

Using the MediaHighway Development Kit's (MHDK) iTV tools and standard API extensions, operators and third-party developers can apply advanced Flash, Java & HTML graphics and interactions to create compelling applications that enrich the viewing experience. For example:

  • Contextual applications that synchronize with and enhance the content your viewers are watching

  • Social TV features

  • In-home shopping

  • Gaming

  • Games channels for branded and white label products

  • Multi-player games

  • Quizzes, trivia and educational applications

  • Sports applications with statistics and multiple camera angles

 

The MHDK simulates, debugs and pre-integrates applications, allowing you to test them on a PC connected to your STB. This cuts development time from months to days.

Interactivity on companion devices

MediaHighway integrates with the NDS Service Delivery Platform (SDP). The SDP enables operators to extend their brand to companion devices while avoiding the time and cost of creating and integrating applications.

Using the SDP "Developer Portal", third-party app developers can access standard APIs to create contextual applications for various platforms such as iOS, Android, RIM and others. Subscribers can then use their companion devices to interact with their set-top box through applications related to content they are currently watching. They can, for example:

  • Use the device as remote control to perform trick modes and book recordings

  • See related content from websites such as Facebook, Twitter, IMDb and YouTube

  • Watch live or on-demand content either within the home network, or outside the home through the operator's cloud service.

 

 

 


Optimize your STB
                     investment


MediaHighway® can save you millions on development costs by enabling you to design once and use on all STB models. It continues to save money by significantly lengthening the useful life of these STBs.

You can innovate and update, adding new functions to deployed STBs without the intervention of the STB manufacturer or disruption to your service. Your subscribers will be more satisfied and you will get a better return on your investment.

Many NDS customers deploy a variety of retail STBs to encourage price and feature competition. They chose MediaHighway to reduce call center costs and ensure consistency across the range of STBs.

To learn more about how NDS MediaHighway® can help your pay-TV business to introduce market leading services, visit the Web page or contact us.

NDS customers worldwide