Monday, September 29, 2014

Cloud UI


Click on the screen below to watch a demonstration of Alticast's Cloud UI by Alticast Director of Product Management, Susan Crouse.  For additional information, visit our website here.


Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Alticast at SCTE

If you happen to be at Cable-Tec Expo this week, make sure to stop by the Alticast pedestal in the BTR Diamond Technology Review pavilion to see a demonstration of our 4 diamond awarded HDMI Media Express.


Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Alticast’s HDMI Media Express “Set-Top Box on a Stick” Recognized in Prestigious Diamond Technology Reviews


Alticast’s Latest TV Everywhere Solution Recognized for Innovation in
Coveted Product Review Program

Alticast, a global partner for the delivery of media entertainment, today announced that its HDMI Media Express has received an exceptional “4 Diamond” rating in the Broadband Technology Report’s 2014 Diamond Technology Reviews, a highly regarded product review program that recognizes the best products and solutions for the cable television industry. 

Alticast’s HDMI Media Express works in conjunction with a home gateway or cloud-based IP content to enable operators to securely deliver live and on-demand programing to the large screen.  The small footprint of the device provides a TV Everywhere experience with its download-and-go and plug-and-play capability. The Alticast software integration on HDMI Media Express leverages both the Reference Design Kit (RDK), the popular pre-integrated software bundle endorsed by leading cable operators, and Alticast’s HTML5 TV Ready User Agent application framework.  This framework allows seamless operation of HTML5 and Android applications, allowing operators to deliver a multi-functional and multi-screen entertainment solution.


 “Receiving such high marks in this coveted product reviews program shows that cable industry experts recognize the value of HDMI Media Express and how it can be used by operators to expand their TV Everywhere services,” said John Carlucci, CTO, Alticast US. “Our HDMI Media Express solution represents a new paradigm for multi-screen IP video delivery, enabling operators to fully leverage the Cloud and home-based gateways to deliver new and compelling TV Everywhere services.”

“Operators are continually looking to expand their multiscreen capabilities and the Diamonds judges recognize the potential of Alticast’s HDMI Media Express to help MSOs offer new and irresistible viewing experiences,” said Tim Hermes, Publisher and Founder, Broadband Technology Report.

About Broadband Technology Report
Broadband Technology Report (BTR), celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2014, is the cable and telecom industry’s premier source for product and technology news, and is the most successful and fastest growing online outlet for product information and deployments; reviews and rankings; technology expertise; and buyer/seller facilitation. BTR’s portfolio includes online, print and video assets, all designed to help network operators build, upgrade and maintain high performance communications networks. BTR, backed by more than 70 years of combined industry experience, delivers its email, online, print and video production services to more than 18,500 subscribers. If you are interested in subscribing, consult http://www.btreport.net/subscribe.html.

About the Diamond Technology Review program

The BTR Diamond Technology Reviews (“the Diamonds”) is a renowned industry program – now in its 9th year – that was developed to recognize some of the top products and solutions available to the cable industry as determined by a stellar panel of cable telecommunications engineering experts. Engineering executives from Bright House, Buckeye, Comcast, Boyer Broadband, Suddenlink, and Time Warner Cable were among the third-party judges for the 2014 Diamonds. Every year, BTR invites vendors to submit written information about products/solutions that have been released or upgraded since the previous year’s SCTE Cable-Tec Expo (October 2013). Criteria used in the Diamonds rankings include, first and foremost, unique technology or application thereof, innovation, ease of use, efficiency, reliability and contribution to profitability.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Alticast and Strategy & Technology Demonstrate Interactive TV Applications for ATSC 2.0 at IBC 2014


Companies Leverage ATSC 2.0 to Enable Broadcasters to Deliver new Interactive TV
and Advertising Applications

Alticast, a global partner for the delivery of media entertainment, and Strategy & Technology (S&T), an independent developer of interactive TV technologies, will demonstrate to attendees of IBC 2014 how the companies combined technologies enable broadcasters to deliver ATSC 2.0 applications by overlaying graphics onto their video content.  This combined tool set and complete framework brings together TV and web technologies to give broadcasters the means to deliver a new generation of iTV services and advanced advertising applications. The demonstration will take place at S&T’s IBC booth (Hall 1, Booth B22), September 12– 16, at the Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Congress Centre.

This joint demonstration takes advantage of the triggers provided in ATSC 2.0 that enable broadcasters to synchronize applications with programming content.  The demonstration includes an Alticast enabled set-top box (STB) running the company’s TV Ready User Agent (TVRUA), which provides a robust browser and application life cycle control for managing applications.  S&T’s tools insert ATSC 2.0 triggers into recorded and live content, and Alticast has integrated the ability to recognize these triggers and facilitate the launch of web-based HTML5 applications.  These applications can be delivered from web servers to the screen providing a broadcast solution for interactive TV.

S&T’s new OnScreen Publisher and the Alticast TVPlay application store can be used by application developers to create, manage, monitor and release applications for broadcaster use.  These web-based applications can provide interaction to the viewer, and collect input response so results can be aggregated and reported back to the broadcaster. Reality TV voting, campaign polling and advertising call-to-actions are examples of the types of interactive applications broadcasters could deploy.  Tablet and mobile interactions can also be designed as part of the application.

“The new iTV capabilities of ATSC 2.0 are huge for broadcasters who are eager to offer a more interactive TV experience for viewers and advertisers, said John Carlucci, CTO of Alticast U.S.  “Together with our partner S&T, we are showing broadcasters how our joint solution enables them to take advantage of ATSC 2.0 to deliver a range of interactive TV and advertising applications.”

“We are delighted to be working with Alticast to bring this demonstration to IBC. The use of OnScreen Publisher and our trigger insertion toolsets has enabled us to provide a compelling demonstration of the interactivity that ATSC 2.0 makes available to broadcasters,” said Adrian Fowkes, Engineering Director at Strategy & Technology.

About Strategy & Technology

Strategy & Technology (S&T) is an independent software company providing development and deployment of interactive multi-screen systems using standardized technologies such as DSM-CC, MHEG-5, HbbTV, HTML 5 and CI Plus. S&T solutions include carousel generation and playout, middleware engines, and interactive multi-screen applications for TVs, tablets, smartphones, PCs, games consoles and digital media players. S&T operates internationally with offices in London (UK), Boulder (Colorado, USA) and Hong Kong. For more information on S&T, please go to www.s-and-t.com