Entone's award-winning Hydra IP video gateway is being deployed by HickoryTech for its IPTV rollout in Minnesota. HickoryTech offers integrated communication products and services to business and residential customers over a regional fiber network. Their telecom sector, with facilities in Minnesota and Iowa, offers local voice, long distance, high-speed Internet, digital TV and IP networking services to residential and business customers. Their Enventis sector provides IP-based voice, data and network solutions to businesses across a five-state region.

Hydra IP video gateway is part of Entone's Connected Home Solution that eliminates the need for multiple set-top boxes or new home wiring to deliver IPTV services. Using patent-pending technology, Hydra can deliver multiple video streams over a single DSL or Ethernet connection using existing in-home coax cabling. The result is a dramatic cost savings over single decoder IPTV set-top box solutions.

Entone's Hydra HD IP video gateway offers high-definition video services using MPEG-4 (H.264/AVC) compression technologies. Hydra HD comes with several advance service options including HomePNA 3.0, modular Digital Video Recorder with up to 1 Terabyte of storage, integrated Caller ID, and an ATSC tuner for receiving over-the-air broadcast television.