Irdeto, the proven expert in content security for Digital TV, IPTV and Mobile, and a subsidiary of multinational media group Naspers, announced today that Optical Entertainment Network (OEN) has chosen Irdeto's content security solution, Pisys, to protect its IP-based fiber-to the-premise (FTTP) network video service offering.

Irdeto PIsys will protect content for OEN's FISION™ service, which will provide triple-play services over IP, consisting of digital video, including HDTV, Internet and Voice service to subscribers in the greater Houston, Texas, the 10th largest television market in the U.S. With over 1.6 million households, OEN intends to capture a significant share of this market and as an extension of their current entertainment programming, OEN continues to pursue premium program content with the recently announced IPTV carriage agreements with Starz Entertainment, which includes HDTV and On Demand offerings.

Irdeto's IPTV security solution provides a full video product and service offering, including IPTV, VOD and PVR/DVR security. All content is securely stored and distributed across any broadband IP network, and the corresponding content rights are managed on an individual subscriber and/or device basis. Irdeto PIsys for IPTV is flexible and supports secure content storage for video servers, subscriber set top boxes (STB) and PVRs/DVRs.

"As part of our plan to grow our FISION service and premium service offerings, we needed to ensure we had a content security solution that fulfilled the studio's encryption requirements and protected our revenue base," said Allen Easty, Chief Technology Officer at OEN. "Irdeto's ability to integrate its flexible and proven security solution with our current infrastructure re-assured us that we were complying with the necessary license requirements to offer premium content."

"As Irdeto continues to pursue the IPTV marketplace, we want to remind our customers that content, especially premium content offerings, are the fuel to their IPTV revenue streams," said Graham Kill, CEO at Irdeto. "Operators must plan from the outset a good security solution that will prevent the ever-present threat of piracy, sustain their Pay-TV business, and ensure compliance with content licensing agreements."

Best-of-breed vendors collaborated to deliver an integrated solution to OEN. Powered by TUT Systems digital headend, middleware supplied by Minerva Networks, IP Set-top boxes by Amino Communications and end-to-end content protection by Irdeto, this project is a stellar example of an integrated IPTV solution.

Please visit Irdeto at NAB 2006, booth #SU 793, April 24-27, 2006 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.