SeaChange is introducing another innovative new storage solution, this time addressing broadcasters’ requirements for massive amounts of video storage to fit within a dramatically low-profile footprint. The SeaChange Drawer of Drives supports up to 72 terabytes of storage (3,300+ hours of High Definition content at 50 Mb/s) in a remarkably compact 10-inch-high chassis, giving broadcasters a core storage system that can accommodate today’s demands, particularly as broadcasters shift to HD video workflows.

Microsoft released Silverlight 1.0, a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering richer user experiences on the Web. In addition, Microsoft will work with Novell to deliver Silverlight support for Linux, called Moonlight, and based on the project started on mono-project.com.

Silverlight significantly reduces development and deployment costs and provides enhanced Web audio and video streaming and playback using industry-leading Windows Media Technologies. Microsoft unveiled new Silverlight customer experiences on “Entertainment Tonight,” HSN and World Wrestling Entertainment, and also launched the Silverlight Partner Initiative, a program designed to foster collaboration among solution providers, content delivery networks, tools vendors and design agencies.

AT&T U-verse TV has surpassed 100,000 customers, marking another significant milestone for the nation's largest deployment of IPTV service. In addition, AT&T outlined plans to enhance the U-verse TV experience by rolling out compelling new interactive features and content beginning later this month.

AT&T U-verse customers will soon begin receiving several new features that further differentiate U-verse TV from cable-based services, including:

• AT&T U-bar, which brings Internet-like content to the television screen in the form of customized weather, stock, traffic and sports information.
• YELLOWPAGES.COM TV, an intuitive new way to search for local businesses and other information using www.yellowpages.com.
• AT&T Yahoo! Games, available on the television screen, including Sudoku, Solitaire, JT's Blocks, Mah-Jongg Tiles and Chess.

World Wrestling Entertainment is working with ConcurrentMicrosoft to develop a new, cutting edge interactive video experience at WWE.com based on the Microsoft Silverlight cross-browser, cross-platform interactive plug-in. WWE will make this interactive video player the primary front-end tool for delivering all streaming video, as well as providing a rich and compelling “web 2.0” experience to the WWE fan nation. WWE.com currently attracts more than 20 million unique visitors and streams more than 40 million videos each month.

Concurrent launches an advanced HTML-based VOD application-authoring platform, ideal for promoting real-time content such as time-shifted TV and network DVR content. MediaHawk PRISM is a web authoring platform that leverages commercial-off-the-shelf web-development technologies and standards, allowing the cable operator to control their own application look and feel utilizing standard web authoring tools. MH PRISM’s initial launch was with Jupiter Telecommunications, Japan’s largest MSO and MCO, and the product is now available for deployment worldwide.

Verimatrix announces its Video Content Authority System has been deployed to secure VOLNÝ’s new IPTV offering. VOLNÝ TV is using Verimatrix’s VCAS for IPTV system to protect premium content on its TV service. Through the advanced application of Internet cryptography, including PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) and X.509 digital certificates, VCAS offers much higher levels of content security than traditional smartcard systems and automatically identifies content security breaches. VCAS is designed for use in two-way and hybrid networks and easily integrated with VOLNÝ’s other system components, including middleware from Itonis and set-top boxes from Motorola Kreatel. Verimatrix’s vast partner ecosystem offers network operators, like VOLNÝ, the widest choice of components and operational flexibility in the industry.

KPN teams up with Narrowstep to provide a wholesale Internet TV offering to mobile and fixed network operators, ISPs and content parties. Narrowstep has developed the most comprehensive Internet TV platform that can deliver the highest quality, long-form programming available, giving audiences a true TV-like viewing experience over the Internet.

KPN will offer a bundled service to international wholesale customers that will enable them to monetize video content and decommoditize bandwidth sales. The new service will launch in October 2007, and as part of the deal, Narrowstep will use KPN’s global network infrastructure to extend its Content Distribution Network.

TANDBERG Television announces that its iPlex UltraCompression IPTV head-end has been selected by Swisscom for the next step of its Bluewin IPTV service. Swisscom and TANDBERG Television commenced their collaboration with the trial of the Bluewin IPTV system in autumn 2004, followed by commercial deployment in November 2006. Now the companies are working together to ensure that Swisscom can continue to provide a world-class IPTV service to it customers, through leveraging TANDBERG Television’s broadcast expertise and its award-winning iPlex UltraCompression high definition and standard definition system. The solution offers a range of advanced video processing features with bandwidth improvements of up to 50%, industry leading density and improved video quality.

Optibase will mark the European lunch of its Enterprise TV solution, the EZ TV system, at IBC 2007, stand 2.249, September 7 -11, 2007, Amsterdam. EZ TV is a powerful system that turns any local area network to a digital video delivery network. It is the ideal solution for TV Networks that need to continuously monitor both affiliates’ and competitors’ TV channels directly on employee desktops. The EZ TV is, also, well suited to meet the needs of military bases, police forces, corporate IT and government facilities seeking to distribute TV channels and locally generated video content throughout their facility, over their existing IP infrastructure. Combined with Optibase’s Media Gateway advanced encoding and streaming platforms, EZ TV offers an effective multi-channel video distribution to PC and Mac workstations, laptops, plasma screens with IP set-top-boxes and handheld devices.

ATEME’s world-leading encoding technology has been selected for exclusive use by Korea Telecom (Seoul) for their new MegaTV fiber-to-the-home service. This new service offers converged voice, data and IPTV service to homes throughout the Republic of Korea. Korea Telecom has purchased a significant number of ATEME H.264 File Encoder licenses and will use ATEME technology exclusively to process all of the movies available on MegaTV.

Korea Telecom will be delivering a wide range of content – more than 2,000 hours per month – to its subscribers, using the acclaimed ATEME technology to provide the highest-possible audio/video quality.

VOLNY has chosen ITonis technology to launch VOLNY TV, a set of TV and video services targeting the residential market in Czech republic. The service offers to subscribers rich TV services with a-la-carte programs, Video on Demand, basic games and other Value added services. Subscribers have access to several advanced features such as Pause TV and Start over TV.

While Alef Nula a.s. is the system integrator for the complete solution, the core technology is provided by ITonis. ITonis delivered its complete Multimedia platform solution for IP Television, Video on Demand and Managed recording services. Czech On Line service is based on ITonis middleware, ITonis storage and ITonis streamer solutions. ITonis also provides encoding services for the online movie database.