Sistema has selected the NDS Unified Headend to manage and protect TV content delivery to subscribers across both IP and mobile networks. The NDS Unified Headend integrates conditional access , Digital Rights Management and third party applications, allowing operators to deliver secure broadcast and VOD services to a variety of devices – STBs, mobile phones, PCs, Portable Media Players and DVRs. SMM will use the NDS Unified Headend to deliver content to STBs, PCs and mobile devices with optimum operational efficiency, using a single system to control content distribution.

Verimatrix announced its Series C round of new funding led by Goldman Sachs. The new capital will fund aggressive business expansion and accelerate deployment of Verimatrix's 3-Dimensional Content Security solutions into the rapidly-evolving hybrid, cable and satellite markets around the world. New generations of products to address these markets will be developed from its global number one Verimatrix Video Content Authority System technology core.

NextIO and Broadcast International will team to showcase a breakthrough HD video demonstration at the IPTV North America show in Chicago, July 22nd and 23rd. The demonstration -- which utilizes NextIO’s ExpressConnect solution and BI’s ultra-high speed video compression technology, running on the IBM BladeCenter QS21 server -- will feature real-time video encoding at under 3Mbps. This is compared to the MPEG 2 standard of 19.4 Mbps at which most HD video is transmitted, and will enable video providers to pack more HD video onto limited bandwidth.

NetCracker announces its enhanced IPTV service delivery solution at IPTV World Forum North America. NetCracker’s IPTV solution, combined with its Services Ecosystem approach, enables CSPs to meet IPTV’s scalability, infrastructure diversity, and offer management challenges.

To support the diversity of services and devices required by IPTV and to realize the promise of high-quality, user-controlled entertainment, information, and communications, CSPs must address fundamental fulfillment, assurance, and content management issues. NetCracker’s enhanced IPTV solution gives CSPs proven techniques to manage those issues.

IPTV Network Services has successfully deployed the Latens ECOsystem to enable its IPTV offering. Latens ECO provides IPTV Networks with a single platform comprising next generation middleware and Latens’ highly regarded Conditional Access for the secure delivery of advanced content services.

The affiliates of IPTV Network Services have been offering state-of-the-art telecommunications services in the state of Utah for more than 50 years, providing local, long distance, high-speed Internet, and other business services to over 45,000 residences and businesses in many counties.

Incited Media and Widevine announce a technology partnership that bundles Widevine’s content protection as part of Incited Media’s cross platform live streaming service. Incited Media offers full-scale streaming media production services for companies that require high quality streaming entertainment capabilities. Widevine will enable Incited Media to secure distribution and consumption of live streams on a wide range of consumer platforms.

Scandinavian telecoms operator Telenor has selected IPTV solutions from Thomson for deployment of IPTV services in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The Thomson end to end solution includes the SmartVision service management platform, video on demand servers and a choice of set-top boxes including one incorporating PVR functionality with local hard disk recording.

Thomson is providing Telenor with its SmartVision video services platform, which incorporates middleware, VoD servers and two ranges of IP set top boxes. In addition, Thomson is supplying full system design, engineering and integration services including training and maintenance, as well as integrating the conditional access solution of Conax for content security.

IPTV and video-on-demand promise to open up major new video options for consumers and significant revenue opportunities for service providers. On Wednesday, July 23, Signiant and Telephony magazine will host an educational webinar addressing how to build an efficient IPTV content supply chain to deliver the broadest possible range of content, at any time to any device, with cost-efficiency. Panelists will include Yankee Group’s Vince Vittore and Anton Denissov, and Carol Wilson, Telephony’s Editor-in-Chief.

Guangxi Telecom has chosen UTStarcom's industry-leading RollingStream IPTV platform to deploy a new interactive advertising system. Guangxi Telecom is the first service provider in China to deploy IPTV for building-based video advertising.

UTStarcom will provide Guangxi Telecom with 3,600 concurrent IPTV streams for the initial deployment of the interactive advertising system in 14 Guangxi cities. In the first phase, set-top boxes will be deployed in supermarkets, department stores, office buildings and in Guangxi Telecom's facilities in Nanning, Liuzhou, Guiling, Qinzhou, Guigang, Wuzhou, Beihai and Baise.

AT&T launches its U-verse TV and U-verse High Speed Internet in parts of Miami-Dade and Broward counties. AT&T U-verse services will be launched in Palm Beach County on July 28. AT&T U-verse brings together your TV, broadband and AT&T wireless services -- all on one bill -- with unique features that provide a new level of integration, convenience and control. AT&T U-verse TV and High Speed Internet services are delivered over AT&T's advanced IP network.

Customers can currently order AT&T U-verse services in parts of dozens of communities in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. U-verse services will be installed for Palm Beach County customers beginning July 28. AT&T will make U-verse services available to more homes throughout South Florida on an ongoing basis.

Sigma Systems has been enlisted to educate conference attendees on media transformation in North America at the upcoming IPTV World Forum conference, which takes place July 22-23, 2008 in Chicago.

Brian Cappellani, Sigma's Chief Technology Officer, will join industry colleagues to evaluate the evolution to on-demand programming and the role of scheduled TV. Panelists will also discuss cable as an all-IP video delivery platform, the future for single-play providers and whether satellite will have to build or buy its way into the triple-play market. In addition, the session will cover the telco IPTV market and what telcos may be planning to do if IPTV fails to meet expectations.

Online video's cost

In the past three years, investors have dropped more than $8 billion into the online video market. What did they get in return on their investments?

Interactive TV Awards

Three finalists named in Deutsche Tekekom's last and decisive round of the Interactive TV Awards. The decision wasn't easy for the jury but after heated discussions, but the three winners from the second round been officially announced:

• creamBOTS (Germany) Live Media Recommendation Network - "Networked World"
• Trenfield/Regner (Austria/Switzerland) PIN: An Instant Information System - "Independence of Time and Place"
• and 3-frogs (Netherlands) FamilienFun - "Family Network"

Underscoring its commitment to open standards in emerging technologies and media platforms Thomson, has become a full member of the Open IPTV Forum.

The aim of the Forum is to promote IPTV by making it easy for consumers to experience and enjoy it, ensuring interactivity between all devices, networks and technologies. Leveraging its expertise in end-to-end IPTV solutions including network platforms and home devices, Thomson joins forces with other telecom industry leaders in defining standards for delivering new advanced multimedia services and shaping the future of the broadband market.

The adoption of digital PC-TV tuners will accelerate in Europe as Digital Terrestrial TV services continue to expand there. Asia, China and India will present strong growth opportunities. North America is expected to see a surge during 2009, when analog TV is cut off, and new mobile digital broadcast TV services are introduced by major U.S. TV stations. The high-tech market research firm In-Stat cautions that the uptake of PC-TV tuners is not guaranteed, as they face challenges from a wide variety of options, consumers now have to use computers to gather and view a wide range of video content.

BNS has been appointed by Indonesian telecommunications provider Multi Kontrol Nusantara to design and procure a turnkey HD & SD IPTV service platform. BNS’s IPTV Service Platform design will enable MKN to deliver high and standard definition video services, including multicast, VOD, Network PVR, Time-Shift-TV, eShopping, games and others.

Built on a core fibre backbone, metro ethernet and various broadband access network technologies, the network’s infrastructure will enable cost effective and highly reliable delivery of multimedia services to residential, office buildings and hotels.