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- Leading independent German cable operators Tele Columbus and PrimaCom select XTV™, NDS’ secure, integrated digital video recorder (DVR) technology to offer Germany’s first cable HD DVR service
- German subscribers will for the first time experience the flexibility and control over TV viewing that XTV DVR technology offers, transforming how they think of TV
- New agreement reaffirms the global leadership of NDS DVR technology, already deployed on more than 19 million units worldwide
NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced that the two largest independent German cable operators, Tele Columbus and PrimaCom, have selected NDS’ secure, integrated DVR solution XTV™ to launch Germany’s first cable high definition (HD) DVR service across their networks.
NDS XTV gives viewers the ability to record TV content while viewing another programme. Subscribers will be able to pause, record, play back, rewind and fast forward recorded content. This provides subscribers with maximum flexibility and choice in their viewing options, enabling them to choose what they watch and when they watch it. NDS XTV will enable Tele Columbus and PrimaCom to deliver a compelling variety of digital content to their viewers. The new hybrid HD DVR device offered by the operators will feature two cable tuners as well as an Ethernet connection. This gives the operators the ability to offer a combination of broadcast TV and on-demand broadband content. Tele Columbus and PrimaCom serve some 3.5 million cable-connected households and operate a large number of independent networks.
In 2008, Tele Columbus and PrimaCom selected market-leading VideoGuard® content protection from NDS. In February 2009 the companies added powerful NDS MediaHighway® middleware. With today’s new agreement with NDS, Tele Columbus and PrimaCom can benefit from best-in-class end-to-end NDS technology infrastructure embracing the best solutions available. The full integration among XTV, VideoGuard and MediaHighway provides both maximum security and advanced options to enable pay-TV providers to offer a wide range of new services to attract, engage and retain subscribers.
With NDS technology infrastructure, Tele Columbus and PrimaCom are ideally prepared to swiftly launch new integrated service enhancements, seamlessly and with full security across all existing and future devices, making possible new innovations for viewers such as Video on Demand (VOD) or push VOD. An additional benefit is that third-party applications can run on MediaHighway’s open software architecture and can efficiently be integrated in the Tele Columbus and PrimaCom platforms.
Markus Schmid, CEO of Tele Columbus and PrimaCom, explained: “Having deployed VideoGuard content protection and MediaHighway middleware, we decided to also select NDS’ XTV DVR technology as the logical complement, maximising the capability of our infrastructure and service options for our subscribers.” He continued: “XTV as the leading integrated DVR technology has already proved its success in millions of homes worldwide. We are thrilled to now be able to introduce the next generation HD DVR viewing experience for our subscribers, and to continue working with NDS as one of our main digital technology partners.”
Yves Padrines, Vice President, Business Development at NDS and General Manager NDS GmbH, said: “We are gratified to announce with Tele Columbus and PrimaCom the first deployment for our XTV DVR technology in Germany. This extension of our existing relationship gives Tele Columbus and PrimaCom the ability to introduce a world-class DVR service for their subscribers now, and to launch other innovative TV viewing options. We look forward to the introduction of this exciting new DVR service and supporting Tele Columbus and PrimaCom in their upcoming initiatives.”
About Tele Columbus and PrimaCom
Tele Columbus and the listed PrimaCom AG (DE0006259104) are among Germany's largest cable network operators. Together, they provide some 3.5 million connected households with a TV signal and an increasing number of customers with digital programming, Internet access and telephone connections via powerful broadband cable. As national operators with a regional focus and as partners of the housing industry, Tele Columbus and PrimaCom are present throughout their core area of Berlin, Brandenburg, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as in numerous core regions in West Germany. Together, the two partners encourage innovation and lively competition in the telecommunications market. See www.telecolumbus.de and www.primacom.de for more information.
- Leading independent German cable operators Tele Columbus and PrimaCom select XTV™, NDS’ secure, integrated digital video recorder (DVR) technology to offer Germany’s first cable HD DVR service
- German subscribers will for the first time experience the flexibility and control over TV viewing that XTV DVR technology offers, transforming how they think of TV
- New agreement reaffirms the global leadership of NDS DVR technology, already deployed on more than 19 million units worldwide
NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced that the two largest independent German cable operators, Tele Columbus and PrimaCom, have selected NDS’ secure, integrated DVR solution XTV™ to launch Germany’s first cable high definition (HD) DVR service across their networks.
NDS XTV gives viewers the ability to record TV content while viewing another programme. Subscribers will be able to pause, record, play back, rewind and fast forward recorded content. This provides subscribers with maximum flexibility and choice in their viewing options, enabling them to choose what they watch and when they watch it. NDS XTV will enable Tele Columbus and PrimaCom to deliver a compelling variety of digital content to their viewers. The new hybrid HD DVR device offered by the operators will feature two cable tuners as well as an Ethernet connection. This gives the operators the ability to offer a combination of broadcast TV and on-demand broadband content. Tele Columbus and PrimaCom serve some 3.5 million cable-connected households and operate a large number of independent networks.
In 2008, Tele Columbus and PrimaCom selected market-leading VideoGuard® content protection from NDS. In February 2009 the companies added powerful NDS MediaHighway® middleware. With today’s new agreement with NDS, Tele Columbus and PrimaCom can benefit from best-in-class end-to-end NDS technology infrastructure embracing the best solutions available. The full integration among XTV, VideoGuard and MediaHighway provides both maximum security and advanced options to enable pay-TV providers to offer a wide range of new services to attract, engage and retain subscribers.
With NDS technology infrastructure, Tele Columbus and PrimaCom are ideally prepared to swiftly launch new integrated service enhancements, seamlessly and with full security across all existing and future devices, making possible new innovations for viewers such as Video on Demand (VOD) or push VOD. An additional benefit is that third-party applications can run on MediaHighway’s open software architecture and can efficiently be integrated in the Tele Columbus and PrimaCom platforms.
Markus Schmid, CEO of Tele Columbus and PrimaCom, explained: “Having deployed VideoGuard content protection and MediaHighway middleware, we decided to also select NDS’ XTV DVR technology as the logical complement, maximising the capability of our infrastructure and service options for our subscribers.” He continued: “XTV as the leading integrated DVR technology has already proved its success in millions of homes worldwide. We are thrilled to now be able to introduce the next generation HD DVR viewing experience for our subscribers, and to continue working with NDS as one of our main digital technology partners.”
Yves Padrines, Vice President, Business Development at NDS and General Manager NDS GmbH, said: “We are gratified to announce with Tele Columbus and PrimaCom the first deployment for our XTV DVR technology in Germany. This extension of our existing relationship gives Tele Columbus and PrimaCom the ability to introduce a world-class DVR service for their subscribers now, and to launch other innovative TV viewing options. We look forward to the introduction of this exciting new DVR service and supporting Tele Columbus and PrimaCom in their upcoming initiatives.”
About Tele Columbus and PrimaCom
Tele Columbus and the listed PrimaCom AG (DE0006259104) are among Germany's largest cable network operators. Together, they provide some 3.5 million connected households with a TV signal and an increasing number of customers with digital programming, Internet access and telephone connections via powerful broadband cable. As national operators with a regional focus and as partners of the housing industry, Tele Columbus and PrimaCom are present throughout their core area of Berlin, Brandenburg, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as in numerous core regions in West Germany. Together, the two partners encourage innovation and lively competition in the telecommunications market. See www.telecolumbus.de and www.primacom.de for more information.
