TANDBERG Television Extends ’Any Platform to Any Device’ Offering wtih Open Software Solutions

§ Enables delivery of digital video services across cable, IPTV, internet, wireless and satellite networks from a central back-office platform

§ World first live demonstration of WatchPoint™ Workflow System for automated and streamlined asset management

§ Full suite of open software for linear and on-demand content production and workflow, content distribution and ingest, advertising placement and management, and interactive TV


Friday, September 08, 2006 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands – 8th September 2006 – TANDBERG Television (TAT.OL) today announced that visitors to IBC will be able to see a range of open software solutions for next generation digital video services - Hall 1:461. These advanced software tools address a growing need to support different distribution paths, end points and content formats, and extend TANDBERG Television’s ability to enable linear and on-demand, interactive content to be supplied across ‘any platform to any device’.



“In today’s rapidly evolving digital media landscape, content owners and network operators are faced with an ever-increasing volume of content and a proliferation of consumer devices accessing and interacting with that content. While these developments present significant new revenue opportunities, managing the creation and distribution of digital media can be a complicated process,” says Eric Cooney, President and CEO of TANDBERG Television. “For cable, satellite, IPTV, internet or wireless networks our open software solutions provide a flexible environment for the introduction of enhanced digital video services that attract and retain consumers.”



Based on an open, scalable, centralized architecture that provides content owners, network operators and service providers with a complete toolset of solutions, TANDBERG Television’s innovative software ensures the secure management and delivery of linear, on-demand and interactive TV offerings.



It utilizes the TANDBERG OpenStream Digital Services Platform®, and a suite of ‘plug-in’ video service applications to simultaneously deliver digital video across multiple networks to a wide range of devices such as TVs, set-top-boxes, DVR, PCs, home networking hubs, PDA, mobile handsets, as well as the next generation of hybrid, broadband enabled consumer premises equipment (CPE).



At IBC, TANDBERG Television (Hall 1:461) will show a number of integrated video service applications operating across both cable and IPTV networks. These demonstrations are powered by the centralized OpenStream Digital Services Platform which brings significant flexibility and cost-saving benefits and also support increasingly popular hybrid delivery models, such as cable/DSL.



Key IBC demonstrations include:



· WatchPoint™ Workflow System - automated and streamlined asset management

TANDBERG Television’s new WatchPoint Workflow System provides a scalable, automated solution that streamlines the creation, management and distribution of media assets based on an extensible, open architecture. WatchPoint’s fully customizable, open architecture offers an unlimited array of installation options, adapting to and streamlining customers’ current processes while leveraging their existing hardware and software investments.



With support for both linear and on-demand media, as well as interactive content and applications, WatchPoint Workflow System enables content providers and platform operators to provide a compelling offering for today’s on-the-go, media-savvy consumers. WatchPoint also drives new revenue opportunities through the delivery of dynamic, targeted, and interactive advertisements.



§ Dynamic Advertising Zone with Playlist based Dynamic Ad Displays

The TANDBERG AdPoint On-Demand Advertising Platform® is a dynamic ad placement solution which integrates advanced video-on-demand (VOD) capabilities with interactive television functionality to deliver compelling advertising experiences tightly embedded in broadcast and VOD programming. With new AdPoint advertising solutions operators and service providers can deliver dynamic ad placements, playlists, interactive advertisements, branded portal and T-commerce capabilities to create rich, immersive subscriber interactions.



Open and standards-based, this on-demand interactive advertising solution empowers advertisers to launch and manage advertising campaigns across all delivery platforms and viewing devices. Furthermore, the technology also enables advertisements to be matched according to programming type, geographical and demographic data, so the advertisements are strategically targeted to viewers.



§ Interactive TV with Telescoping Ads

iTV offers an immediate and compelling ROI for both operators and content owners. The TANDBERG Television iTV product suite is changing the way the world watches television through an end-to-end solution for the creation, management, and delivery of iTV programming for all end user platforms. Live demonstrations at IBC will include On-demand/Interactive integration with telescoping; a technique that enables viewers to switch in and out of an on-demand content stream in order to enjoy long-form background features, supplementary programming information or infomercials. Broadband internet TV will also feature, using key technology from recently acquired Zetools combined with interactive advertisement content targeting; and mobile video and mobile commerce will be shown with enhanced content applications for HSN (Home Shopping Network) and GSN (Game Show Network).



§ OpenStream Digital Services Platform with cable and IPTV displays

Already providing on-demand services in over 100 sites in the Americas, APAC and EMEA, and delivering millions of on-demand streams, the TANDBERG OpenStream Digital Services back-office is supported by leading VOD servers, applications, billing and CA/DRM systems. The TANDBERG OpenStream utilizes industry standard and published APIs (Applications Programmer’s Interfaces) to enable third party software developers and hardware vendors to create ‘plug-in’ solutions that can leverage the back office and content workflow capabilities. This architecture also enables operators to implement multiple VOD servers, applications, billing systems and CA/DRM systems from multiple vendors in a single installation.



In addition to powering the IBC on-demand demonstrations, new features and capabilities for OpenStream will be shown, including multiple platform support and the fastest Real Time Ingest (RTI) capability on the market today with the TANDBERG Xport Slicer. RTI provides operators with the ability to make broadcast programs available as on-demand titles within seconds of the start of broadcast. In conjunction with a compatible application and “VOD aware” EPG, OpenStream’s RTI enables nPVR (network personal video recording) and the ability for customers to begin to view a broadcast program from the beginning, even after it has started or completed.



TANDBERG Television will also show its MediaPoint® Asset Management System (AMS) designed to manage the ever-increasing volume of digital content for network operators offering on-demand services. The solution allows operators to effectively control the receipt of content from multiple independent sources at the cable head-end or telco central office. MediaPoint AMS streamlines and automates the process of receiving, validating, transforming, staging, storing and propagating on-demand metadata and content, ensuring hassle-free operations and on-time delivery of services for subscribers.

About TANDBERG Television

Whether it’s advanced compression systems, on-demand or interactive television, TANDBERG Television (TAT.OL) delivers the technology and expertise that is moving digital video forward. The company’s award-winning solutions are used by the world’s leading network operators, broadcasters and content owners to deliver new viewer experiences and advertising opportunities. With a broad suite of open, standards-based products, TANDBERG Television offers the highest quality digital TV solutions including IPTV, HDTV, video-on-demand, advertising on-demand, and interactive TV applications to customers in the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa. For more information, please visit www.tandbergtv.com

Contact Information

Dwight Witherspoon

TANDBERG Television

Contact via E-mail