ACCESS DTV Browser and DLNA Solutions to Support Electra Entertainment’s Hybrid DVB/IP Connected TV

Fri, Jan 07, 2011 19:28 CET

UK’s #1 Retailer, to be First Customer for Electra Devices Supported by ACCESS

International CES, Las Vegas, US, January 7, 2011 – ACCESS CO., LTD, a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile, beyond-PC and digital TV markets, today announced that it has signed a software license agreement with Electra Entertainment Ltd. The agreement brings ACCESS’ NetFront™ Browser for TV and NetFront™ Living Connect, a DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) solution, to Electra’s proprietary Trove™ hybrid DVB/IP connected TV software platform.

Within the agreement Electra’s Trove hybrid DVB/IP connected TV software platform for the UK market will feature NetFront Browser for BBC iPlayer, while NetFront Browser for HbbTV and NetFront Living Connect will be available for use globally in any set-top boxes and other connected devices that carry the Trove hybrid DVB/IP connected TV software platform.

The first customer for Electra devices supported by ACCESS solutions is the UK’s No. 1 retailer. The retailer will be offering connected Freeview devices featuring Electra’s Trove hybrid DVB/IP connected TV software platform, giving its customers access to ground-breaking interactive services via the Freeview service.

NetFront Browser integrated with Electra’s Trove hybrid DVB/IP connected TV software platform will allow consumers to access a range of unparalleled interactive services via Freeview including access to VOD (Video on Demand) content, catch-up TV, games and interactive apps. NetFront Living Connect will give consumers the ability to access, control and synchronize digital content including photos, movies or music across different media devices within their homes and remotely. Consumers will also be able to keep their digital content secure while filtering the content made available to their children with parental control and security functions.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Electra Entertainment to bring innovative interactive services to television consumers in the UK with our NetFront Browser for BBC iPlayer solution and around the globe with our NetFront Browser for HbbTV and NetFront Living Connect, a DLNA solution, ” said Dr Neale Foster, Vice President of Sales and Business Development, ACCESS Systems Europe. “The fact that the No. 1 retailer in the UK has already selected Electra’s Trove platform for its Freeview devices shows the quality of the services the platform has to offer, and it’s wonderful that they’ll be so easily accessible via Freeview.”

Premium content and apps are delivered on Trove-enabled Freeview devices via Electra’s service portal, Channel Zero, which acts as a powerful gateway. Providing a host of additional entertainment services alongside Freeview, Channel Zero also offers retailers, a richer and deeper on-screen branding and selling platform, allowing them to stay in daily in-home contact with their customers on an individual, regional or national basis. Easily accessible to the viewer as the first channel in the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) or via a dedicated button on the remote, Channel Zero has already launched with apps such as Reuters news, Met Office weather, What’s On TV magazine and PlayJam games.

“We’re excited to be working with ACCESS as incorporating NetFront Browser and NetFront Living Connect into our solutions is a vital part of bringing next-generation services to our customers,” said Electra Chairman Jasper Smith. “The next generation of connected TV devices offer retailers and manufacturers unparalleled opportunities – however it’s imperative that consumers are sufficiently motivated to connect. Trove is a hybrid broadcast and IP platform for data delivery that uniquely bridges the connected and non-connected worlds, whilst Channel Zero provides appealing incentives to entice users to connect, such as games and catch-up TV.”

About ACCESS in Digital TV

ACCESS provides embedded software solutions that support global and regional TV standards and enable broadcasters, operators and consumer-electronics manufacturers to meet the expanding market for catch-up TV and connected TV services, including HbbTV and VoD. The company also enables seamless media access across connected-consumer devices with a certified Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) software solution.

The company’s core offerings for digital TV include:

NetFront Browser DTV Profile – NetFront Browser DTV Profile is optimized for digital TV environments and powers services such as BBC iPlayer, while also providing seamless access to hybrid broadcast and broadband services such as HbbTV.
NetFront™ Living Connect – NetFront Living Connect is a next generation DLNA certified solution that makes seamless connectivity for home consumer electronic devices a reality.
NetFront™ Media Player – NetFront Media Player enables playback of streamed and broadcast video for set-top boxes and digital TVs.
NetFront™ Widgets – NetFront Widgets delivers value added widget-based services for digital TVs.

For more information visit: http://www.access-company.com/products/internet_appliances/netfrontdtv/dtv_solution.html

About Electra Entertainment

Formed in 2004, Electra Entertainment is a UK-based media technology company that offers rich, branded interactive service platforms to operators worldwide, supported by a strong mixture of subscription and advertising revenues.

Electra’s groundbreaking Trove™ technology is a broadcast and connected interactive television platform that renders content with execution speeds and bandwidth efficiencies that are an order of magnitude greater than conventional interactive platforms. Trove™ is device independent and supports rich colour, sound and games as well as broadband WiFi and Ethernet connectivity for connected services such as music and video on demand. Trove™ is debuting on the largest global mass market for TV products today - digital terrestrial television (DTT) - across Europe. Comprising a range of added-value set-top boxes, PVRs, broadcast and IP-connected TVs, the first Trove™-enabled devices will deliver compelling content from top media brands through Channel Zero in the UK, a powerful interactive gateway for Freeview’s platform. For additional information about Electra Entertainment please visit www.electratv.com.

About ACCESS and ACCESS Systems Europe

ACCESS CO., LTD. is a global company providing leading technology, software products and platforms for web browsing, mobile phones, wireless handhelds, digital TVs and other networked devices. ACCESS' product portfolio including its NetFront™ series provides customers with solutions that enable faster time to market, flexibility and customizability. Recently, ACCESS has launched NetFront™ Life as a global brand with applications and services for end users. Additional information about NetFront Life is available at www.netfrontlife.com. The company, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operates subsidiaries and affiliates in Asia, Europe and the United States. ACCESS is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers’ Index under the number 4813. For more information about ACCESS, please visit www.access-company.com.

ACCESS Systems Europe Holdings B.V. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ACCESS CO., LTD., with its principal place of business in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and offices located in Paris, France and Oberhausen, Germany. ACCESS was first established in Europe in July 2001 as a total solution provider for mobile Internet and beyond PC markets. ACCESS maintains research and development center in Oberhausen, Germany.

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ACCESS, the ACCESS logo, and NetFront are registered trademarks or trademarks of ACCESS CO., LTD. in the United States, Japan and/or other countries.

DLNA is a registered trademark of the Digital Living Network Alliance. Digital Living Network Alliance is a service mark of the Digital Living Network Alliance.

All other trademarks, logos and trade names mentioned in the document are the property of their respective owners.

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