S&T Brings Rock-Solid Interactive TV To Live Hits

Strategy & Technology (S&T), a leading specialist in digital interactive TV, has announced that its powerful TSBroadcaster2 interactive play-out appliance is being used by Comcast Media Centre's HITS Advanced Interactive Services (AxIS) platform to showcase more than a dozen ITV applications that are being delivered over a live cable headend.
Delivering applications over a live cable headend forms the centrepiece of CMC's HITS AxIS demonstration in the 'The Lofts at Fast Lane' Broadband Nation exhibit at 'Cable Show 09', which will be held in Washington between April 1 and 3.
S&T will be partnering with CMC to show how interactive applications on the HITS AxIS platform are being delivered by TSBroadcaster2 over satellite or fibre to a live cable system head-end.
Gary Traver, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Comcast Media Centre, said: "The live demo in Broadband Nation will allow Cable Show attendees to experience a number of the ITV applications that are currently being delivered via HITS AxIS to our cable MSO beta sites.
"The S&T team is playing an invaluable role in allowing us to showcase a number of ITV applications from our developer partners, including dashboard RFI and t-commerce demonstrations, over a live cable headend."
S&T's innovative second generation carousel and databroadcasting system allows MSOs and channels to deliver interactive applications in both ETV (EBIF) and tru2way format, as well as other data delivery mechanisms such as Common Download and signalling for DTA (Digital Transport Adapter).
Ian Harris, General Manager of Interactive Services and Applications at S&T, said: "CMC has some pretty serious requirements for interactive application play-out. In order to deliver such a high profile demonstration you need complete confidence in your broadcast infrastructure and we are naturally pleased that CMC recognises the advanced capabilities of S&T's products."
Comcast Media Centre's HITS Advanced Services ("AxIS") platform provides a suite of centralised services for supporting the launch, development and support of ITV applications using ETV/EBIF (enhanced binary interchange format) and tru2way technology. HITS AxIS provides cable operators with new revenue opportunities and a more competitive profile without incurring the capital outlays required to upgrade their cable system architectures for offering advanced interactive television applications.
(KMcA/BMcC)