Opening the Gateway

As pay-TV service providers seek to reap the potential of convergence, they increasingly focus on reaching more consumer devices while providing the best possible experience, especially for their exclusive live TV content.

Over-the-top (OTT) delivery of video content brings TV content to a new generation of connected consumer devices in the home. However, OTT delivery, which depends on the network provider's available IP bandwidth, still often does not provide the quality of experience that pay-TV service providers expect for premium live TV. Upgrading the network may prove to be too costly or take too much time. Cable and satellite pay-TV service providers can adopt a complementary approach by transforming broadcast content into IP streams in the home. This enables high quality live broadcast channel delivery over Wifi to tablets, smartphones and personal computers for all subscribers.

NAGRA, leveraging its next generation OpenTV5 media convergence platform, has developed the HomeCruise Gateway product line, a new generation of advanced set-top box gateway products that can address the challenges brought by new devices in the home.

The NAGRA HomeCruise microGateway The NAGRA HomeCruise home media gateway product combines multiple functions into a single device, including broadcast-to-IP transcoding, OTT and advanced PVR support. One of the key benefits of such devices is the capability to manage multiple broadcast tuners and securely transcode live content from DVB to IP, using NAGRA's CAS to DRM technology, to ensure that valuable content stays fully protected when it plays out on a consumer device.

As a complementary box not connected to a TV set, the device uses the same broadcast-to-IP technology to distribute live linear channels to connected devices. The first release includes two TV tuners and a dual transcode capability. It is powered by OpenTV5 on the box and utilizes NAGRA Media Player as the client on tablets, smartphones and PCs. Connected through Ethernet to a Wi-fi router, it receives incoming broadcast signals via a coaxial cable (either cable or satellite), tunes to TV channels and then transcodes the broadcast signals into the correct IP format for viewing on consumer devices, without disrupting viewing on the main TV set.

Lastly, because keeping content secure is a fundamental requirement of content providers, the HomeCruise microGateway offers end-to-end security through NAGRA MediaAccess PRM, a DRM solution approved by the Hollywood studios, and NAGRA Media Player, a secure media player for open devices such as smartphones, tablets and PCs.

NAGRA HomeCruise microGateway user experience

A great value for consumers and operators The NAGRA HomeCruise microGateway offers tangible benefits to subscribers by delivering live TV to any compatible device at little extra cost and in a convenient plug and play format. For satellite service providers not owning the broadband network, they can deliver a superb live TV experience on new consumer devices without worrying about IP network constraints. For cable service providers, they can also avoid a CAPEX-intensive network upgrade to increase IP bandwidth capacity.

Finally, the NAGRA HomeCruise microGateway does not require changes to the existing broadcast infrastructure or lengthy negotiations with network partners and content providers. It can be deployed quickly and cost-effectively, seamlessly blending into an existing home environment, with CAPEX investments for the box aligned with new subscriber revenues, offering service providers a solution that significantly enhances the value of their TV services to their best subscribers.

For more information on the NAGRA HomeCruise microGateway, please contact dtv@nagra.com.

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