Product category: Embedded Software and Operating Systems
News Release from: Cabot Communications | Subject: Aurora
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 13 May 2005
Middleware makes more
of digital video recorder
Vestel has developed a new generic digital video recorder using Cabot's Aurora middleware stack and ST Microelectronics' new 5100 MPEG2 decoder
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Cabot Communications has introduced new user interface (UI) designs into Aurora, its pan-European DVB middleware stack for free-to-air digital terrestrial and satellite receivers
Vestel, Europe's largest TV manufacturer, has developed a new generic digital video recorder (DVR) using Cabot's Aurora middleware stack and ST Microelectronics' new 5100 MPEG2 decoder for consumer electronics brands to style and re-badge for the UK market. Vestel expects the first rebranded DVR to go on sale in the UK in Autumn 2005.
Analysts predict that as many as 10.5 million European households will have DVRs by 2009, building on the success of Freeview, which is now in more than five million UK homes.
As consumer electronics brands race to build market share, the Vestel DVR will enable them to significantly speed up time to market to capitalise on increasing consumer demand for digital TV devices.
Cabot's Aurora middleware stack provides the DVR with a range of features, including picture in picture, or split-screen viewing; a seven-day electronic programme guide (EPG); live pause; access to over 50 Freeview channels; two digital tuners, so viewers can record one digital channel while watching another; and up to 160Gbyte of hard disk space for up to 120h of recording.
Further reading
DVB middleware works with pay-TV stack
The award-winning Aurora pan-European DVB middleware suite is pre-integrated with the Conax embedded conditional access (CA) stack
DTV middleware stack covers all European markets
Aurora is billed as the first complete, turnkey open standards-based DVB middleware stack for free-to-air digital terrestrial and satellite receivers
Other DVB-T features include over-the-air software upgrade capability and interactive services supplied through Aurora's integrated MHEG-5 engine.
Aurora also supports event information table (EIT)-based EPG systems so viewers can select programmes to record in advance.
According to Darren Standing, Business Development Manager at Cabot, the imminent digital TV switchover will drive demand for digital TV devices: 'Freeview has proved to be extremely popular in the UK, but consumers are now starting to look for more advanced digital TV features'.
'Aurora provides the Vestel DVR with a really simple user interface that will entice consumers to the more advanced features that are offered by DVR products over standard DTT convertor boxes'.
Ihsaner Alkim, CTO, Vestel Group points out that the collaboration with Cabot and ST Microelectronics will provide consumer electronics brands with a product-ready solution, that will significantly speed up time to market: 'This new DVR is a significant development in the consumer electronics market'.
'Brands need to be able to launch new feature-rich products quickly in order to stay ahead of the competition and our solution enables them to easily add their own identity to the product'.
'By working with Cabot and ST Microelectronics, we have developed a DVR that offers a host of digital TV features while supporting the UK's MHEG-5 interactivity standard and complying with current Freeview requirements'.
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