Tokyo, Japan; Bristol, UK; Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China – 11 September 2018 − ACCESS CO., LTD, DTVKit, EKT and HiSilicon today announced the launch of a complete new customizable platform that enables operators and middleware to design any service for any content, delivered to the household TV. The platform will make its debut on the EKT stand #1.D11 at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC, Amsterdam, September 14-18).

The universal STB platform designed by ACCESS, DTVKit, EKT and HiSilicon has been developed to respond to the rise of personalization of content and enhanced consumer experiences associated with the multi-platform, multi-device delivery world.

“The basis for our new STB delivery platform was to solve the issue that a new deployment usually means locking yourself in for the next 5-10 years with a fixed set of vendors. With our modular and flexible platform, we deliver the power of 4K, the freedom to deploy new features on a Chromium-based browser complete with powerful features like HbbTV, YouTube and Netflix, whilst giving the operator great freedom on how to engage the end consumer with the integration of many middlewares and security protocols,” said Richard Smith, CEO at EKT.

“The easy way to solve the fragmentation challenge in multiscreen is to design a unified, rigid solution that limits customization and simplifies development. Yet, consumers today crave personalised experiences and want to have access to services on all devices - both in and out of the home. This highlights the need for expert knowledge of each aspect of the video industry to ensure operators can solve today’s hyper-customization challenge,” added Dr. Neale Foster, CEO at ACCESS Europe.

The universal platform is a hyper customizable solution that simplifies the creation and management of services for any middleware, any content and any device. This provides operators with unique know-how of the subtleties and necessary elements that must be combined to create a unified, yet highly customizable service with a next generation of future-proof set-top boxes.

“The number of video-enabled applications today is enormous, and it is virtually impossible for operators to deliver the same quality of experience on all devices. Having the right technology for the specific use case of each operator needs to be complemented with working with experts that can share their knowledge, which is why we are launching this joint platform,” said John Liu, General Manager of the STB Product Line at HiSilicon.

“This initiative was born from customers coming to all of us with issues after using or trialling framework solutions that don’t deliver all they need. By combining broad functionality with expertise of the minutiae of the TV business, we are enabling operators to successfully follow any business model,” concluded Phil Evans, General Manager of DTVKit.

Key features of the platform:

• ACCESS’ NetFront™ Browser BE: engineered to leverage the Chromium Blink HTML5 engine for embedded platforms, the HTML5 browser enhanced by ACCESS provides operators with unique APIs to enable System on Chip (SoC) vendors, connected TV manufacturers and operators to leverage today’s high performance platforms to deliver an enhanced, standards based, user experience to their customers. Extending the support for HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3, NetFront™ Browser BE also supports extended specifications such as W3C Media Source Extensions and Encrypted Media Extensions to enable support for premium content and the use of Digital Rights Management. ACCESS also adds support for worldwide DTV standards such as HbbTV 2.0.1, ARIB STD-B62/TR-B39 (2nd generation digital broadcasting) and Freeview Play 2017. Experience with YouTube on TV 2017 certification and support for other OTT services ensures SoC vendors, device manufacturers and operators can provide the services their customers need.
  
  
• DTVKit: dedicated to transforming the connected entertainment industry by positively changing the approach to developing and maintaining the key, non-differentiating software components necessary to implement a digital television receiver, DTVKit enables a shift away from proprietary royalty-based models towards an open royalty free model. DTVKit is being deployed in significant quantities by operators all over the world, for DVB-S2 and DVB-C boxes, alongside DVB-T2 boxes in Germany and South Africa.
  
  
• EKT’s set-top-boxes: delivering a wide range of products, from Zappers to Advanced Hybrid Set Top Boxes, and operator TVs, EKT is one of the few business partners to offer a true one-stop solution for operators. Certified and integrated with many CA, DRM and licenses, EKT is a partner of choice for many operators around the world. EKT has its own STB Linux software solution on top of the HiSilicon SoC, which combines the strength of its media player with the power of the ACCESS browser and the DTVKit platform. On top of this, many user interfaces and middlewares are ported to deliver the fastest and latest user experiences. This enables operators to bring the interactive TV experience their clients are looking for.
  
  
• HiSilicon: the Hi3796MV200 is the latest generation SoC in the integrated UHD product family. It offers higher levels of integration and performance while reducing the overall power footprint. Ideally suited for a range of different multimedia and video applications from OTT, Media Hubs and Set Top Boxes applications, by offering industry leading technologies and added support for Broadcast Conditional Access and Digital Rights Management capabilities. HiSilicon’s Hi3796MV200 provides powerful CPU and GPU processing capabilities with a quad-core ARM® Cortex® A53 64-bit CPU and a multi-core ARM® MaliTM 450 graphics GPU and subsystem along with the latest generation of the HiVXE2.0 Multi-format Video decode engine that supports the latest industry formats, AVS 2.0, HEVC and VP9 10bit decoding.

Note to editors: the platform will be debated in a panel discussion hosted on the EKT stand at IBC on Friday, September 14 at 17:00 – 17:30 CET. To register, please contact: ACCESS@platformcomms.com or tel: +44 (0) 207 486 4900.

About ACCESS
Since 1984, ACCESS CO., LTD. (Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers Index, 4813) has provided advanced IT solutions centered around mobile and network software technologies to telecom carriers, consumer electronics manufacturers, broadcasting and publishing companies, the automotive industry and energy infrastructure providers around the world. The company develops mobile software solutions that have been installed on over 1.5 billion devices, and network software solutions that have been used by over 300 telecommunication equipment manufacturers. Utilizing its network virtualization technology skills and knowledge, the company is currently focusing on the development and commercialization of Internet of Things (IoT) and media solutions that combine embedded and cloud technology. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the company operates subsidiaries and affiliates in Asia, Europe and the United States to support and expand its business globally. Learn more about ACCESS at www.access-company.com

About DTVKit
DTVKit is a UK not-for-profit organisation, collaborating across the consumer electronics industry to deliver the very best production-ready DVB software to members and the end user. The organisation is supported by members who provide subscription fees and expert software engineers to accelerate software development for the Digital Television market. The efforts of the DTVKit community will further enhance the development of the four main software components; DVB Core, MHEG Engine, HbbTV Plug-In and CI+ Engine. It aims to provide the best software foundation’s to give the highest ROI to members. For more information, please visit dtvkit.org or follow us on Twitter @DTVKit.

About EKT
Since 2007, Eagle Kingdom Technologies LTD (EKT) has specialised in creating innovative, customer focused solutions in the field of Set Top Boxes, Smart TVs and Modems. By combining Asian Know How and Western Management, EKT successfully blends DNA from both business practices exceeding customer expectation in design, technology, quality, communication and cost.

A global team of passionate professionals believe that nothing is sacred in our business and by challenging itself and its customers with new concepts and ideas the company keeps creating new opportunities for the entire industry.
Delivering a wide range of products, from Zappers to Advanced Hybrid Set Top Boxes, Operator TVs and Modems, EKT is one of the few business partners to offer a true one-stop solution for Operators. Certified and integrated with many CA, DRM and licenses, EKT is a partner of choice for many tier 1 operators around the world. Visit www.EKT-Digital.com for more information.

About HiSilicon Technologies
For more than 25 years, HiSilicon has grown into a world leading fabless IC semiconductor company, who is devoted to build a better connected world and drives the way to a premium video era. As the pioneer and accelerator in the fast moving industry, we are capable of providing innovative HD and Full HD end to end video technologies. Solutions and products has successfully empowered over 100 countries covering multiple industries particularly in communication, video and IoT.

The development of worldwide video industry has been accelerated through HiSilicon’s end to end premium 4K chipset solutions, including IP Camera, Set Top Box and Display. As a significant player in IoT industry, we have the advantage of providing multiple solutions utilizing the most advanced technologies of PLC/G.hn/802.11ac. HiSilicon secured the industry leading position through its precious end to end video technologies from capture, link, decoding to display. We will work closely with all partners and clients to build a better connected world and premium video era together.

© 2018 ACCESS CO., LTD. All rights reserved.
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 and DLNA Certified is a 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.