Cube S OTT box from Canal+
June 10, 2015
From Paoli-Lebailly Pascale in Paris
Canal+ has launched its first compact OTT/DTT box – Cube S – co-developed with Technicolor.
This new HDMI, WiFi connected box gives access to all Canal+/Canalsat bouquets by combining the reception of DTT free channel with that of the packaged pay-TV networks. Viewers will be able to obtain Canal+/Canalsat offers without subscribing to an IPTV or cable operator. Additionally, viewers will also be able to subscribe to SVoD service Canalplay, unlimited music offer Deezer and radio service Radioline.
Le Cube S is a key element in the “new Canal+ experience” the group wants to bring to subscribers and potential viewers, as it concentrates all Canal+’s ambitions in terms of open Internet. Free from any network link, its WiFi connexion enables viewers to access, at home or on the go, to all Canal+ contents and subscribers’ services.
The Cube S complements Canal+’s mobile and web strategy, following the launch of myCanal app, which makes available more than 100 live or on-demand TV channels and 10,000 programmes. It now has more than one million users each day.
Canal+ also launched a new real-time recommendation engine called Suggest, which allows each member in the family to get contents adapted to their tastes of the moment.
In terms of Ultra HD, Canal+ promised that 4K TV programmes will be offered in 2016 within a new service that will be available to IPTV fibre subscribers or those equipped with the new STB Cube G6 the group is about to launch.
Technicolor worked alongside Canal+ Group to pack the capabilities of the Cube S into a tiny design. Technicolor’s R&D teams in Rennes succeeded in the challenge of integrating a wide range of advanced video and wireless technologies into a small form-factor, supporting full HD alongside Wi-Fi to create a complete content experience. The Cube S is a powerful and minimalist expression of Canal+’s cube-themed product branding.
The Cube S is the first deliverable from an ongoing partnership that will see Canal+ Group and Technicolor work together to deploy new consumer offerings in other countries.
“The Cube S represents a totally new chapter in our vision for the Canal+ experience. For the first time, we can offer French audiences our complete range of content over the internet in one beautiful set-top box, a small cube. Our subscribers can consume TV content live or on demand or listen to more than 35M of music tracks or international radios proposed by our partners Deezer and Radioline. Technicolor’s engineering and design expertise has allowed us to create a truly innovative and stand-out product that offers all our content in HD,” said Frederic Vincent, Executive Vice President, Technology and Information Systems, Canal+ Group.
“We have taken advantage of 100 years of expertise in content creation and delivery to bring an incredible array of channels together in a uniquely designed set-top box,” said François Rossiensky, Senior Vice President EMEA for Technicolor Connected Home segment. “This represents a future-proof collaboration and delivery. We’re proud to support Canal+ to make it easier than ever to access all of its premium content.”