In a move set to enhance significantly its global deployed base, multi-platform cloud specialist has confirmed that its ActiveVideo CloudTV software platform is being used by Liberty Global to expand the reach of user experiences offered by Horizon TV, the MSO’s media and entertainment platform, currently being deployed in Europe and Latin America.

CloudTV decouples the user experience from device dependencies, enabling IPTV, telco, cable and other pay-TV providers to reduce costs and time-to-market for multiplatform television experiences. CloudTV H5, the latest version of the platform, features key innovations in product and network scalability that are supporting the accelerated deployment of differentiating user interfaces and applications written in HTML5.

“Consumers are seeking new enhanced experiences for their video entertainment all the time,” said Aamir Hussain, managing director and CTO, Liberty Global Europe. “Liberty Global is constantly innovating and leading in delivering compelling and differentiated TV experiences leveraging cloud-based architectures. Liberty Global is using ActiveVideo’s CloudTV platform to complement its cloud UI strategy and expand Horizon-like experiences, including cloud DVR, VOD navigation and advanced applications, to STBs and connected devices.”

Jeff Miller, president and CEO of ActiveVideo,said that moving the user interface into the cloud reduced operational costs and time to market for advanced services and simplifies future software releases. “We look forward to working with Liberty Global as they continue to accelerate the evolution and availability of the Horizon user experience to devices that cannot run it natively,” he added.

CloudTV is available on more than 10 million devices in the United States and abroad with Cablevision Systems, Ziggo, Oceanic Time Warner Cable and other operators and with Comcast in a multi-stage trial in one of the country’s most competitive markets. In addition, Charter Communications is using CloudTV to support its cloud-based UI strategy. CloudTV also is on Philips-brand NetTVs and is powering advanced user experiences for Net2TV, a virtual service provider.

Separately, ActiveVideo announced significant expansion of Cloud UIs in Europe, including increased adoption of its CloudTV software platform for the delivery of television user experiences from the cloud to any device in the home by cable and IPTV providers.

It cited four key developments that are continuing the market momentum of cloud UIs:

• The ability of CloudTV to deliver cloud-based user experiences directly to unmanaged devices, without a cable or IPTV set-top box;
• The successful completion with T-Labs, the R&I arm of Deutsche Telekom, of field trials for the virtualisation of the set-top box, and delivery of Cloud UIs to HDMI dongles and other devices;
• A planned expansion by Ziggo of cloud-based VOD services to customers using CI Plus 1.3 conditional access modules; and
• The first deployment in Europe of CloudTV by an IPTV service provider, by Glashart Media, now part of KPN.

“CloudTV addresses the resource limitations and device fragmentation that are barriers to deploying or upgrading services,” said Jeff Miller, president and CEO of ActiveVideo. “European operators such as Ziggo, Glashart Media and Deutsche Telekom’s T-Labs are taking a leading role in using the power of the cloud to remove the operational bottlenecks that historically have prevented them from delivering advanced user interface paradigms.”

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