Zodiac, a software vendor serving video operators, has partnered with MediaKind, a media technology player.  Zodiac’s software platform enables MediaKind’s MediaFirst TV user experience (UX) to run on any digital set-top box via a software update only and with no need for a truckroll.

The Zodiac platform focuses local set-top resources on running the best possible native or browser-based UX.  Meta data translation, multi-protocol support, BSS/OSS orchestration and other strenuous set-top functions are handled by the Zodiac cloud and messaged to set-tops via any network “pipe” available.  The result is a unified software environment that simplifies the video network.  Zodiac’s software today runs over 130 different set-top models spanning a variety of vendors and chipsets at Tier I operators including Charter, Altice (Cablevision) and Rogers.

“Video technology vendors have always tied new features with costly new cap-and-grow hardware deployments that only benefit the lucky customers getting a new set-top,” said Rich Neill, Zodiac’s EVP Engineering And Technology.  “With MediaKind, we have decoupled software strategies from hardware capex so the entire footprint can get the benefit of new features with a software download.”

”We are thrilled to partner with Zodiac to enable MediaFirst, together with our recently announced MediaFirst client for Mediaroom, to address all of the roughly one billion set-top-boxes deployed around the world” said Gowton Achaibar, COO and Head of R&D, MediaKind, “This combination delivers an incredible value proposition for operators to evolve, adapt and shift to a next generation TV experience in an elegant manner.”

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