New IP STB Featuring Integrated USB Technology Soon to Hit the Market

AccessKey IP, a developer of tailor-made products for digital communications and entertainment-related services, announced that its ‘IP Set Top Box’ (IP STB), a full IPTV (News - Alert) end-to-end solution based on integrated USB technology, is in the final phase of development and will be ready for roll-out once the final phase is completed.

 

In general, an IP set-top box is a dedicated computing device, which acts as an interface between a television set and a broadband network. The device provides interactive, personalized video content to a TV via an IP connection. Apart from providing video-on-demand (VOD), the device as well provides electronic program guide (EPG), digital rights management (DRM), and a variety of other interactive and multimedia services. The device also features Web browsing, e-mail and viewing e-mail attachments, advanced multimedia codec, home networking, personal computer connectivity, gateway functionality, instant messaging (IM), and real-time voice over IP (VoIP).

According to Bruce Palmer, president of AccessKey IP, the company had appointed five teams that were working in co-ordination since last year to build the IP STB. The first team comprised of hardware engineers who prepared and made the layout of the complex secure USB devices and its slave CPU for IR reading. The second team worked on the firmware internal to the USB dongle, while the third team fine-tuned the Set Top Box kernel. The fourth team provided the massive server work. The fifth team is providing the custom middleware.

 

AccessKey IP officials said that the testing of all the USB security communications and accompanying firmware, secure support servers and associated databases has been carried out and completed. The Verimatrix (News - Alert), Macrovision and kernel of the device is also tested. The kernel is custom tuned for all of company’s stream handling and is in communications with secure USB device. The company expects that the final phase will be completed in approximately 45-60 days.

 

Palmer further added: “Although third party delays have put us approximately 45-60 days off of our original projection of a year-end 2008 completion, the box is being completed within reason of that timeframe as a result of the dedicated efforts of our staff.”

 

George Stevens, chairman and CEO of AccessKey IP, said, “We will now have a total end-to-end IPTV delivery solution based upon our integrated USB technology that no other company in the industry has. Our unique Set Top Box solution is coming to life and will soon hit the market. To say we are proud of what we have accomplished would be an understatement.''

 

In 2007, AccessKey IP signed a Letter of Intent with a significant U.S. based organization in the IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) sector, in order to develop the IP STB device based on integrated USB technology.