Humax is to supply BT Vision with set-top boxes for its tailored YouView service, Broadband TV News has confirmed, turning away from Pace that has supplied the IPTV service since its inception.
The Financial Times reported Friday that the Saltaire-based set-top developer was unable to satisfy BT’s requirements and Humax had been brought in to meet its timetable.
It is understood that Pace has not been completely rejected and may continue to supply the telco.
Humax is already the lead supplier on the hybrid TV project. Its retail boxes recognize a connection to the BT Network and add an additional menu with BT content. Essentially there is no difference between the receivers being sold at retail and those that will be directly distributed by BT.
At the IBC exhibition on Amsterdam this week, Huawei was seen displaying the boxes currently being given a limited trial by TalkTalk.
Speaking to Broadband TV News at IBC, Pace CEO Mike Pulli hinted at possible issues. “We have lots of customers and we’ve got to make sure we give them what they want,” he said. “We’re going to get faster, from a quality perspective those things are built in, we don’t want to screw up the supplies.”
Other manufacturers including Cisco and Technicolor had previously withdrawn their interest in supplying boxes to YouView.
