Cisco has unveiled Videoscape Unity, its new and expanded video services platform, developed following last years acquisition of NDS.
The new platform brings together a multiscreen cloud DVR, enhanced Video Everywhere functionality, Connected Video to any device in the home and IP video over cable.
Speaking to Broadband TV News from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nick Thexton, Chief Technology Officer of Cisco’s Service Provider Video Technology Group, said the new Videoscape Unity took the world of content to unmanaged devices and moved to the world of merged devices to provide a richer offering.
While NDS had made its name through the supply of bespoke products, the new platform changed the perspective by providing pre-integrated tools.
“We have for Videoscape Unity a kind of heat map and in terms of numbers and components it would be pretty much an even split [between Cisco and NDS].
Balan Nair, executive vice president and chief technology officer, Liberty Global and an NDS customer through its Horizon platform commented: “Service providers like LGI are in a prime position to address changes in both technology and consumer behavior, enabling an unparalleled entertainment experience. The Horizon platform, and our work with Cisco/NDS, positions us with a next-generation video service that will take us to the next level and provides both the infrastructure and innovation that we need to continually surpass our customers’ expectations.”
Thexton said that Europe and the United States were now coming together in terms of technology deployments, though he added that Asia-Pacific still held some differences, particularly in digital cable.
The availability of bandwidth had led to US operators overbuilding their own network, a technique Thexton expects to develop in other markets.
