First HDMI stick form factor IPTV STB with HbbTV launched

First HDMI stick form factor IPTV STB with HbbTV launched

January 3, 2014 11.18 Europe/London By Robert Briel

Novabase Digital TV Technologies has selected Sigma Designs’ SoC and HTTV‘s Open-middleware for first HDMI Stick form factor IPTV STB with HbbTV capabilities.

Sigma Designs, a provider of System-on-Chip (SoC) solutions, has announced that Novabase Digital TV Technologies, has selected Sigma Designs’ SMP8674 media processor for its HDMI-Stick IPTV STB.

The device will debut at the 2014 CES show in Las Vegas on January 7-10, 2014, and is the first operator class HDMI-stick form factor IP-STB that is HbbTV compliant. The solution also runs httvLink middleware by the French middleware vendor HTTV.

SMP8674 is a SoC solution that operates at very low power making the HDMI stick a reality. The SDK offers support for HTML5 webkit applications and an advanced middleware porting API that has been integrated by httvLink to provide full HbbTV compatibility. The SoC is also certified for multiple CAS such as Nagravision and Verimatrix.

Novabase Digital TV Technologies, GmbH engineering was able to push the STB design into the HDMI-stick form factor. The stick includes Wi-Fi and IR control capability.

httvLink, is an HbbTV 1.5 compliant open-middleware for connected TV STBs. It makes very effective use of the resources in the HDMI-Stick STB without sacrificing user experience and offers optimal performance for the consumer. The HDMI stick is perfect candidate for streaming media player for OTT/VOD, a multi-room thin client using SAT>IP protocol or a full feature IPTV-STB.

“Novabase is excited to partner with Sigma Designs and HTTV in our innovative form factor product,” said Michael Pauli, managing director of Novabase Digital Technologies TV GmbH. “Sigma has a reputation for working with cutting edge solutions for service providers”

“We are thrilled to announce more deployments with SMP8674 SOCs in partnership with Novabase. Their achievement here with the SIP offers a high value package to operators with a perfect combination of performance, power consumption and pricing, The SMP8674 “httvLink” solution, offers best in class performance for interactive broadcast standards such as HbbTV,” said Mustafa Ozgen, GM of Home Multimedia for Sigma Designs.

“Our open framework SDK solution for SMP8674 that supports QT-Webkit enabled the fast port of httvLink middleware, and the partnership between Sigma Designs and HTTV. Pairing this with cardless CAS solutions then makes a very promising thin client to excite operators looking closely at the HDMI-stick form factor.”

“HTTV is proud to have been chosen by Novabase Technologies TV GmbH and to partner with Sigma Designs for the launch of this first HbbTV compliant HDMI dongle. It proves our strong position on the HbbTV standard and our ability to be at the forefront of innovation,” said Regis Saint Girons, HTTV’s CEO.

“Their reliable platforms and speed with which we can integrate means that we can get to market quickly with a very flexible customer solution”

A demonstration of the Sigma Designs/HTTV solution can be seen at CES in Las Vegas.