Video Demo: enableTV Productizes OCAP Toolkit into Interactive TV Platform

One of the take-aways from last week’s TV of Tomorrow show is that we are entering a winner-takes-all battle over Internet-connected, interactive TV. In one of the final panel discussions of the event twelve of the leaders in what is called “over the top” Internet TV technologies were on stage. Conspicuously lacking were representatives from the cable industry, but they were in the audience (more on that later).

While Cable TV has been trying for years to deploy wide scale interactive TV solutions through its OCAP platform (rebranded a more consumer-friendly “tru2way”), the pace has been slow. The problem for cable companies is that they have such a diverse set of set top boxes deployed out in the field, some with advanced capabilities and some that are rather lightweight. The other problem is that the nature of the cable plant infrastructure requires extensive testing for any new application. The final problem for cable companies is reluctance, if not fear, in embracing a new business model based on Internet content. The worry, not unfounded, is that Internet-based content and applications will not be as lucrative as the traditional advertising and subscription business model they currently enjoy.

While the long term success of the cable companies versus “over the top” vendors remains to be seen (and something we will discuss in a separate post), their efforts have been a boon to those companies trying to work within their constraints. One of those companies that is benefiting from their experience in this space is enableTV. I had a chance to chat with VP Services Walden Miller and BD Manager Chris Ulmer, who took the time to show me a quick demo of their technology.

Click here to see demo.

enableTV has a background as an engineering and services company in the cable industry, but they have now productized much of their experience and technology into a range of toolkits for use by companies looking to develop tru2way applications. The company was founded in 2008 by Tim Wahlers and Walden Miller but their roots in the interactive industry go back much farther. enableTV grew out of Vidiom Systems, a leader in OCAP software design and development, so their operating systems, middleware, applications, and toolkits for the cable and satellite industries have been hardened by pioneering deployments at customers such as Comcast and Time Warner Cable.

Among enableTV products are an OCAP Porting Kit, an OCAP Automated Testing System, and a Headend Simulation Tool. Since cable companies are very finicky about what new applications touch their set-top boxes, these tools and systems are crucial to ensure a smooth tru2way implementation. In addition enableTV provides a Multimedia Platform Engine (MPE) and an MPE Porting Layer, which act together as a middleware platform to abstract the underlying code and libraries to ease integration with new interactive applications.

enableTV also has a similar line-up of products for the consumer electronics industry, since the vision of tru2way is that it will be compatible with a range of PC or TV devices with built-in cable cards or set-top boxes. To make sure it all works right, enableTV also provides a range of technical services, include lab space with all the tools you need (including a headend), as well as remote testing.