It's TV Announces Plans For World's Largest Interactive TV Service With Integrated Joint Solution From nCUBE And Orca Interactive

27-Apr-01

It's TV Co., Ltd., a Korea-based interactive TV service provider announced that it has chosen nCUBE Corporation and Orca Interactive Ltd., a subsidiary company of Emblaze Systems (formerly GEO Interactive Media Group). Working together, the parties will cooperate in the integration and of an end-to-end system to be used to provide interactive TV services reaching 500,000 homes in Korea by 2003. Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) is the preferred encoder supplier for this project. It's TV will gain the ability to broadcast TV channels over their IP network as well as provide full video-on-demand (VOD) and interactive services in DVD-quality picture (4 Mbps MPEG-2), making this the largest IP streaming deployment in the world. Together, Lucent, nCUBE and Orca Interactive will provide the encoders, streaming media servers and ""on-demand"" software application to serve video and interactive TV services to It's TV residential subscribers. In October 2000, It's TV formed an alliance with each party to integrate Orca's ""on demand"" and ""broadcast"" application software and nCUBE's video-on-demand (VOD) media server to create high quality broadband broadcasting over Internet Protocol (IP) utilizing advanced technology and back-end architecture. In the first phase of the commissioned trial, successfully completed in December 2000, services included VOD, content management, as well as scheduled video delivery services to more than 12 local television channels. The solution uses Orca's XVODô (eXtended video-on-demand) and XBIPô (extended broadcast-over-IP) applications, nCUBE's n4 streaming media system, and incorporates Lucent Technologies WaveStarô encoding system. The second phase of the trial with It's TV, to be completed in mid-May 2001, will actively use this integrated solution to deliver 20 local television channels and VOD to 400 households. Upon successful completion of phase two, It's TV will move into full commercial deployment using its own designed set-top box, expanding to 88,000 houses in 2001, 334,000 in 2002, and 460,000 in 2003. Jin-Wook Kim, Chief Executive of It's TV, said, ""It's TV is dedicated to exploring the most advanced technology for interactive TV service to its customers. We look forward to using this integrated solution."" nCUBE President Michael Pohl remarks, ""The introduction of the It's TV television service marks the beginning of a new era in television viewing in Korea. nCUBE is proud be a part of this quality team that is bringing the world's IP streaming deployment to the home, to deliver Korean television viewers VCR functionality with DVD quality pictures on their television sets."" Haggai Barel, Chief Executive Officer of Orca said, ""This agreement is a beginning to what I believe will become a very successful revenue model for Orca cooperating with nCUBE in establishing long-term relationship with key media players such as It's TV. We are greatly honored to cooperate with It's TV and further strengthen Orca's positioning in the IP media arena."" For more information about It's TV, visit www.gmm.co.kr. For more information about nCUBE, visit www.nCUBE.com. For more information about Orca Interactive, visit www.orca.tv.

Read More:
http://www.orca.tv