Thomson, a leader of services to content creators announced it has been selected to supply Tahiti Nui Satellite (TNS) with a HD set-top box to support the launch of high definition channels in Q4 2009. As well as receiving HD channels in MPEG-4 by satellite, the new set-top box from Thomson will allow TNS’ subscribers to select and view video on demand and other interactive content via broadband in the near future. Covering an area the size of Western Europe, TNS provides television services across French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. The upcoming launch of high definition channels is a demonstration of its ongoing commitment to innovation.
“As a leading supplier of set-top boxes and home connectivity devices, Thomson has developed a range of products to meet contemporary requirements,” said Georges Laplanche, Senior Vice President, of the Connect Division at Thomson. “The request for a ‘connected’ satellite box from Tahiti Nui Satellite was something we could easily adapt from our existing product line and this meant we could quickly demonstrate to TNS the level of performance and reliability they demanded from such an advanced product.”
“Our subscribers look to us to provide the best in television services so the migration to HD, with the addition of on-demand services, was an important part of our plans,” said Jean-Marc Mouret, CTO of TNS. “For the new service, we needed a set-top box which offered simple installation and operation, and reliable performance over time, and Thomson was the only supplier to meet all of our requirements.”
TNS has selected the Thomson DSI2110 set-top box, part of the Thomson “HD zapper” line. It provides reception of MPEG-4 HD transmissions as well as MPEG-2 standard definition channels. The set-top box supports middleware from Open TV and conditional access from Viaccess.
The DSI2110 is a connected satellite STB: in addition to the dish input it includes an ethernet port allowing connection to the subscriber’s broadband router. This will allow the operator to enrich its offering with video on demand, catch-up television and other interactive services over IP, with a seamless user interface. Also included in the STB is a USB port allowing the connection of an external disk drive to add PVR capability, should the service provider choose to enable this functionality later.
