Espial + Harvard Int’l… The Client + The Box (SatBroadcasting™—STBs)

[SatNews] Espial has announced that global device manufacturer Harvard International Ltd. (Harvard) has shipped its View21® and Goodmans set-top boxes (STBs) throughout the U.K., powered by Espial STB client and multiscreen software solutions. Harvard has operated for more than 40 years in the global consumer electronics market and is the U.K. market leader for retail STBs. Leveraging the flexibility of the comprehensive platform, Harvard offers an engaging and application-rich television experience on STBs and second-screen devices such as tablets and smartphones.

Using the intuitive Espial platform, Harvard will be able to generate additional revenue streams through the sale of companion application downloads customized for Apple® iOS devices. Known as View21 Play and View21 Photo, the applications are available for download from the Apple App StoreSM and are supported on View21 STBs. Consumers can manage recordings, access programming information, quickly navigate through the electronic program guide, and record and stream video on iPads®, iPhones®, and iPods® from the local STB, as well as push photos from these devices to the STB and TV. The applications are designed to optimize the use of the varying device display sizes to enhance the user experience.

Espial’s flexible middleware engine supports today’s open standards for TV applications, including HbbTV, OIPF, and HTML5 and has been pre-integrated for the DTT Freeview market. Relying on the open middleware platform, device manufacturers and service providers can deliver an advanced TV experience tailored to the specific requirements of a geographical market. A comprehensive set of porting APIs dramatically reduce time to market and development cost, enabling Harvard to easily add capabilities and functionalities to their STBs.