Product category:
Embedded Software and Operating Systems
News Release from: Cabot Communications | Subject: Callisto OAD
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 12 August 2003
Download module upgrades boxes in the
field
Cabot Communications has completed the largest single secure over-the-air upgrade of Freeview set top boxes in the UK using the Engineering Channel.
Cabot Communications has completed the largest single secure over-the-air upgrade of Freeview set top boxes in the UK using the Engineering Channel The upgrade, which involved over 200,000 Goodmans GDB2 set top boxes currently in the field, was completed using Cabot's Callisto OAD over-air download module in seven days, from 9th to 16th June 2003
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 26 May 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Keith Potter, Managing Director of Cabot Communications said: "This successful upgrade represents a milestone in the UK free-to-air digital TV industry.
Users are demanding a faultless, high-quality service from their set-top boxes and manufacturers are under pressure to update their products to support the latest digital interactive standards.
We have now proved, conclusively, that a mass over-the-air upgrade can be achieved for set top boxes in the field, removing yet another obstacle for the mass adoption of free to air digital TV".
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The upgrade provided major enhancements to the Goodmans GDB2 model, by installing Cabot's Eclipse DVB middleware and its Mercator MHEG-5 engine to support latest Freeview services, provide an improved user interface and faster user interaction speeds.
Roger Fearn, Managing Director of Goodmans says: "In this product, the end user experience is effectively dictated by software reliability and performance.
It therefore goes without saying that a suitably robust and performing solution is essential to give the consumer a stable, trouble free and enjoyable experience.
Cabot provided that solution".
To ensure a faultless mass upgrade, Cabot supervised an initial 100-unit trial of set top boxes across the UK to improve test coverage, gain user feedback and verify the OAD process.
The upgrade also achieved a 20% reduction in customer queries to the Goodmans helpline.
Roger Fearn added: "With 200,000 units in the field, the success of the mass upgrade was obviously vital to customer perceptions of our brand.
Before the upgrade, around 20% of calls to our helpline were regarding software compatibility with some of the newer Freeview services.
This 20% of calls has completely disappeared, confirming that the upgrade has achieved a significant improvement in customer satisfaction".
According to Fearn, Cabot 's unique relationship with Goodmans hardware supplier was an important factor for Goodmans when choosing a middleware supplier.
He explained: "Cabot's deep understanding of our hardware platform allowed them to create a solution uniquely tailored to our requirements.
Cabot were open from the word go to a two-way development discussion and therefore quickly met our needs to deliver a high quality interactive viewing experience to our customers, while maintaining our competitive pricing advantage".
The Cabot Callisto OAD module offers set top box and iDTV manufacturers a powerful and robust OAD method.
The optional SEA security, encryption and authentication module provides very high security and complete protection of STB from misdirected or malicious downloads to ensure the integrity of software upgrades.
SEA includes a PC tool suite for key and validation checksum generation and allows OEMs to authenticate downloads using public key cryptography to generate a digital signature.
Cabot's Callisto module incorporating SEA can be supplied as a SDK with full documentation or as part of the Cabot digital TV suite, fully integrated with the Mercator MHEG-5 engine and Eclipse DVB middleware solution.
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