Nagra is introducing a broadcast-to-IP gateway that will deliver live TV within the home to IP-enabled devices, such as tablets, smartphones and PCs.
The Nagra gateway box requires the company's content-protection technology and is powered by its OpenTV middleware. The box, which connects via Ethernet to an existing Wi-Fi router in the home, transcodes TV channels and then streams the programming to authorized devices.
Conceptually, the Nagra gateway is similar to Motorola Mobility's Televation Wi-Fi device, which Comcast is deploying for its AnyPlay service.
"You don't have to build a huge server farm to deliver this content," said Tom Wirth, senior vice president and general manager, Nagra Americas. "The second thing is, you probably don't have to change your [programming] rights."
Nagra's gateway will enter trials this summer, and the company expects to have shipping units by the end of the year. Today the box costs "sub-$200," Wirth said, but in volume "we expect prices to go down."
Initially, the gateway will support two simultaneous streams, but that could change depending on market demands. "We don't know the sweet spot for simultaneous number of devices in the home," Wirth said.
Nagra will not make the hardware, but the Switzerland-based company works with about 40 different hardware manufacturers.
Nagra will offer its own off-the-shelf user interface that an operator can use, or an MSO can build its own customized apps. The company also offers the Nagra Media Player, a secure media player for open devices that uses extended metadata from third-party providers.
