Tandberg Television last week debuted a network digital video recorder system with built-in features for managing programming-distribution rights.
Tandberg's Xport Time-Shifted TV solution can ingest an expanded number of broadcast channels as part of an operator's “delayed viewing” service, such as Time Warner Cable's Start Over, which lets subscribers watch a recorded program while the linear version is still on the air.
The product announcement comes after the U.S. Appeals Court for the 2nd Circuit last month ruled that Cablevision Systems' RS-DVR did not infringe copyrights. The content owners that filed suit against the MSO, complaining that it had not negotiated rights to offer such a network DVR service, have not indicated whether they'll appeal the decision.
In any case, Tandberg's network DVR platform is designed to provide rights management as an integral component.
Xport TSTV can manage content-rights restrictions, such as disabling fast-forwarding. It can also enforce blackout restrictions for sporting events to only allow playback two hours after the game starts, for example.
Tandberg's system, which also includes recording-management and viewing-management servers, is scheduled to ship in fourth quarter of 2008. Pricing was not released.
The system works with Tandberg's OpenStream VOD platform, as well as other back-office environments, according to the company. The company plans to demo Xport Time-Shifted TV at IBC 2008 in Amsterdam Sept. 12-16.
Tandberg, a subsidiary of Ericsson, sells video encoders and VOD systems to broadcasters, programmers and pay TV operators.
