Ericsson said it has integrated MediaFirst, its cloud-based multiscreen platform for MVPDs and OTT providers, with the Reference Design Kit (RDK), the preintegrated software stack for video and broadband devices being managed by Comcast, Liberty Global and Charter Communications (via its acquisition of Time Warner Cable).
Ericsson said the integration will be key as cable operator and satellite providers evolve to hybrid IPTV delivery platforms. Canada-based Telus is one of the early adopters of MediaFirst, but has not announced any plans to use RDK-based devices. Ericsson said other tier-1 providers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia are also on board, but isn't at liberty to identify them by name yet.
MediaFirst is Ericsson’s new, HTML5-focused platform that’s tailored for the cloud and support for an array of connected devices/clients, including set-tops, tablets, smartphones, streaming players and PCs.
MediaFirst is separate from Mediaroom, the IPTV platform acquired by Ericsson in 2013 that’s deployed by providers such as AT&T U-verse, CenturyLink, Windstream, and Frontier Communications, among others.
Ericsson is one of more than 275 companies, including CE manufactures, chipmakers, software developers and service providers, to license the RDK.
“In this new IP world, consumers will put even greater demands on their providers to deliver amazing viewing experiences,” Shiva Patibanda, the new head of business line TV platforms at Ericsson, RDK pioneer, and the former CTO and GM of in-home products at SeaChange International. “By integrating MediaFirst TV onto the RDK, we can offer cable operators or any TV operator adopting RDK, a powerful cloud-based TV Platform to expand capabilities above and beyond consumers’ expectations.”
“Pay TV operators around the globe can now benefit from the common underlying software of the RDK, while retaining the ability to differentiate their customer facing TV experience using the innovative MediaFirst TV platform,” added Steve Heeb, president and general manager of RDK Management LLC. “Ericsson is a proven IPTV market leader whom we are proud to collaborate with and look forward to scaling this integration across Ericsson’s global customer base.”
