UK set top maker Pace has landed a key exclusive at French pay TV operator Canal+, creating a new hybrid IP satellite set top, similar to the one the AT&T uses for its Homezone service in the US, dubbed +Le Cube.
Pace will get the first manufacturing deal exclusively and it will be used to offer satellite TV and VoD over broadband in France. The deal came about on the back of a long term relationship between Canal+ and the Philips set top division which Pace acquired earlier this year now trading as Pace France.
Mathias Hautefort, President Pace France said, “As sole supplier for this product, Pace is proud to have been chosen by Canal+ Group to enable its latest generation of set-top box, using the expertise in the Pace engineering teams in terms of technology, services and design, to introduce new features such as near-silent operation and an innovative gyroscopic detector for the multidirectional LCD, while supporting services including Multiroom and VOD.”
+Le Cube’s hard disk has been optimized by Pace Engineering for very low audibility, to be less intrusive for the user. This is also the first HD PVR for Canal+ Group with an internal hard disk drive, with a 320 GB capacity providing the ability to record up to 100 hours of HD programming.
In addition to Ethernet port, this product supports USB and HDMI and has Dolby Digital audio outputs. The IP connection allows progressive download of VoD whereby content is buffered onto the disk.
+Le Cube has been designed to support and enable new services to Canal+ and CanalSat subscribers, including access to the latest US series, in high definition, less than one week after they have been shown to US audiences. Further features are catch up services, broadband access for interactive services and a recommendation service for viewers.