SoftAtHome Puts Content First with CloudAtHome

Solution enables Operators to simplify access and control to any content from the home and beyond Demonstrated at IBC in Amsterdam, Hall 5, booth #A11

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands and PARIS, France - September 9th, 2011 /Targetwire/ - SoftAtHome, a software provider of home operating platforms that help Service Providers and Operators to deliver convergent applications for the Digital Home, announced today the availability of CloudAtHome, a software solution that enables Operators to simplify both access and control to any content from the home and beyond. Their solution is demonstrated at SoftAtHome’s booth A11 in Hall 5, at IBC 2011 in Amsterdam.

SoftAtHome provides SoftAtHome Operating Platform (SOP), an open, ubiquitous and carrier class software platform that enables Operators to create innovative and convergent multi-screen applications for the Digital Home. It contains all the features and APIs necessary to create innovative and convergent applications. Operators can combine services such as voice, video, user interface, security, network access, connectivity or management, and deploy them in a multi-screen environment including TVs, tablets and mobile devices.

Today, operators and subscribers are faced, on the one hand, with the exponential growth of contents, the multiplication of media sources and the growth of concern about security and privacy and, on the other hand, with the multiplication of access devices, the increase of heterogeneity of type of devices and the issues with formats. Contents can be at home and beyond (office, Operator’s network, the Internet, at friends…). In the same manner, access can be from home and beyond (office, holidays, travelling, mobility…).

CloudAtHome is a solution built on top of SOP to address the challenges of Operators and subscribers. It provides Operators with an easy-to-deploy solution on both managed and retail devices that makes it simpler for subscribers to access and control content distributed between the home devices and the cloud. And since all the services are exposed as Web Services, they can be accessed by any device running HTML5. CloudAtHome comes with a new unified user experience that is announced in an additional press release.

CloudAtHome is built on top of the SoftAtHome Operating Platform (SOP), which is already available on different types of devices including STB, HGW, NAS and Connected TV. SOP abstracts the services from the different hardware and makes it easy to port CloudAtHome on the cloud in the network. Additionally SoftAtHome was able to leverage its strong background in IP technology based on its IPTV and broadband offers deployed in millions of homes across the world.

CloudAtHome is made of two main components: a cloud-based component that is deployed in the Operator’s network and a home-based component that can be deployed on different managed devices in the home (including the STB or HGW) depending on the Operator’s choice and strategy.

Contrary to traditional cloud based solutions that concentrate and duplicate all the contents in the cloud, Operators and subscribers have the choice, when deploying a Digital Home service using CloudAtHome, to distribute the content and the intelligence of the service both on the cloud and on the home devices managed by the Operator. The choice is driven by the computing power available today - and in the future - on the different home devices, by the use of the content inside or outside the home as well as by the need for privacy and security of the content. The content is distributed between the cloud and the home and can always be accessed from any mobile subscriber.

CloudAtHome is made of two components:

  • The cloud-based component contains all the server-based features hosted on the network side including backup storage, aggregation of content coming from the backup and from the network and preparation of content for access by multiple and different devices including Connected TV, STB, PC, Tablet, TV and mobiles.
  • The home-based component contains all the home-based features hosted on the home side including aggregation of content coming from different DLNA-enabled devices, cloud backup with privacy and profiling rules and access of content by multiple home devices while optimizing Operators’ networks bandwidth and guaranteeing the Quality of Experience.

For example, using CloudAtHome, subscribers can watch Live TV on their different devices at home including tablets, PCs or TVs, while limiting bandwidth usage or remotely access their recorded media while travelling.

Michel Degland, CEO of SoftAtHome says, "We are delighted to bring this innovation to our customers and to the market. This will help them resolve a major and growing challenge with proven technology. We believe that our experience makes us a natural fit for it. For SoftAtHome, the cloud is just another device".

About SoftAtHome
SoftAtHome is a software company backed by Orange, Sagemcom and Etisalat to deliver total convergence through an operating platform for the digital home environment. It fosters a new ecosystem made up of service providers, 3rd party application developers, integrators and hardware vendors to accelerate the advent of the digital home. The company is headquartered in France with development and sales teams in France, Belgium and the United Arab Emirates. For more information, visit us at www.softathome.com.

Press contacts
Frederic Bonnard
frederic.bonnard@softathome.com
+33 6 45 63 67 37

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