Pace buys Latens, strengthens its RG/set-top box middleware portfolio

Pace is on an acquisition tear in 2010. First, there was Bewan and 2Wire, and news came this morning that they have purchased Latens Systems. In addition to a portfolio of cardless conditional access products, Latens is more recently known for solutions that transition traditional cable TV to IP, and to allow for multi-screen distribution of content in the home.

Pace is buying 2Wire

After buying Bewan Systems SA in March, Pace is now strengthening its telco residential gateway portfolio by buying 2Wire Inc. for an estimated $475 million. This will provide Pace, with entry into the U.S. market, as 2Wire has supported AT&T's triple-play and IPTV deployments for ten years. This acquisition is a clear example of the importance of home networking and managed services to today's service provider community.

Convergence of the set-top box and RG?

We've been speculating for some time now about whether we are going to see the convergence between set-top box and RG functionality. In reports such as Set-top Boxes: Outlook and Connected Home: Global Outlook, we interviewed companies from both the service provider and the CPE side to identify the key catalysts and timing for the "all-in-one" box that
incorporates all data, communications, and entertainment access would impact their services and costs. Drivers for such deployments are the cable industry’s move away from all MPEG video delivery to IP and cost-savings – the one-box unit might allow for lower-cost or even no set-top boxes to be deployed. Today, the economic model for such deployments is only viable for households having three or more set-top boxes, only 17% of all U.S. digital cable households (14% of all broadband households).

Even as deployed separately, there are many synergies that the video-centric set-top box and the data-centric RG can leverage. It's probably one reason why a company such as Pace plc is purchasing Bewan, a residential gateway developer. Pace sees the acquisition as a way to enhance the converged services of operators and to allow entry into Middle Eastern and North African markets.

Pace introduces a whole-home DVR

Pace announced an advanced multiroom DVR solution, Home Content Sharing (HCS). Pace’s HCS, which utilizes centralized storage to connect multiple high definition (HD) set-top boxes within the home, is integrated with Rovi’s Interactive Program Guide (IPG) and Rovi’s Connected Platform software to enhance the product’s advanced functionality.

Pace develops +Le Cube, next generation satellite / IP hybrid set-top box

Leading independent developer of digital TV technologies for the global payTV industry, Pace develops Europe’s first Satellite / IP hybrid set-top box to use the Ethernet port for VOD services, +Le Cube for the French leading pay-TV operator CANAL+ Group.

+Le Cube’s hard disk has been optimised 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 HDD. +Le Cube has a striking new black and white rectangular design which can be placed horizontally or vertically to allow maximum versatility for the consumer.

+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.

To read more about this new development, click here.

For more information on Pace, please visit http://www.pace.com/.