Liberty to launch Intel Atom-based gateway in Europe

International cable operator Liberty Global has formed a partnership with consumer electronics giant Samsung, silicon specialist Intel, and TV technology providers NDS and Nagravision to develop and new multimedia home gateway device for its digital TV customers.

Liberty plans to deploy the all-IP device, capable of distributing video, voice and data throughout the home to multiple display device, in Europe from the first half of next year. Samsung will build a device based on the Intel Atom CE4100 processor, which has been designed to deliver a range of multimedia services, including so-called over-the-top content from the internet, to a range of devices in the home.

NDS will provide the middleware for the platform, delivering a Flash-based user interface. Nagravision will provide the conditional access system. The platform will support home networking based on the MoCA multimedia over coax specification, as well as WiFi. The product will also be DLNA-compliant.

Liberty Global president and CEO Mike Fries, who spoke in general terms about the company’s plans to deploy a home gateway at the Cable Congress in Brussels earlier this year, said in a statement: “This revolutionary platform will provide LGI’s customers in Europe with a groundbreaking new product that has long been anticipated but never delivered: a seamless, intuitive way for people to access their live, time-shifted, on-demand, and web-based content on the television. Consumers everywhere are increasingly demanding smart, elegant and simple tools to navigate, share and enjoy their video content.  Together with our partners, we are making this experience a reality for our customers.”