NTT DOCOMO taps iWedia for Hikari TV launch

TV software provider iWedia has been providing STB software products and integration services to Japanese telco NTT DOCOMO for the launch of its new Hikari TV for docomo service.

iWedia announced the collaboration at IBC and demonstrated the product at the show. Hikari TV for docomo gives access to a wide choice of linear HD and UHD TV channels provided by I-Cast. Multicast IPTV is used for the transmission of 79 thematic channels as well as for the retransmission of terrestrial channels. The 31 channels of dTV Channel, the NTT DOCOMO streaming service, are also available, along with over 130,000 video-on-demand episodes and titles.

The set-top may be connected over USB to an external hard disc drive which is then used as a DVR and a time shift buffer. The STB may stream the live and recorded content to other devices such as tablets within the household or on the go.

These TV features are complemented by access to the Google Play store and YouTube.

iWedia’s role in the project was to complement the Android TV framework with missing features such as multicast, ARIB, ISDB digital-terrestrial reception, DVR, the time-shift buffer, and local streaming and to perform the STB software integration.

“We are delighted that NTT DOCOMO has selected our software components and integration services for the STB of its Hikari TV for docomo new service,” said Sunghoon Kim, VP sales of iWedia.

“With this deployment, NTT DOCOMO makes the difference in delivering its own premium TV services alongside the Google TV Services,” he added.

iWedia is exhibiting at IBC in hall 5, stand B40.