Ground-breaking new technology brings a first to digital terrestrial TV

19th September 2006

Fen Technology Ltd, an electronic design services company, today announce the successful delivery of an interactive television solution to allow UK based Electra Entertainment and its partners to bring to market an innovative interactive platform for digital terrestrial TV (DTT) viewers in markets such as Freeview in the UK.

Electra's technology offers consumers access to a rich vein of interactive services at the touch of a button on both entry level and high end terrestrial TV platforms. Services offer high levels of audio and graphics rendering with negligible impact on materials costs, are persistent to the platform and are instantly accessible while viewing any channel via a graphically rich guide.

Services include games, on-screen TV magazine, news, sports, weather, betting, chat, an electronic programme guide (EPG), a DVD catalogue and t-commerce.

Electra is in advanced discussions with major manufacturers to embed the service technology into Set-Top-Boxes (STBs), Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) and Integrated Digital TVs (IDTVs) to obtain interactivity on a par with, and in many cases exceeding, capabilities of mainstream pay TV platforms, allowing manufacturers to both differentiate their products and enhance the service business.

'Fen Technology have used their extensive digital TV knowledge and system development experience to help us architect and develop our unique offering' said Jonathan Drazin, CTO at Electra Entertainment.

'With Fen's support, Electra expects to have boxes in the market by early 2007 that will bring a new level of interactive experience to consumer TV platforms', Drazin added.

'Fen is very pleased to have supported Electra from th e early concept stage, through developing and integrating the software solution to incorporating it into a Freeview STB,' said Tim Bustin, Managing Director at Fen Technology.

Bustin added: 'This multi-man-year project has enabled Electra to offer market leading features to enhance viewers' experience on platforms such as UK Freeview STBs'.

Fen Technology undertakes all aspects of electronic product design, including complete system and sub-system design, together with hardware and software component design. Its design services span product concept to production, enabling its customers to bring better products to market faster. Fen Technology's flexible and progressive approach allows it to react quickly to changing customer requirements.

Published on Cambridge Network