Join us at NCTC 2018 February 12-13
Join Minerva at the NCTC Winter Educational Conference (Booth 213) between February 12-13 located at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter.
To learn more, visit the NCTC homepage.
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Join us at CABSAT 2018 January 14-16
Join us at the annual CABSAT event January 14-16 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. CABSAT is the Middle East and Africa’s largest broadcast digital media and satellite expo. We look forward to meeting you at Booth ZB6-C33!
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Join us at CES 2018 January 9-12
Join us at the annual CES event January 9-12 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. We look forward to seeing you there!
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FCC Releases Requirements for Talking Guide
The FCC has issued an addendum to the Accessibility of Video Programming regulation (Title 47-Chapter 1 –Subchapter C-Part 79-Subpart B-§79.108) requiring pay TV operators to provide devices with accessibility options for their subscribers who are blind or visually impaired. More specifically, the required changes and upgrades to navigation and digital devices (TV’s, laptops, tablets, smartphones, media players, applications, STB’s, etc.) are addressed under this new rule by the FCC.
Upon request by the subscriber, operators must be able to provide a method with audibly accessible menus and guides for a blind or visually impaired individual to navigate and consume TV content and related services. The FCC refers to this capability of the device speaking the selected items as the user navigates the UI as a “Talking Guide”. This regulation is now enforced for large operators and will be in effect for smaller operators by December 20, 2018. It is important to note that this regulation does not mandate use of a voice command input.
Operators using Minerva’s platform, both iTVFusion 5 and Minerva 10, have FCC approved methods for meeting this requirement. Minerva’s mobile applications leverage the accessibility capabilities that exist on both IOS (VoiceOver) and Android (Text to Speech) phones to read the UI as the user navigates through the application. Users can also apply other accessibility features such as zoom and magnify to navigate the application. The remote control feature of the YourTV app allows commands to be entered on the phone and then sent to the STB.
Operators offering OTT services with mobile phones have this capability today without modification to your currently deployed YourTV applications. If you would like additional information on how to add or expand your OTT services, please contact us at sales@minervanetworks.com.
For more information on the FCC full release of §79.108 – Video Programming Guides and Menus Provided by Navigation Devices:
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/accessible-tv-and-set-top-box-controls-menus-and-program-guides
SODIC Egypt launches Minerva 10 Platform with Android TV capabilities
Egyptian real estate developer SODIC has selected Minerva Networks, the leading provider for connected entertainment with IPTV, multiscreen and over-the-top (OTT) solutions, to launch M10 system with Android TV as part of its innovative GoSmart services.
SODIC has become one of Egypt’s leading and most credible real estate development companies with its many residential, commercial and retail developments. SODIC sees TV services as a key element to help drive customer experience, and therefore sought a platform capable of supporting Android TV in addition to traditional STBs and mobile/PC devices. The Minerva 10 Platform, powering more than 300 operators worldwide, provides an engaging, highly personalized television and video entertainment service. SODIC is Minerva’s first regional deployment using this advanced technology.
With the Android TV launch, customers will have the capability to download and use Android applications, media streaming services, live TV, games, and more. The Android TV, multi-screen solution gives subscribers the ability to start watching on one device, and seamlessly continue watching on anothers. Users also have the ability to upgrade their current M10 Platform for additional TV and video services.
“Minerva is excited to continue working with SODIC in Egypt to launch next generation, personalized video services ” said Marco Bonomi, Regional VP of Sales at Minerva. “The fact that this is our first regional deployment using Android TV will increase expectations, as we continually deliver an exceptional television experience in the Middle East and beyond.”
“When building our Video over IP platform, we looked for best-of-breed leading Video Technology providers that would enable us to deploy a superior entertainment experience to our customers and Minerva was always on top of our list” said Hisham Salah, Chief Information Officer at SODIC. “Not only Minerva provided us with the latest Android TV technologies, they also allowed our customers to access an outstanding feature set: Minerva 10 provides scalable, reliable, personalized video services based on Enriched Metadata, Recommendations, Trending, Advanced Analytics, Voice Recognition, Artificial Intelligence and leverages the power of the Cloud. We are extremely pleased with our selection and with the contribution Minerva is making to the quality of the entertainment that we offer to our customers.”
Join us at AfricaCom 2017 November 7-9
Join us at the 20th Anniversary of AfricaCom November 7-9 in Cape Town, South Africa. TV Connect Africa, is the leading platform to discuss the future of broadcasting in Africa.
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