Set Top Box for Interactive Services on Demand

Informazioni relative al progetto

SETBIS

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: AC032

Data di avvio 1 Settembre 1995

Data di completamento 30 Giugno 1997

Finanziato da

• Specific programme of research, technological development and demonstration in the area of advanced communications technologies and services, 1994-1998

Costo totale € 3 200 000,00

Contributo UE € 1 600 000,00

Coordinato da

ALCATEL SEL AG
Germany

Exploitable results

Set top box for interactive services on demand

The project concerns the provision of tools in order to assess the user acceptance of interactive services on demand and broadband communication by application-driven pilot projects. The results of such acceptance tests are crucial to the success of the introduction of the interactive services on demand, the selection of the technology, giving the user access to the services, and for the decision of product development. To provide such acceptance test tools, a high-performance set top box for interactive services on demand and broadband communication has been specified and realised. It provides access to multiplexed, encoded digital audio/video signals and data, handles user input by the remote control unit and user output via text and graphics on the television (TV) screen for navigation purposes. Security aspects are supported as well as fast response times. The result of this project represents a major advance in relation to the current state of the art in terminal development. The tools to evaluate the user acceptance for interactive services on demand and broadband communication are measurable objectives in terms of full availability of parameters required for acceptance tests and of the performance-to-cost ratio at low absolute costs. The set top box, as high-performance tool for user acceptance tests, puts the user and his/her interest at the focal point of telecommunication developments. The set top box has been integrated into the corresponding test environment, which is a comprehensive laboratory test system for interactive services on demand. The set top box for interactive services on demand, is one part of a common multimedia services pilot system. The multimedia services pilot system aims at initiating the usage of interactive multimedia services, such as interactive video on demand, telelearning, teleshopping, teleinformation on demand or telecooperation.