Espial Media Service Platform

Product Overview

The Espial Media Service Platform is a proven and powerful head-end system that includes the following capabilities: data management and distribution for core TV services, multi-screen content workflow automation, media catalog management with browse and search capabilities, time-shift TV management, subscriber and entitlements management, cross-device usage tracking, device UX software management, cross-device banner advertising, transaction processing and personalization of services.
The Espial Media Service Platform allows carriers to cost efficiently expand their managed video services to include interactive applications and TV anywhere. With support for broadcast (satellite, cable and terrestrial), IPTV and hybrid managed services, the Espial Media Services Platform allows Managed Video Providers to incrementally expand their services without having to wait for network expansion or evolution. For TV Everywhere services, operators can leverage the Open Connect interface—they can deliver video services over-the-top, enabling TV services on anyconnected device, in the home or on the go. With the content workflow management (CWM) module, Espial Media Services Platform provides a seamless automated platform from ingestion to consumption for all managed media assets.
Espial Media Service Platform interacts with ecosystem components via web services APIs and integration adapters allowing rapid deployment and expansion as needs evolve.
Espial Media Service Platform is field proven to meet the demanding scalability and system management requirements of leading operators worldwide.

Core Media Services

• Linear TV
• PPV
• Start-over TV
• Catch-up TV
• Pause Live TV
• Electronic Program Guide
• Video-on-demand
• DVR
• WH-DVR
• nDVR
• Unified Search
• Walled-garden
• Games and applications
• Copy Protection
• EAS
• Messaging

Multi-Screen Media Storefront

• Cloud-based catalog search and browse
• Multi-device order fulfillment
• Support multiple branded or themed storefronts
• Product pricing per catalog

Open Connect Tookit for Managed Network and OTT Service Delivery

• Supports broadcast, IPTV, OTT and hybrid configurations
• Develop applications for iOS and Android devices
• Support cross-device services such as place-shifting and remote DVR
• Parental controls across all devices including multiple user ratings thresholds to control lists, searches, purchases and favorites
• Cross-device usage tracking
• Supports cloud-based service delivery and lifecycle management.

Products and Subscription Management

• Support for multiple business models for on-demand and linear services
• Create and tailor TV service packages
• Support on-demand, subscription and bundled offerings and purchases
• Add, modify, and delete products and subscriptions
• Set rates on any product, bundle, or promotion
• Support tens of thousands of on-demand asset descriptions

Multi-Screen Workflow Automation

• Content acquisition and ingest of ADI 1.1 media asset descriptions
• Multi-target content preparation with automated encryption, transcode and segmentation workflow
• Meta-data proofing and editing
• Content staging and QA
• Workflow status tracking and problem reporting
• OTT templates for auto generation of streaming content for multiple targets
• Workflow auditing and management rules
• Content Workflow Blocks for independent content auditing
• Target advertisements by service domain and other criteria

Interactive Cross-Device Advertising

• Display ads across all device user interfaces
• Distribute ads efficiently via the IP multicast data carousel
• Target advertisements by service domain and other criteria

On-Demand Asset Promotion

• Promote on-demand assets via custom categories and special categories such as -"Coming Soon" and - "Top 10"
• Offer on-demand content as a single product, in a group, or as a collection
• Create one-time and recurring promotions

Wholesaling, Multiple Service Domain Support and MDU targeting

• Tailor services to viewing area
• Regional user-interfaces, languages, channel line-ups, on-demand content and program guide information
• Multi-city and multi-country operators
• Tailored content and applications for multi-dwelling units, enterprise, and hospitality customers

Linear TV Management

• Easy-to-use channel administration and packaging
• Create channel tier products or offer them à la carte
• Easily add, view, modify, and delete channels through the API or the web-based GUI
• Assign channel numbering and tier packages by service domain
• Fine grained per event time-shift, copy protection, and DVR controls

PPV Management

• Automatic pay-per-event creation, pricing, and presentation
• Pay-per-time pricing and presentation
• Custom PPV channel guides
• Overtime handling for sports PPV events
• Blackout management

Timeshift TV Management

• Support for Start-Over and Catch UP TV services
• Historical EPG & VoD portal presentation
• Fine grained DVR & trickplay control

Subscriber and Asset Management

• Import and manage existing customer databases through open APIs
• Add, modify, and delete subscribers
• Organize subscribers into groups

Multi-Language Support

• All application information and descriptions can be localized for multiple languages

UX Optimized Data Management

• Optimized for speed and network efficiency
• Advanced data compression to reduce peak network and server loads, application look-up time
• Efficient distribution via multicast for IPTV applications
• Indexing enables rich, fast and feature rich EPG search capabilities

Features & Benefits

• Expand your brand, not your costs - Extend your services and delight your subscribers on any connected device, at home and on the go, using a single, scaleable, automated platform.
• Sustainable, continuous innovation - Open interfaces, standards and support for cloud based UX enables continuous and cost-effective service differentiation
  Modular - From launching a Greenfield IPTV service to adding TV Anywhere to an existing cable service, and anything in between, a modular architecture ensures fast and efficient service innovation.
• Adapts to your network - now and in the future - Broadcast (cable, satellite and terrestrial), IPTV, Hybrid and OTT services from a single platform
  Best quality of experience - auditing, status tracking, and problem reporting for quality assured product.
• Unified brand experience—cross device applications and services that enhance retention and create broader appeal for the ‗always on‘ generation.
• Unified subscriber and asset management - A single platform for all target devices reduces complexity, simplifies cross platform packaging and transaction processes.
• Unified pricing, packaging and promotions – Launch point for powerful cross device products, recommendation and campaigns.
• Business model flexibility – Support multi-region deployments and wholesale business models with customized content, language and UX across multiple management domains.
• Efficient network communications – Advanced use of multicast data carousel and unicast technology to minimize network traffic and peak loads on server infrastructure.
• Scalability – Cost-effective, high performance scalability from a few thousand to several millions subscribers.
• Service continuity – Cluster-based architecture with no single point of failure for maximum uptime, in-service upgrades, and hitless expansions.
• Open ecosystem – Maintain full flexibility in ecosystem selection (head-end and back-office systems, client devices) through open interfaces, development toolkits and flexible integration adapters.

Tech Specs

Infrastructure

• Operating Systems: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3
• Database:  Oracle DB 11g R2
• Recommended Servers: HP DL360 G8
• SAN: HP P2000

Configurations

Small Operator

• Compact small footprint carrier grade configuration to support up to 20,000 devices

• Hardware: 2 rack unit solution based on active/standby HP DL 360 G7 pair

Large Operator

• Highly scalable single rack carrier grade configuration that scales to millions of devices

OTT Streaming Support

• Apple HTTP Live Streaming

System Management

• Easy-to-use, web-based administration UI
• Fault and performance reporting via JMX and SNMP v2
• Hardware: the minimum configuration is a 12 RU solution including SAN with eight HP DL360 G7 servers scaling based on the supported number of STBs

CRM/OSS/BSS Integration

• SOAP (Web Service)
• CDR XML/FTP or CDR XML/HTTP

Case Study

RDK

Espial Involvement In RDK

Reference Development Kit (RDK) is an emerging cable industry initiative led by COMCAST which defines a set of software components for clients running on high performance STBs and home gateways.  The intent is to speed the time to deployment of new devices through reference implementations on standard high performance chipsets.  

As a leading supplier of HTML 5 browser technologies to the consumer electronics  industry Espial’s TV browser is a licensable part of the RDK stack,  offering users one of the most compliant HTML 5 implementations available.  This browser is based on webkit technology, optimized by Espials specialist client development team and field proven through deployment on millions of ConnectedTVs and other devices in the consumer electronics market.  

Screenshots