News

AMSTERDAM, IBC 2009 (September 11, 2009)

Dreampark, one of the leading IPTV middleware providers in the European market and Ekioh, a leading developer of compelling end user interface engines, announced today a partnership that will bring 3D user interfaces to consumers.

Both companies have built their core product offering on future proof technology including Web 2.0 standards and flexible and open user interfaces. Dreampark's flagship middleware product Dreamgallery, their SVG client and Ekioh's user interface (UI) solutions for embedded systems together create a platform that enables operators to easily customize their user interface to the specifications they need for their target demographic.

Dreampark is showcasing Dreamgallery at IBC 2009 in Amsterdam, booth 4.B70. Ekioh will also showcase its UI Engine at the Accedo Broadband booth, # IP621 in the IPTV Zone.

"Dreampark is committed to the ongoing maturity and market adoption of SVG and Ekioh is at the forefront of creating advanced user interfaces based on Web 2.0 standards," said Bjorn Lang, CTO Dreampark. "Together, both Ekioh and Dreampark will develop the next generation of SVG UIs that includes 3D so that we can provide operators with the tools they need to give customers the user interfaces they have come to expect today in their TV experience"

"Dreamgallery already makes impressive use of the speed and SVG functionality that our UI engine offers," said Piers Wombwell, CEO, Ekioh. "Dreampark together with Ekioh will enable operators to offer fast, compelling UIs with the minimum of effort."

Dreamgallery is a software suite for operators aiming at providing services over IP networks. It sets a new standard when it comes to user friendliness and "TV feel" and it provides a true "What‐You‐See‐Is‐What‐You‐Get" graphical user interface. Dreamgallery is installed in several large‐scale commercial operations and is committed to the SVG standard because of its ability to optimise the speed and performance of IPTV services for operators.

The Ekioh UI Engine is the most advanced user interface engine, available for any embedded device such as a television, Set Top Box (STB), mobile phone or portable media player. Utilising the latest Web 2.0 standards from the W3C, the Ekioh UI Engine can provide a user experience second‐to‐none, with a completely customizable user interface and comprehensive integration with media controls. The Ekioh UI Engine is built upon existing Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) standards, allowing simple generation of content using well‐established tools.

About Ekioh

Ekioh designs and develops user interface software for embedded systems. The Ekioh UI Engine delivers fast, responsive user interfaces based on the SVG standard, and the Ekioh Browser is an advanced web browser supporting the latest HTML standards.

Based in Cambridge, UK, Ekioh makes it easy to develop compelling user interfaces for consumer devices. The Ekioh team has many years of experience developing user interface software for embedded systems, including JVMs and JavaTV, HTML and SVG.

About Dreampark

Dreampark's Dreamgallery is the most deployed IPTV middleware in Europe. Dreamgallery is a robust and revenue‐generating solution delivered to some of the world's first commercial IPTV deployments. Clients include Boxer, Canal Digital, Dansk Bredbånd, Magnet Networks, Next Gen Tel, Teracom and ViaSat.

Cambridge, UK, 10th September 2009

Ekioh today announced Ekioh SVG UI Engine version 3, the latest release of the standards-compliant UI engine. New functionality includes 3D support, three-screen content delivery, and a powerful debugger. Significant speed optimisations have also been made, together with increased SVG compliance.

"With 3D acceleration finally on the horizon for STBs, it is the ideal time to make use of its potential," said Piers Wombwell, CEO of Ekioh. "We've listened to our partners' suggestions and have enhanced our solution to work across an increased range of devices, including Macs, PCs and Symbian phones."

The latest version of the Ekioh SVG UI Engine can make use of APIs such as OpenGL ES to render compelling UIs enriched with high-speed 3D effects, utilising the very latest generation of set-top box chipsets. Authors can create animated 3D effects using either SVG animations (SMIL) or ECMAScript based on the current W3C SVG Transforms working draft.

Three-screen support, together with SVG's scalable technology, enables operators to deliver UIs and video with a consistent appearance and with minimal effort across TVs, desktops, and mobile phones. SVG is perfectly suited to the challenge of high quality rendering across a large variety of device screen sizes.

The new Ekioh debugger is ideal for working with dynamic content created using AJAX technologies and tracking down complex errors. It even allows on-the-fly modifications of the DOM tree to try out new ideas. Additionally, authors can run built-in DOM methods and the application's own methods using a fully interactive ECMAScript console.

Ekioh UI Engine version 3 will be showcased at IBC 2009 powering numerous middleware stacks, plus a range of games and Web 2.0 applications on the Accedo booth, IP621.

About Ekioh

Ekioh designs and develops user interface software for embedded systems. The Ekioh UI Engine delivers fast, responsive user interfaces based on the SVG standard, and the Ekioh Browser is an advanced web browser supporting the latest HTML standards.

Based in Cambridge, UK, Ekioh makes it easy to develop compelling user interfaces for consumer devices. The Ekioh team has many years of experience developing user interface software for embedded systems, including JVMs and JavaTV, HTML and SVG.

Media Contact:

Ekioh Ltd
Piers Wombwell, CEO
+44 1223 858031
piers@ekioh.com
www.ekioh.com

Stockholm, Sweden, 5 September 2008

Accedo Broadband today announced that the company has teamed up with Ekioh, an embedded UI engine developer based in the UK. As a result of the new partnership, the leading Accedo Application Portfolio will support the new and exciting SVG technology that by many industry professionals is seen as the natural successor to current browser technologies.

“Ekioh has managed to build a high performance SVG engine that renders visually stunning and responsive UIs and graphics at impressive speeds. This new engine is outperforming current browser based technology by far”, commented Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo Broadband.

Due to the power of SVG, it is able to finally solve the challenge of creating HD user services for IPTV where guaranteeing a good user experience in terms of performance and responsiveness is usually a problem.

“Partnering with Accedo Broadband will give our customers access to the leading interactive application portfolio for IPTV”, commented Piers Wombwell, CEO, Ekioh. “We are happy as this will reduce the time to market for them to deploy attractive SVG content and applications”.

A number of new application using SVG technology will be presented on Accedo’s stand in the IPTV Zone at the IBC (#126) from 12th- 16th September.

About Accedo Broadband

Accedo Broadband is a leading provider of interactive content and applications for IPTV and broadband enabled consumer electronics. Accedo Broadband provides the largest available multi-platform portfolio of IPTV content and applications, Accedo Application Portfolio™, containing, for example, IPTV games, quizzes, puzzles, video art, comics, karaoke, lifestyle, niche sports, weather, user-generated content and communication services. Accedo offers a turnkey solution compatible with most IPTV platforms including a provisioning solution managed and run by Accedo Broadband, which saves resources and reduces investment needs for the service provider.

Accedo is a privately held company founded by telecom and media entrepreneurs Michael Lantz and Fredrik Andersson primarily backed by Swedish VC Industrifonden. Accedo Broadband is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden with branch offices in London, San Francisco and Hong Kong.

For more information, visit www.accedobroadband.com.

About Ekioh

Ekioh designs and develops user interface software for embedded systems. The Ekioh UI Engine delivers fast, responsive user interfaces, and the Ekioh Browser is an advanced web browser supporting the latest HTML standards.

Based in Cambridge, UK, Ekioh makes it easy to develop compelling user interfaces for consumer devices. The Ekioh team has many years of experience developing user interface software for embedded systems, including JVMs and JavaTV, HTML and SVG.

For more information, visit www.ekioh.com

Cambridge, UK, 3rd September 2008

Ekioh today announced that the Inuk Networks Freewire IPTV service, running on STBs using the Ekioh UI Engine, has been rolled out in several locations across the UK. The Ekioh UI Engine utilises the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) open standard from the W3C, to provide a fast, flexible and customisable user experience.

The nationwide Freewire service available to students across the UK has so far largely concentrated on offering its IPTV service via a PC or Mac client. The service is also now available on STBs using Industria's Zignal 2.0 middleware and the Ekioh UI Engine. The STB solution is now in operation at four university campuses across the UK. As Inuk expands its Freewire student IPTV service off-campus over the Cable & Wireless national LLU network, this Ekioh solution will be provided as an integral element of the STB solution for every customer on the platform.

“We have been looking to deliver a true next generation TV experience on a set-top box for over two years and SVG seems to be the missing link when it comes to rendering really fast graphics and a responsive interface,” said Marcus Liassides, Chief Executive Officer at Inuk Networks Ltd. “Using Ekioh’s SVG browser together with Zignal 2.0 has enabled us to take a huge leap forward with a user interface which not only looks fantastic but is also the fastest I have ever seen on a set-top box.”

Piers Wombwell, CEO of Ekioh commented: “The Ekioh UI Engine has been specifically designed for set-top boxes and combines flexibility and performance giving a superior user experience. This is the first live deployment of the Ekioh UI Engine and as the Freewire service expands, we are delighted that our software will be used by every set-top box customer on the Freewire platform.”

About Ekioh

Ekioh designs and develops user interface software for embedded systems. The Ekioh UI Engine delivers fast, responsive user interfaces, and the Ekioh Browser is an advanced web browser supporting the latest HTML standards.

Based in Cambridge, UK, Ekioh makes it easy to develop compelling user interfaces for consumer devices. The Ekioh team has many years of experience developing user interface software for embedded systems, including JVMs and JavaTV, HTML and SVG.

About Inuk Networks

Inuk Networks is a triple-play service provider which has capitalised on the rapid growth of broadband technologies by developing a platform for the distribution of broadcast quality TV and carrier-class telephony over closed IP-based networks.

Freewire (www.freewiretv.com) is the company's branded platform for the delivery of video, voice and data services to consumer customers, with an initial direct focus on the student market.

Inuk's Freewire platform can be customised and delivered as a wholesale solution, offering broadband providers and network operators the ultimate flexibility in how they provision their TV, voice and converged entertainment service offerings.

Please visit http://www.inuknetworks.com for more information about Inuk Networks.

Media Contacts:

Ekioh Ltd
Piers Wombwell, CEO
+44 1223 858031
piers@ekioh.com
www.ekioh.com

London, UK, 8th May 2008

Industria announced today that the company has teamed up with Ekioh, a leading browser developer based in the UK, to further streamline and improve the efficiency of the Zignal client. Ekioh will provide an SVG browser on top of which Industria’s IPTV Zignal client will run, a combination that first debuted at the IPTV World Forum this spring.

Zignal is a software platform for screen-based entertainment and information services on fixed, mobile and converged networks. The platform’s user interface significantly improves interactivity with users, and enables operators to deliver new revenue streams on fixed, mobile and converged networks.

Ekioh’s SVG browser has been designed specifically for set top boxes and uses the latest web 2.0 standards. It outperforms existing STB UI browsers by concentrating on features required for user interfaces. Integrated JavaScript allows Zignal to be seamlessly transferred from running on an HTML browser to SVG.

“Industria has been investigating alternative browser technology since realising that browser-based IPTV portal solutions would suffer on HD devices.” says Industria CTO, Stefan Baxter. “Based upon Ekioh’s expert knowledge of devices used in the IPTV space and browser technology, they have managed to build a unique browser that renders SVG [Scalable Vector Graphics] faster than anything we have previously experienced. We now have the tools required to deliver a fast and intuitive user interface that is ‘true to the TV experience.’”

"The Zignal client is a great example of how a fast, clean user interface should be designed. The Industria team have used open standards to create a visually impressive, high-definition layout with blistering performance," says Ekioh CEO Piers Wombwell.

About Industria

Industria, a leading specialist in IPTV solutions, is a 2006 Red Herring 100 Europe award winner. Its Zignal services management platform has revolutionised the convergence of rich media content with many common consumer devices, including PCs, mobile phones, handheld computers and television sets.

The company’s products include Industria Digital Living, a highly successful and proven end-to-end solution designed to efficiently and effectively provide new operators, investors and property developers with the full range of services, equipment and solutions necessary to build a network from scratch.

With global offices based in Iceland, Ireland, China, Bulgaria and the UK, the company’s extensive partner base and membership in several global technology and business forums make Industria an indispensible provider of carrier-grade solutions.

About Ekioh

Ekioh designs and develops user interface software for embedded systems. The Ekioh UI Engine delivers fast, responsive user interfaces, and the Ekioh Browser is an advanced web browser supporting the latest HTML standards.

Based in Cambridge, UK, Ekioh makes it easy to develop compelling user interfaces for consumer devices. The Ekioh team has many years of experience developing user interface software for embedded systems, including JVMs and JavaTV, HTML and SVG.

Media contacts

Industria
Corporate Communications
media@industria.com
+354 559 2000

Ekioh Ltd
Piers Wombwell, CEO
piers@ekioh.com
+44 1223 858031

Cambridge, UK, 5th September 2007

Ekioh will be premièring the fastest open standards based User Interface for Set Top Boxes at IBC 2007.  Based on the W3C Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) open standard, the Ekioh User Interface (UI) Engine offers a remarkable 25 frames per second ensuring exceptional user experiences.

The Ekioh UI Engine combines flexibility and performance in a way never before seen in the set top box market. The SVG animation features and JavaScript controls ensure that the user interface display runs smoothly and reliably, minimising user frustration with the all too commonly slow, clunky and unreliable set top box interfaces.

The Ekioh software will be shown as part of the Quative next generation IPTV solution on the Nagravision – Kudelski Group stand #1.461 at the IBC2007 trade show in Amsterdam 2007.  Sebastian Kramer, CEO Quative comments: “The Ekioh UI Engine allows for many design possibilities that are just not achievable using current UI solutions. Being based on open industry standards facilitates application development and therefore ensures flexibility and interoperability.”

The Ekioh UI Engine offers a completely customisable front end, optimised for the delivery of digital media. With full support for AJAX and XMLHttpRequest, content can be modified on-the-fly from remote servers making it the most advanced user interface engine available for set top boxes.

Piers Wombwell, CEO of Ekioh, remarks: “The SVG standard has been designed for vector graphics and user interfaces whereas HTML was designed for flowing text on desktop browsers. We have achieved huge performance improvements without losing any of the flexibility associated with HTML.”

About Ekioh

Ekioh designs and develops user interface solutions for embedded systems. Our products cover the range of UIs needed on consumer devices by combining both an advanced user interface solution, the Ekioh UI Engine, paired closely with our advanced web browser, the Ekioh Browser.

Our team has many years' experience of developing user interface engines for embedded systems. From Java engines for the Oracle NC, through HTML browsers, we have now developed the most advanced engine yet, the Ekioh UI Engine.

Media Contacts:

Ekioh Ltd
Piers Wombwell, CEO
+44 1223 858031
piers@ekioh.com
www.ekioh.com

Quative Limited (Kudelski Group Company)
Sebastian Kramer, CEO
+44 7920 111810
sebastian.kramer@quative.tv
www.quative.tv