Advanced Digital Broadcast, a leading supplier of digital TV systems and software solutions for interactive television, announced yesterday that it has been selected to supply IPTV set-top boxes (STBs) to SeaMobile, a dominant player and supplier to the at-sea/remote location communications and entertainment services industry.
ADB's advanced WAV-2500W units, based on advanced video coding (AVC) technology, will enable SeaMobile to deploy interactive, digital video services on their client's cruise ships, allowing guests to access video and interactive entertainment services, including IPTV and Video on Demand (VoD).
"We are delighted to secure this new contract with SeaMobile," ADB VP for Worldwide Sales and Marketing Jim Lomax said. "It is the first time that ADB has been involved in supplying an off-land application in the entertainment and services industry. We believe that our set-top boxes will enable SeaMobile to provide its customers with market-leading and state-of-the-art digital entertainment."
The deal marks ADB's first incursion into the at-sea marketplace. The company already supplies IPTV products to over 90 independent operating companies (IOCs) in North America.
ADB's new service will provide a combination of live video received on-board by satellite signal, stored content and VoD distributed over Ethernet. SeaMobile provides VSAT satellite communication systems that enable many services such as the ability to use mobile phones, personal computers, and receive daily newspapers, while at sea.
SeaMobile has also recently added video services to their portfolio of products for cruise lines through a SeaMobile division, Wave Entertainment Network.
"We are very happy to be working with ADB to deploy our new video and entertainment services," President of Wave Entertainment Network Larry Lemoine said. "As the leader in the at-sea communications industry, it was essential that we partnered with an innovative and proven IPTV set-top box supplier. We feel that we have found the right partner with the technical knowledge to successfully launch and deploy our latest product for the cruise line industry."