Artio the enterprise IPTV middleware portal

Colin Farquhar, CEO of Exterity discusses Artio, the enterprise IPTV middleware portal used to manage end point presentation and interface experiences

What is the Artio portal?
Artio is a completely customisable toolset that Exterity customers can use to design and brand multiple portals and channel viewing options to meet their own unique requirements.

With Artio, the look-and-feel of a video channel can be designed to suit particular audiences and add bespoke functions such as access rights, recording and scheduling.

The Artio portal provides the flexibility of user experience that goes far beyond what was previously possible in the enterprise IPTV space. For instance, Artio enables organizations to provide specific tailored user interfaces for different groups of users, enabling organizations to fully unlock the possibilities of enterprise IPTV.

Users can be tailored by device, location or their own ID, making the content more appropriate to them and deepening the user engagement.

How does Artio fit in with the AvediaServer?
AvediaServer includes the enterprise middleware needed to manage end-point presentation and interface experiences. Exterity customers use Artio to customize the design and branding of multiple portals and channel viewing options to meet their own unique requirements. So different content streams can be delivered to customers with their own stylised interface.

A multi-channel network can be established with each individual channel designed for a specific group of users. Artio facilitates the creation and management of customized TV, VoD, radio and interactive pages that are tailored to individuals or groups of viewers across any screen or device and providing the flexibility for user engagement to go far beyond what was previously possible in the enterprise IPTV space.

Can content be delivered to individual desktops?
Artio Desktop is a media player that instantly gives PC and MAC access to all TV and video content by simply clicking a link on the user device. It supports live TV as well as Video-on-Demand and provides a comprehensive EPG for content reference and selection.

Artio Desktop includes a wide range of features including multi-language support, subtitles and closed captions, and can incorporate data streams. It is centrally managed and deployed from the AvediaServer IPTV platform, so can be administered from the transmission point. Integration with Active Directory and Groups provides a high level of user security through control of access to content and services.

How do system administrators use Artio?
Artio helps administrators manage the design and brand of the end user experience through an intuitive drag and drop interface and basic design template options, rather than the laborious process of creating each one from scratch. The styles and templates available within the portal include different colours, text positioning, icons and layouts for added flexibility and to provide options for user interactivity.
Designers can simply add or edit all the functions that are needed, schedule a sequence of actions, trigger recordings and inject promotions or messages to create separate content streams for different audiences.

How does it maintain content security?
Premium broadcast channels can be added securely through integration with SecureMedia encryption, which is compatible with Arris SecureMedia Encryptonite One. AvediaPlayers are authorised individually to access encrypted content. Encrypted content is accessed in the same way as unencrypted content: end users experience no difference in time to start content playing.

A further level of content security is achieved through HDCP support. Exterity is the first manufacturer of enterprise video over IP technologies to meet exacting digital content protection protocols by embedding HDCPv2 into the Avedia head end and Receiver clients. As the only content protection technology to secure the complete video path across an IP network, from HDCP video source to HDCP end point, any business wishing to show Blu-ray or other HDCP protected content can confidently do so, safe in the knowledge that their transmission system is truly secure and compliant with HDCP. This is important as HDCPv2 security is increasingly mandated by the content industry before their assets can be distributed over Enterprise networks

Are there any other useful features?
Artio Multiview provides the facility to watch multiple video and data streams at once. This allows IPTV system administrators to see the whole content picture on one screen, making it much more efficient to control and monitor the bouquet of content streams.

What markets does Artio address?
It is an extremely flexible solution that covers a wide range of markets from corporate information and news distribution, healthcare advisory transmissions in hospitals and GP surgeries, though educational signage to transport installations and the hospitality and leisure markets, including large venues like theatres and concert halls and sports stadiums. There are no restrictions; it will provide added-value services wherever content needs to be delivered to viewers, on large screens or directly to their desktops.

Useful links:
NEC Display Solutions – Corporate

Exterity

Published on: 20/11/2014