NDS Snowflake Wins Best Interactive TV Application at IBC 2009

Media Center: Press Release

NDS Snowflake Wins Best Interactive TV Application at IBC 2009

Highlights:

Snowflake, a conceptual user interface from NDS, wins prestigious Cable & Satellite International award at IBC 2009
Award for ‘Best interactive TV technology or application’ recognises Snowflake’s elegant design for navigating TV and VOD content
NDS is now showing the next generation of Snowflake at IBC 2009 with social networking features and integration on a 3DTV

AMSTERDAM (NL) – IBC Hall 1, Stand A71 – September 12, 2009 – NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced that Cable & Satellite International magazine and a panel of international expert judges have awarded NDS Snowflake™ the “Best interactive TV technology or application” at IBC 2009.

Snowflake is a high-end conceptual User Interface (UI) based around a minimalist 3D grid overlaid on live TV. In addition to Snowflake, NDS’ in-house design studios have developed a number of conceptual UIs such as Master UI™, deployed by Comstar-UTS in March of this year.

Snowflake’s full screen and overlaid TV user experience is controlled by a remote with a minimal set of six keys and provides the same look and feel on any device whether TV, PC, iPhone or other mobile devices and Personal Media Players, etc. The latest version of Snowflake offers the integration of social networking features, branded space and widgets. In addition, at IBC this year NDS is showing Snowflake Hub, a new central area for all TV applications and the versatility of the Snowflake UI is also demonstrated with stereoscopic content on a 3DTV.

“This award validates the importance of design in the TV user experience and recognises the innovative work of our design team,” said Nigel Smith, chief marketing officer, NDS. “Most of today’s digital TV user interfaces were designed and built by engineers and focus on cramming in user functions. NDS next generation UIs take a different approach – they are developed by graphic designers with a focus on style and ease of use.”

About NDS

NDS Group Ltd. creates the technologies and applications that enable pay-TV operators to securely deliver digital content to TV STBs (set-top boxes), DVRs (digital video recorders), PCs, mobiles and other multimedia devices. Over 70 of the world’s leading pay-TV platforms rely on NDS solutions to protect and enhance their businesses. VideoGuard® is the world’s market-leading conditional access (CA) and digital rights management (DRM) technology, currently deployed on 107 million active devices, and safeguarding pay-TV service revenues exceeding $40 billion. NDS middleware, including MediaHighway® which enables a host of advanced services for subscribers, has been deployed on 123 million devices. NDS DVR technology, centred around XTV™, leads the global industry with 21 million units deployed. (Deployment figures as of 30th June 2009).

Headquartered in the UK, NDS remains committed to investing in R&D with over 75% of its employees dedicated to pioneering work at development centres in China, Denmark, France, India, Israel, Korea, UK and US. NDS has also implemented a host of initiatives aimed at reducing its carbon footprint and helping digital TV subscribers reduce energy consumption.

NDS Group Ltd. is a private company owned by the Permira Funds and News Corporation. See www.nds.com for more information.

Read about the latest developments at NDS and in the pay-TV industry in World Vision.

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For further information:

NDS
Amy Lucas	T: +44 (0)20 8476 8243
Corporate Communications	alucas@nds.com

Breakaway Communications for NDS	T: + 1 212 616 6006
Kelly Fitzgerald, Managing Partner	kfitz@breakawaycom.com

Susbauer PR for NDS	T: +49 40 39 90 63 57
Ansgar Gerber, Managing Partner	a.gerber@susbauer.de