Slovenian Interactive TV Technology Provider, BeeSmart, Releases Free IPTV Middleware Package

Slovenian interactive TV technology provider, BeeSmart, has released a free, basic IPTV middleware solution, dubbed BeeSmart Lite. The middleware and its accompanying documentation can be downloaded here.

According to BeeSmart, the middleware is intended for commercial use, supports "all basic functionalities," including live TV, an EPG and VOD, and provides a "time-unlimited" license for 500 end-users. The company--which says that the free middleware is "particularly useful for technically skilled operators and system integrators, who are seeking an easy, accessible platform which can be successfully used in pilot projects and also in first stages of commercial projects"--promises that it will provide a "safe migration path" for users who subsequently decide to upgrade from the Lite to the full version of its middleware, which offers more features, more end-user licenses, support and regular upgrades. "Our latest research has shown that there is an increased distinct demand for an easy, accessible IPTV solution, which would provide a test bed and a safe transition into commercial model of an IPTV service offering," BeeSmart CEO, Matjaz Bevk, said in a prepared statement.

BeeSmart is inviting interested parties who download the free middleware to register for and participate in an online discussion forum and a LinkedIn group, where they can compare their experiences using the middleware and contribute ideas for its further development. "This release gives even the most careful partners an opportunity to test and start a new service literally without risk," Joze Pireznik, BeeSmart's business development director, said in a prepared statement. "All users are kindly invited to share their thoughts or comment experience with BeeSmart Lite on BeeSmart Forum or BeeSmart Professionals LinkedIn group."

BeeSmart Lite was unveiled at the IPTV World Forum last month, where attendees were provided with an opportunity to download and test it in advance of its official launch.

In other BeeSmart news: The company and its partner, Ekioh, a developer of user interface engines, announced earlier this month that there are now over 40,000 end-users running BeeSmart middleware clients in conjunction with the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)-based Ekioh UI Engine. BeeSmart and Ekioh claim to have deployed the world's first SVG-based IPTV service in 2008, and say that they now have the largest customer base employing that technology.

According to Ekioh, its SVG-based UI engine is available for any embedded device, including TV's, set-tops, mobile phones and portable media players. It uses the latest Web 2.0 standards from the W3C, the company says, and provides a completely customizable user interface and comprehensive integration with media controls. "Choosing the Ekioh UI Engine as a client technology for BeeSmart interactive TV services was a correct decision back in 2008," BeeSmart CTO, Marko Hiti, said in a prepared statement. "This is now confirmed also with other middleware vendors slowly adopting SVG technology. After several commercial deployments based on Ekioh client platform and BeeSmart client applications, we are proceeding with good cooperation, preparing IPTV services for the next generation."