With Android TV gaining stature in the OTT market, Arris will unveil a trio of UHD/HDR set-tops at IBC in Amsterdam this week powered by the Google technology.
The vendor’s Android TV product line will include the IPTV set-tops VIP5202, VIP5402 and VIP6102W; the DVB-C cable model ZC4515; the DVB-T terrestrial model ZT4517; and the DVB-S satellite model PS5517.
RELATED: Arris' Android-based set-tops pique interest of top-tier cable operators: report
At ANGA COM in Cologne, Germany, in late May, Arris sparked interest from Tier 1 cable operators with its Android GMS operator tier on a Broadcom reference SoC (system on chip).
Top-tier operator Comcast is developing its own technologies for aggregating OTT services and handling transactional video.
However, in the Android OS, proponents say, other Tier 1 operators can position their own branded services more prominently while still featuring Google services like Google Play. That balance goes to the core of the traditional bundle's anxiety about disruptors from Netflix to YouTube to games, which have lured the attention of many traditional TV viewers in recent years.
Operators are striving to offer access to popular services while not undermining their own core offerings. Plus, in the Google environment, there is also the chance that a rival provider's app could be served up to households, opening a potential Pandora's box of competitive issues.
"Our new set-top solutions with Android TV bring the best of Arris’ global scale, services expertise and latest video technology to operators who want to deliver the future of TV to their customers," said Larry Robinson, Arris’ CPE president. "Our longstanding relationship with Google and deep experience of tailoring and integrating advanced video solutions positions ARRIS as the prime partner for operators around the world to launch new enhanced TV services with Android."