CES 2016: Sky Q selects Cisco for security software and service


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Editor

| 07 January 2016




As it begins the roll-out of its next-generation home entertainment system, Sky Q, European pay-TV giant Sky has turned to Cisco to power and secure all the advanced services in the offering.



First announced in November 2015, the Sky Q family of products is designed to connect wirelessly to create a new ecosystem that, claims its producer, makes TV viewing seamless. It allows viewers to watch shows from a set-top box (STB) - whether live, recorded or on-demand - either on a TV or another set or a connected device such as a tablet, and also to watch different programmes on up to five screens simultaneously while also recording four other channels. For the first time in a Sky package, it allows viewers to save recordings onto a tablet to watch anywhere in what the company calls a ‘fluid viewing’ experience.

To facilitate the service, Sky is using the Cisco VideoGuard Everywhere solution to secure services including broadcast, streaming and downloading of video to a range of screens. In addition, Cisco is also providing a suite of head-end components to orchestrate delivery of the service, along with dedicated middleware for STBs.

"Sky Q will reinvent how our customers watch TV, allowing them to access their favourite shows across multiple screens, in and out of the home," said Andrew Olson, director of new products, Sky. "We needed a proven technology partner who could work with us to help bring the vision of Sky Q to life."