[Updated Nov. 3, 2004] — This month, Belgacom, the leading telecommunications company in Belgium, will begin deploying 1,000 Linux-based IPTV STBs (Internet protocol television set top boxes) in home test sites located on its DSL network throughout Ghent, Brussels, and Liege.

The STBs are being supplied by i3 Micro Technology, and are fitted with a customized user interface (UI) based on an interactive STB software stack from Myrio Corp. along with a browser from Espial.

i3's Linux-based Mood STBs target live IP-based TV, video-on-demand, pay-per-view, music-on-demand, Internet browsing, email, and other interactive services and “infotainment” applications, according to i3.

The IPTV services in the Belgacom STB deployment are running on Myrio Interactive, according Ryan Petty, vice president of product management at Myrio. The JAVA-based Myrio IPTV stack is said to provide a simple and intuitive user interface which enables users to watch digital TV, pause-and-record live TV, download and watch movies, listen to digital music, browse the Web, and engage in e-commerce, among other features.

Belgacom UI based on Myrio Interactive
The Belgacom STB's web browser is the Escape browser, from Espial. i3 and Espial announced in September that i3 had licensed Espial's browser, which adapts Web and Flash content for TV viewing, for use in i3's Mood STBs. Espial and i3 said they planned to jointly market the combined solution to telco's offering IPTV services. Espial has also listed Myrio as a customer for Escape.

According to Espial, Escape's HTML rendering capabilities will deliver “Wall-Garden” and Web content to Belgacom's IPTV STB customers. Services that will be accessible with the Escape browser will include media-on-demand, local news-weather-sports, chat, e-shopping, Web surfing, and email, Espial says.

Espial provided the following screen shots showing the operation of the Belgacom STBs via services provided by its Escape browser.

“The modular architecture of Espial Escape future-proofs the Belgacom offering, ensuring that the carrier can introduce new services or applications as the need arises,” Espial said, in a statement. Espial points out that Escape's graphical user interface is easily customizable using traditional mark up languages, enabling Belgacom to “up-sell or cross-sell” new services.

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