VOD Aboard Cunard's Queen Mary 2!
Ray Goldenberg
I received this press release from the nCUBE Corporation and thought
it would be of interest. The Video On Demand, as well as the
interactive TV, worked fine as on my QM2 sailing. Hopefully, it is
working well for those sailing on her now and in the future. If you
have missed any of my news' postings, they are available on my web
site.
Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com
IDF Sets Sail With nCUBE for VOD Aboard Cunard's Queen Mary 2
Integrated System Provides In-Cabin VOD Services on World's Grandest
Luxury Liner
PORTLAND, Ore., March 29
IDF, the leader in supplying digital interactive TV solutions for the
cruise industry, has selected nCUBE to power in-cabin video-on-demand
(VOD) services aboard Queen Mary 2, the new flagship of the Cunard
Fleet. The integrated system combines IDF's fully digital
Communication Infotainment Network (CIN(TM)) version 2 and nCUBE's
video server to deliver on-demand programming for guests traveling
aboard the luxury ocean liner.
IDF is the system integrator in the cruise and hospitality market that
creates completely integrated infotainment solutions for high-end
hospitality venues, including the demanding 4 and 5-star cruise
market. IDF and nCUBE have already successfully deployed interactive
television services in a number of prestigious cruise ships over the
past five years.
The completed project brings on-demand programming to more than 2,600
guests per voyage aboard the world's largest ocean liner. Guests can
use the services to access movies and other on-demand features in
their suites at their convenience, with the ability to start, stop,
pause and restart the movies whenever they wish.
CIN(TM) is an in-room infotainment system that combines the core
on-demand functions of services, communication, information and
entertainment under one easy-to-use human interface. It allows
customization of hardware and software components according to
customer requirements.
"Reliability, stability and ease of use all take on heightened
significance when you are delivering on-demand services in a demanding
environment such as a cruise ship," said Heinz-Juergen Moeller, IDF's
president and CEO. "nCUBE's proven ability to deploy VOD in a timely
and cost effective manner in many of the most sophisticated markets
worldwide made them an obvious choice to help bring VOD aboard a
history-making project as Queen Mary 2."
"nCUBE's focus has always been on simplifying the deployment of VOD
and providing a stable, flexible infrastructure that ensures operators
can deliver on-demand services at the lowest total cost of
operations," said Michael Pohl, president and CEO of nCUBE. "We are
proud to partner with IDF and to offer them an architecture that can
be scaled to support the on-demand offering both today and into the
future as they incorporate additional services and programming."
Queen Mary 2 is the largest (151,400 tons), longest (1,132 feet/345
meters), tallest (236 feet/72 meters), widest (135 feet/41 meters) and
most expensive ($800 million) liner ever built. The ship began her
maiden voyage on January 12, 2004, from Southampton, England and
arrived two weeks later at Port Everglades in Florida, her U.S. winter
homeport.
About nCUBE:
nCUBE Corporation is a leading provider of on-demand media and digital
advertising solutions for cable operators and telecommunications
network providers worldwide. nCUBE simplifies the deployment of
on-demand content and digital ad insertion systems with the most
powerful, comprehensive set of on- demand management and technical
business tools. The company offers the only server architecture in the
market with the scalability to deliver up to 61,000 simultaneous
streams from a single site, meeting the demands of VOD today and the
future content needs of everything-on-demand (EOD). For more
information: www.ncube.com.
About Cunard
Cunard Line, one of the world's most recognized brand names with a
classic British heritage, is operated by Miami-based Cunard Line
Limited. Cunard Line Limited is a unit of Carnival Corporation.
Cunard Line Limited is a member of the exclusive World's Leading
alliance, which also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America
Line, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises, Windstar Cruises and The Yachts
of Seabourn. Sharing a passion to please each guest, and a commitment
to quality and value, member lines appeal to a wide range of
lifestyles and budgets. Together they offer exciting and enriching
cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations.
About IDF:
Hamburg based IDF is acknowledged as a worldwide leader in the field
of full digital "infotainment" systems for the cruise industry. The
full-service company provides consultation, development and
installation of integrated technology components and graphic design of
display screens. IDF also provides content and system maintenance.
Established in 1994 and headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, with a
branch office in Los Angeles, Calif., IDF specializes in Linux-based
software packages and systems.
Cruising Chrissy
<r...@lighthousetravel.com> wrote:
>IDF, the leader in supplying digital interactive TV solutions for the
>cruise industry, has selected nCUBE to power in-cabin video-on-demand
>(VOD) services aboard Queen Mary 2,...>IDF is the system integrator in the cruise and hospitality market that
>creates completely integrated infotainment solutions for high-end
>hospitality venues, including the demanding 4 and 5-star cruise
>market.
Translation:
Great porn.
> Guests can
>use the services to access movies and other on-demand features in
>their suites at their convenience, with the ability to start, stop,
>pause and restart the movies whenever they wish.
Translation:
Made for porn.