customer service business today
spending power of the Pace group in differing products offering a number of ON DEMAND and CANALSAT ON
obtaining economies of scale when design forms, from traditional grey DEMAND) whereby content is buffered
dealing with essential component boxes to the highly stylised, according onto the HDD. It also has Dolby Digital
OEMs in competitive global markets. to the demands of the customer. Yet audio outputs.
Yet even if he could in theory replicate what is arguably the pièce de
Whether
Somewhat not surprisingly the box
the modus operandi of a competitor, in résistance of the portfolio localised won a design award in March 2009 for
other
practice it’s something that he feels is strategy is +Le Cube, an HD PVR box Best Hybrid Broadcast-IP Video
the wrong thing to do even if the designed for CANAL+ in November 08. broadcasters Delivery Solution. Yet both product
move meant a change in culture for +Le Cube presents a unique form
can conjure
maker and operator emphasise that
Pace. “Time to market is a very local that stands itself out from most if not
up designs
it’s not a triumph of style over
thing,” said Hautefort, “It’s something all STBs currently available. The black
similar to +Le
substance. At the time of the award,
where we are different to competitors. and white rectangular box - that is a
Cube is
Maxime Saada, SVP marketing at
We offer [suppliers] dedicated teams white box which has in one corner a CANAL+ Group, reinforced the
questionable.that are close, culturally close.” This black cube with a + sign - can be message that the device was designed
closeness also recognises that it’s very placed horizontally or vertically in
But +Le Cube
specifically for subscribers whom she
much a French play: “We couldn’t sell order to, says Pace, allow maximum
offers
believed expected a wide range of
the same product set in Africa,” versatility for the consumer.
evidence that
services packaged in a stylish form.
Hautefort added. Rejecting with some élan traditional
operators can
Hautefort pointed out that the award
But what will the future customised, perceived design demands of a flat was a product of a working
become more
localised products sets actually contain box with all of the active controls on a relationship stretching back over 20
Hautefort is realistic enough to be thin edge facing outwards, +Le Cube profitable by years. “We’ve always worked hard to
aware of the need to maintain an SD presents all of the interactive elements
under-
deliver innovative solutions to help
proposition even if France is moving such as the buttons and LCD display in
standing the
[CANAL+] grow [its] business. The +Le
ahead, à grandee vitesse towards HD. the black corner section. The 128x128
individual
Cube set-top box stands as testament
One of the key forthcoming product LCD display adapts to whichever
dynamics of
to Pace…and CANAL+’s forward
portfolios will be based around STBs aspect the +Le Cube is positioned, thinking approach to serving up
local marketsthat support HD over free to air DTT. thanks to a gyroscopic detector. services their customers want.”
He believes also that hybrid boxes will Yet it would not be enough just to
and
Whether other broadcasters can
be of increasing demand throughout make it look good from the outside.
increasing
conjure up similar designs is
2009 and into 2010, supporting IPTV, Inside, +Le Cube enables new services
service
questionable - the mind boggles at
video on demand and other video to CANAL+ and CANALSAT subscribers
satisfaction.
what a Sky or Virgin Media box would
centric capabilities. “I think that all containing a low audibility 320 GB look like. But +Le Cube offers evidence
boxes will move to this model and hard disk drive providing the ability to that operators and product
[more uptake of] PVRs: we’ll see more record up to 100 hours of HD manufacturers can become more
and more of them in a low-end box,” programming. In addition to USB and profitable by understanding the
he predicted. HDMI, an IP connection allows individual dynamics of local markets
Pace France boasts a huge range of progressive download of VOD (CANAL+ and increasing service satisfaction.
www.ibeweb.com l september/october 2009 l ibe l 7
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80