IPTV World Forum: Atheros HomePlug adapter gets TR-069 nod from Alcatel-Lucent

IPTV World Forum is taking place in London this week, and here is a quick round-up of some of the initial news breaking at the show:

--Atheros Communications announced that its AMP powerline adapters have achieved TR-069 interoperability with Alcatel-Lucent's Motive Home Device Manager. That ensures the HDM’s Auto Configuration Server can remotely activate, configure and manage IPTV and other services on Atheros-powered home networks.

The Broadband Forum's TR-069 WAN Management Protocol for remote management has been around for several years, and is increasingly being used by service providers in conjunction with home network deployments. Central to this interoperability certification is the TR-181i2 device data model, which supports remote management capabilities for HomePlug, IPv6 and multi-SSID Wi-Fi.

--Hybrid video platform vendor Sezmi, which experienced some fits and starts a few years ago with a carrier market that was not yet hip to hybrid, has been chosen by Mexico’s Grupo Iusacell to support hybrid video delivery over the carrier’s Totalplay fiber-to-the-home network, as well as the company’s mobile network. The deal comes not long after Sezmi announced a carrier deal in Malaysia.

--SoftAtHome and Vestel said they have developed a connected TV targeted at IPTV operators that means such carriers will not need to deploy a traditional set-top box to support their services. Despite predictions that set-top box were on their way out, the market has not wavered much even with the arrival of the first connected TVs, but SoftAtHome and Vestel are seeking to appeal to IPTV carriers with a TV platform that includes PVR, video-on-demand and other set-top box functions.

--Also on the connected TV front, the Linux Foundation announced the formation of the MeeGo Smart TV Working Group. It’s an open source Linux project targeting, among other devices, TVs, set-top boxes and tablet PCs. Some key telecom vendors have signed on, including Amino Communications, Intel Corporation, JetHead Development, Locatel, MIPS Technologies, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, Sigma Designs, Telecom Italia, Videon Central, and Ysten, among others.

--Yes, a satellite TV provider in Israel is using Celeno’s Wi-Fi chipset to participate in a home network trial focused on SD/HD video on demand streaming services in the home. Celeno also announced a supply agreement with Inteno, a video CPE vendor to the Nordic market. These deals come just a few months after Celeno announced some new funding