Unitymedia launches horizon the new multimedia centre

Unitymedia

launches Horizon The new multimedia centre

September 2013

FLASH INSIGHT

1

Copyright

This document is intended for personal use only.

Distribution is only permitted without any changes or omissions – publication, in

whole or in parts, requires prior written consent by MÜCKE, STURM & COMPANY

and correct citation of sources.

All mentioned company names, logos, brands, brand symbols and other copyrighted

material are the sole properties of the respective company; they are only used for

illustrative purposes.

2

Unitymedia does not revolutionize TV with the launch of its long-awaited Horizon box in Germany, but delivers a state of the art TV experience. Overview

The promise

The long-awaited box is

positioned as a new all

in one super-device

(STB, HD recorder, Wifi

router, cable access to

phone/ internet)

Horizon is marketed as

a revolutionary way to

experience TV

Key promise in

Germany: „Bald richtet

sich das Fernsehen

nach dir“

Source: MS&C Analysis

The future

Ongoing improvement

of the Horizon platform:

“H2” and a new remote

control have already

been released

Across all countries,

Liberty sees additional

potential for Horizon

such as

“Horizon WiFi spots”

WiFi-enabled mobile

telephony

Horizon-branded

multi SIM cards

The facts

The feature set

encompasses all

relevant TV features

(e.g., VoD, multiscreen,

recommendations)

The appealing and

modern user interface

is, like others in Europe,

based on NDS

Snowflake

The Hardware is very

advanced with a 500GB

HDD, a 1Ghz chip, and

6 tuners

The background

Horizon has been

announced for years

and delayed several

times

Starting in 2012, Liberty

Global rolled out

Horizon to the

Netherlands,

Switzerland, Ireland and

finally Germany

With Horizon,

Unitymedia strengthens

its position as the

central hub in the

homes of their

customers

3

The feature set encompasses all relevant TV features and follows an integrated approach across live and on demand content on all devices. Feature Set

Multiscreen

Within the home network, the

Horizon box can stream content to

smartphones and tablets (iOS)

VoD

“Unitymedia Videothek” with 6,000

movies and shows integrated

Media Library

Access to recorded shows and

media from via WiFi connected

devices

Recommendations

Personalized recommendations are

given based on editorial input and

user history

Fast Zapping

2 of the 6 tuners are being used to

preload other channels and boost

the zapping time

Further Features

- Timeshift

- Up to 4 parallel recordings

- Serial recordings

- EPG with extensive options to

sort and filter channels

- Cross-media search

- App World (e.g., Facebook,

Twitter, Wikipedia, )

- Parental control

Screenshots based on UPC Netherlands‘ Horizon TV


4

The Snowflake-based Horizon user interface smoothly overlays the current program and represents an appealing and modern user experience. User Experience

Start screen

has live TV in

the background

Menu easily overlays live TV

program without interfering

with the overall user experience

Channel and

programm

information

Horizontal lead through

the main menu



5

The box manufactured by Samsung may be large in size, but it is powerful inside and can be considered a technological frontrunner in Germany. Hardware


QWERTZ

keyboard on

the back

Hardware facts

Horizon box functions as a central access point for the

home and can be interconnected with other devices

via WiFi

500 GB hard drive for 65 hours in HD or up to 175

hours in SD quality

6 separate TV tuner for

reduced reaction time while channel-switching

picture-in-picture preview

parallel recordings (up to 4)

Hardware by Samsung, Intel ATOM chip, 1 GHz

processor

Unitymedia offers also a light version of the Horizon

box, which is only a receiver („Horizon Interactive“)

and lacks any recording- or gateway-functionality of

the full version („Horizon Gateway“)

Additional hardware clients for multiroom capability

are announced

1 Scart, HDMI, 2 RCA, Optical S/PDIF, RJ45, 2 USB

2.0, IEC169-2, ISO 7816, 1 Coaxial, 2 Phonelines

6

With Horizon, Unitymedia outpaces its rivals Kabel

Deutschland and Entertain in terms of features, box

functionalities, and user experience and clearly

narrows the gap to Sky. The multiscreen offering,

although only available in-home so far, could

become a key feature.

Yet, it remains to be seen whether these criteria

already influence German TV customers buying

decisions. So far, Unitymedia does not aggressively

push Horizon into the market, but launches the new

platform quietly.

Outlook


We are constantly analyzing industry trends

and developments in the sector of technology,

media and telecommunications.

If you would like to discuss the impact of

Horizon on your business, please get in

touch with:

Patrick Sturm

Managing Partner

[email protected]

The Horizon box is not a revolution, but a huge step forward for Unitymedia – and a move every competitor should watch closely. Outlook

7

Appendix

Impressions „Live TV“

Impressions „On Demand“

8

When switching on the TV, the user starts in main menu with the “Now on TV”-mode chosen. Impressions „Live TV“ 1/6


9

The horizontal context menu (dubbed “info bar”) is focused on content – the user can get information on the current, following and similar shows, and access apps. Impressions „Live TV“ 2/6


10

With the “More like this” option the user gets recommendations for similar live TV shows and on demand content. Impressions „Live TV“ 3/6


11

Apps like Facebook, Twitter and Wikipedia can also be launched directly from the info bar while a live TV show is running in the background. Impressions „Live TV“ 4/6


12

The live TV context menu (dubbed “action menu”) allows the user to pause and record the program, to get more information or recommendations for similar content. Impressions „Live TV“ 5/6


13

Zapping between live TV channels is very fast due to two additional tuners always preloading the next channels (one up, one down). Impressions „Live TV“ 6/6


14

Appendix

Impressions „Live TV“

Impressions „On Demand“

15

In the Netherlands, “On Demand” includes both VoD and catch-up; it is not known yet if Unitymedia offers catch-up content besides its own VoD portal in Germany. Impressions „On Demand“ 1/5


16

The user experience in the “On Demand” section is strongly based on video covers. Content can be sorted alphabetically or by genre. Impressions „On Demand“ 2/5


17

As in the main menu, horizontal and vertical navigation elements are intelligently interwoven in the “On Demand” section. Impressions „On Demand“ 3/5


18

Next to “On Demand”, “My Library” is the second section including content that can be consumed anytime. Impressions „On Demand“ 4/5


19

In the library, various media content (videos, photos, music, apps) from the Horizon box as well as other devices in the home network are accessible. Impressions „On Demand“ 5/5


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Unitymedia launches horizon the new multimedia centre

Entertainment & Humor