Cable Show: Itaas Runs RDK On Boxes Old & New

Count itaas among the vendors that claims it can teach old set-top boxes some new tricks.

Here at The Cable Show, itaas said it will demonstrate the Reference Design Kit (RDK) ported to “legacy” QAM-based set-top boxes. If this demo, billed as a “proof-of-concept,”  has some legs, it could help operators vastly expand the reach of the RDK, a preintegrated software stack that is starting to find a home in IP-only and hybrid QAM/IP set-tops and gateways.

Itaas declined to identify which models will be featured in the demo, but the company noted that it will show the full stack running on AM-based boxes that are outfitted with Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA), a high-speed home networking technology pay-TV providers are using to deliver live and DVR-recorded video securely over the home’s coax network.

According to the company, itaas has enabled MoCA functionality to use the device as an IP client device.

At the show, itaas will also demonstrate home security and automation apps running on an RDK-based gateway.

Last fall, itaas, which is in the process of being acquired by Cognizant, was tapped by RDK Management LLC, now a joint venture backed by Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Liberty Global, to oversee RDK Community Support Services, a component of the J.V. tasked with technical support and training for RDK licensees.