Horizon (platform)

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Horizon HD Recorder

Horizon is a TV platform of several European cable operators from Liberty Global . It was first introduced in the Netherlands in September 2012 and then also in Switzerland , Ireland , Germany and Poland . In Germany, Horizon is offered by Unitymedia , in Switzerland by UPC Switzerland . The core of the offer is the connection of television , internet and telephone in one connection ( triple play ), which is achieved via special hardware. By August 2014, Horizon had a total of 135,000 subscribers in Germany and around 85,000 customers in Switzerland. In 2016, Horizon was also launched in Austria and is therefore available in all three German-speaking countries in which Liberty Global is active. With the approval of the competition authorities on July 18, 2019 for the takeover of Unitymedia by the Vodafone Group , the Horizon platform will not be further developed in Germany and will be replaced in the long term.

history

Liberty Global first presented Horizon in September 2012 at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam . In the course of this, it was suspected that the company could also replace the TV platform TiVo of the subsidiary Virgin Media with Horizon. However, both platforms continue to run in parallel to this day. Observers rated the introduction of Horizon as an important step with which the cable network operators would transform themselves from “pure carriers of radio programs to telecommunications providers”. Horizon is "very innovative", the weaknesses discovered could be eliminated.

After the platform was presented, Horizon was initially launched in the Netherlands , where tens of thousands of customers were reached within two months. Switzerland was to follow as another country in 2012, but the start was postponed to January 2013. In August it was Ireland's turn, at the same time information about the start in Germany became known. Horizon was first available from Unitymedia in the federal states of Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia . Horizon Go is now available at the sister company Kabel BW in Baden-Württemberg , and the plan was to introduce the remaining parts of the platform in the second half of 2014. The launch finally took place on November 3, 2014. The fifth and, for the time being, last country followed Poland, where, for example, there are 190 channels to choose from. Horizon Go is also available there.

technology

Set-top box

Connections of the Horizon HD Recorder (SMT G7400)

A special set-top box is used for Horizon , which is called the Horizon HD Receiver and Horizon HD Recorder in Germany and Austria. The latter is a variant of a hard disk recorder on which TV content can be recorded and viewed later ( PVR ). There are a total of six DVB-C tuners , four of which are used for parallel recordings and two for watching TV and for quickly switching between programs. The Horizon HD Recorder also functions as a WLAN router with which end devices can connect to the Internet in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 a / b / g / n standards . Also telephony is possible with the Horizon HD recorder.

The Horizon HD Receiver and HD Recorder transmits content to the television via HDMI or SCART (only SMT-C5400 & SMT G7400); Cinch and S / PDIF connections are also available. A classic smart card is not required to receive encrypted channels because Horizon works with so-called virtual smart cards. The remote control for the Horizon HD Receiver and HD Recorder is assigned on both sides: The usual function keys, for example for the menu, are located on the front. The back contains a complete QWERTZ keyboard, which makes it easier to enter text. The manufacturer of the Horizon HD Receiver (SMT-C5400) and HD Recorder (SMT G7400) is Samsung . The successor model of the HD recorder (G7401) has changed connections. a. dispensed with a Scart connection, as well as other dimensions than the previous model. The Samsung logo on the front has also been removed. In terms of content, nothing has changed. Unitymedia stopped selling the Horizon HD Receiver in autumn 2015.

Since 2016 there has been a new version (DMC7002KLG) of the Horizon Box with the British set-top box manufacturer Pace . However, this was taken out of the program at Unitymedia.

Horizon Extra Box

In addition to the set-top box, a companion box is offered in some markets, which enables the contents of the main box to be reproduced on a second television set and its functionalities (recordings, pause live TV) to be used. This saves another large set-top box for a second or third television and ensures that the same content / recordings are available on all televisions.

Horizon Go

Horizon Go 2.1.2 on Android

As part of the presentation of Horizon 2013, it was announced that the platform should allow the retrieval of films and series as well as television on smartphones , tablets and in the browser . The function was first referred to as Horizon TV and was available for customers from Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia , and since January 2014 also for users from Baden-Württemberg . At times there was another mobile app called Horizon TV Remote, which acted as a remote control for the Horizon HD Recorder. In mid-2014, the offer in Germany and Switzerland was renamed Horizon Go. revised versions of the applications for iOS and Android were released . Horizon Go supports streaming via WLAN and cellular networks , a total of over 90 television channels are included. Of these, 13 channels in Germany can also be accessed outside of the home network. In the video library, TV content is provided as video-on-demand , and there is also an electronic program guide in Horizon Go . Since 2015, the Horizon platform has also been offering Maxdome films and series . In addition, Unitymedia planned a collaboration with Netflix via the Horizon platform.

Services

In principle, Horizon can be used for cable television with a return channel ; in addition to the costs for the Horizon HD recorder, there is only a one-off fee for activating the platform. Existing customers can exchange their existing hardware. As part of the introduction of Horizon, Unitymedia presented new triple-play tariffs, which not only include television but also flat rates for internet and telephony. All customers with a cable and Internet connection can activate Horizon Go free of charge in the customer portal.

Due to the poor WiFi range of the Horizon, Unitymedia had stopped the internet and telephone functions for new customers in 2018. The Horizon is only sold as a set-top box .

UPC Switzerland describes its tariffs for the platform as 2-in-1 Horizon and 3-in-1 Horizon , with several tariff levels ( Joy Duo , Cool Duo and Start Duo as well as Super Combi , Plus Combi and Start Combi ) with different services available are. For example, higher tariffs include more TV channels and more Internet bandwidth . These are always bundles that combine either television and internet (2-in-1) or television, internet and telephony (3-in-1). In Switzerland, Horizon Go is available free of charge to all customers with an Internet connection at UPC Cablecom.

distribution

UPC Netherlands launched Horizon on September 7, 2012 in the Netherlands . Within the first two months after the introduction, over 50,000 customers decided on the platform. In the 2013 financial year, Liberty Global had a total of 500,000 subscribers for the Horizon platform in Germany , the Netherlands, Ireland and Switzerland . By the end of the second quarter of 2014, Unitymedia had around 135,000 and UPC Cablecom around 85,000 Horizon customers. The Horizon Go offer, with which you can access TV content on the go, was used by 125,000 customers in Germany. Observers therefore rated Horizon as one of the offers that would significantly contribute to the growth of the cable network operator. At Kabel BW , Horizon starts on November 3, 2014, in the same month Horizon Go will be available at UPC Austria.

criticism

With the introduction of Horizon in Switzerland, UPC Cablecom was faced with the accusation that individual functions of the platform would not be available at market launch and would only be passed on gradually. The mobile app for Android was mentioned , for example , observers spoke of the company's “salami tactics”. In addition, problems with the Horizon HD recorder when recording TV content became known, and the 5 GHz band for WLAN was not activated at the beginning and the USB ports on the back were deactivated. According to media reports, the set-top box crashed several times for some customers. UPC Cablecom reacted to the problems of Horizon with several updates of the firmware , which also improved the menu navigation and increased the selection of apps. The updates were distributed to other countries in addition to Switzerland, and an improved remote control was sent to every customer free of charge.

After Switzerland, criticism of Horizon was also expressed in Germany. Testers complained, for example, that programs cannot be sorted manually. Furthermore, the connection from Sky received more attention: At first, existing customers of the pay-TV broadcaster could not use the offer via Horizon, but this fact was eliminated by January 2014. In 2014, the reviews of the Horizon HD Recorder were consistently positive. In October 2014 Unitymedia also distributed an update for the firmware with which, among other things, the favorites menu was revised. Another problem is the fact that the network operator u. a. Understand customer viewing habits via the Horizon and make changes to the settings remotely on the box. The remote maintenance can take place unnoticed by the network operator.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Horizon Key Features. Liberty Global, archived from the original on August 4, 2013 ; accessed on September 30, 2014 (English).
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  3. ↑ Kaj-Sören Mossdorf: Unitymedia KabelBW: Horizon media platform comes to Baden-Württemberg. In: teltarif. March 28, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  4. ↑ Marcel Hauri :: Cablecom is bringing "Horizon" this year. In: PCtipp. February 8, 2012, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  5. ↑ Torsten Kleinz, Andreas Wilkens: TV platform Horizon: Unitymedia wants to seamlessly integrate television and online content. In: heise online. September 3, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  6. ↑ Jörg Schamberg: Unitymedia Horizon in the test: All-in-one box for Internet, telephone and TV. In: online costs. January 17, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  7. ↑ Jörg Schamberg: Unitymedia KabelBW stops dwindling customers in cable TV - 135,000 Horizon subscriptions. In: online costs. August 6, 2014, accessed September 1, 2014 .
  8. ^ A b Stuart Thomson: Liberty has 500,000 on Horizon. In: TBI Vision. Retrieved September 30, 2014 .
  9. ^ Liberty Global to roll out Horizon TV in Austria . Broadband TV News. February 16, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  10. ↑ Thorsten Neuhetzki: Unitymedia: Vodafone takeover is already having the first consequences for customers. In: inside-handy.de. July 23, 2019, accessed July 24, 2019 .
  11. ^ Liberty Global raises the bar for European pay TV with Horizon. In: TV Technology. September 14, 2012, archived from the original on October 28, 2014 ; accessed on September 30, 2014 (English).
  12. ↑ Alex Lane: Virgin Media Liberty Global takeover: Is TiVo under threat from Liberty's Horizon box? In: Recombu. February 7, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  13. ↑ a b Annual Report 2013. (PDF) Liberty Global, p. 3 , accessed on September 30, 2014 (English).
  14. ^ Martin Schneider (Ed.): Management of media companies . Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden 2013, ISBN 978-3-8349-4255-5 , p. 375 .
  15. ↑ Matthias Vogt: Unitymedia Kabel BW opens its horizon . An analysis of the development possibilities and future perspectives of the smart TV portal Horizon in Germany. Grin Verlag, Munich 2014, ISBN 978-3-656-63529-1 , pp. 54 .
  16. ↑ Horizon started successfully in the Netherlands. In: digital television. November 5, 2012, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  17. ^ Robert Briel: UPC Cablecom launches Horizon in Switzerland. In: Broadband TV News. January 12, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  18. ^ Julian Clover: Horizon launches on UPC Ireland. In: Broadband TV News. August 12, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  19. ↑ Unity Media wants to launch a multimedia platform in Germany. In: Computerwoche. June 6, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
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  22. ↑ Kabel BW introduces the Horizon multimedia box. In: TV Digital. October 23, 2014, accessed October 27, 2014 .
  23. ^ UPC Poland to launch Horizon TV by June. In: telecompaper. September 5, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
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  25. ↑ UPC Poland sees strong demand for Horizon app. In: Digital TV Europe. June 17, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  26. ↑ Torsten Kleinz, Volker Zota: Anga Com: A box for triple play. In: heise online. June 6, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  27. ↑ HD hardware. Unitymedia, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  28. ↑ Media boxes. UPC Cablecom, archived from the original on September 27, 2014 ; accessed on September 30, 2014 .
  29. ↑ PVR update turns the Unitymedia HD box into an HD recorder. In: inside-digital. November 3, 2010, archived from the original on October 28, 2014 ; accessed on September 30, 2014 .
  30. ↑ Unitymedia Kabel BW starts Horizon marketing. Six DVB-C tuners. In: Infodigital. September 3, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
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  32. ↑ Horizon TV box allows TV streaming to all devices. In: recently. July 22, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  33. ^ A b Christian Lanzerath: Test: Horizon - Unitymedias new TV platform. In: Gizmodo. November 25, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
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  35. ↑ Unitymedia: First impression of the all-in-one box Horizon. In: teltarif. June 5, 2013, p. 3 , accessed September 30, 2014 .
  36. ↑ Dirk Weyel: Single test: Unitymedia Horizon recorder. In: hifitest. Retrieved September 30, 2014 .
  37. ↑ UPC Cablecom Horizon - TV Pro Switzerland
  38. ↑ Samsung expands after-market services to Teleplan - evertiq
  39. ↑ Horizon Extra Box at ziggo.nl. Archived from the original on June 9, 2016 ; Retrieved June 9, 2016 (Dutch).
  40. ↑ John Malone attacks Deutsche Telekom . In: Handelsblatt . No. 106 , June 6, 2013, p. 16 .
  41. ↑ Horizon TV: Unitymedia and Kabel BW stream live TV on iPhone, iPad and Mac. In: Macerkopf. January 29, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  42. ↑ Simon Gröflin: UPC Cablecom launches “Horizon Go” for Android and iOS. In: PCtipp. July 16, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  43. ↑ UPC Cablecom launches Horizon Go app. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung. July 16, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  44. ↑ Timo Niemeier: Unitymedia Kabel BW: New name for Horizon app. In: media magazine DWDL. July 14, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  45. ↑ Marcel Wüthrich: UPC Cablecom brings mobile Horizon for Android. In: IT Magazine. July 16, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  46. ↑ a b Marleen Frontzeck: Horizon TV is now called Horizon Go and an update for the iOS app. In: teltarif. July 14, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  47. ^ Horizon Go. Unitymedia, accessed October 28, 2014 .
  48. ↑ Sascha Ostermaier: Horizon TV from Kabel BW / Unitymedia is now also available as an Android app. In: Caschy's blog. June 30, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  49. ^ Martin Maciej: Maxdome with UnityMedia and Kabel BW: costs and content. In: GIGA. March 12, 2015, accessed March 16, 2015 .
  50. ↑ buhl: Unitymedia: Netflix in the future on Horizon. In: Digital television. March 1, 2017, accessed March 2, 2017 .
  51. ↑ Jörg Schamberg: Unitymedia: Prices and Bundle Packages for Horizon. In: online costs. September 3, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  52. ↑ Rita Deutschbein: New tariff structure: Kabel BW starts 2play and 3play tariffs. In: teltarif. April 8, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  53. ↑ 2-in-1 Horizon combos with digital TV and internet. UPC Cablecom, archived from the original on September 23, 2014 ; accessed on September 30, 2014 .
  54. ↑ Horizon combos with digital TV, internet and telephone. UPC Cablecom, archived from the original on October 2, 2014 ; accessed on September 30, 2014 .
  55. ↑ This is what the new Cablecom set-top box can do. In: 20 minutes. January 11, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  56. ↑ Marcel Maurice Urech: UPC Cablecom is expanding "Switzerland's largest WLAN network". In: Netzwoche. August 14, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  57. ^ Robert Briel: UPC launches Horizon in Holland. In: Broadband TV News. September 7, 2012, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  58. ^ Liberty Global reveals Horizon numbers. In: Digital TV Europe. November 5, 2012, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  59. ↑ Jörn Krieger: Internet and telephone drive growth. In: TV Digital. August 4, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  60. ↑ Uwe Mantel: Unitymedia is growing thanks to Triple Play and Horizon. In: media magazine DWDL. August 6, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  61. ↑ Horizon from November 3rd at Kabel BW. In: digital television. October 23, 2014, accessed October 27, 2014 .
  62. ↑ Jörn Krieger: UPC Austria starts Horizon Go. In: TV Digital. October 27, 2014, accessed October 28, 2014 .
  63. ↑ Marcel Hauri: The first slice of the Horizon salami. In: PCtipp. January 11, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  64. ↑ Marcel Hauri: Horizon: Trouble for Cablecom customers. In: PCtipp. February 15, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  65. ↑ Kathrin Winzenried: Cablecom anger: New Horizon box disappoints customers. In: Swiss radio and television. March 19, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  66. ↑ Marcel Hauri: UPC Cablecom: new remote control for Horizon. August 6, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  67. ^ Robert Briel: UPC Cablecom announces Horizon update. In: Broadband TV News. August 8, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  68. ↑ New remote control for Horizon box. In: look. August 6, 2013, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  69. ↑ Sky activation finally officially possible on Horizon. In: digital television. January 21, 2014, accessed September 30, 2014 .
  70. ↑ The jack of all trades . In: ComputerBild . No. 6 , 2014, p. 10-13 .
  71. ↑ Dirk Weyel: All-in-one package . Unitymedia Horizon HD recorder put to the test. In: Digital Home . No. 1 , 2014, p. 32-33 .
  72. ↑ Jochen Wieloch: Light on the horizon . In: sat + kabel . No. 1/2 , 2014, p. 14-16 .
  73. ↑ Horizon HD Recorder receives firmware version 3.1. In: inside-digital. October 6, 2014, archived from the original on October 28, 2014 ; accessed on October 28, 2014 .