Bouygues set for launch of Sensation

French service provider Bouygues Telecom is to launch the next generation of its Bbox, the Bbox Sensation, in the spring.

Bouygues has developed the device internally, in partnership with Samsung. The fibre version will combine a gateway and TV set-top in a single box, while an ADSL version will be available in a dual-box solution.
The box will include a 320GB hard drive, four GbE and five USB ports and an SD card reader. The device will be powered by the Intel Atom CE4200 ‘Groveland’ processor, enabling it perform multiple tasks simultaneously. The box includes Celeno’s new OptimizAir Wi-Fi technology, which it says will enable the delivery of up to four HD services via Wi-Fi around the home.

Bouygues has developed a new 3D UI for the box, and has teamed up with Playcast to deliver cloud-based games, as reported in DTVE Daily yesterday.

The telco has also developed a TV guide optimised for iOS and Android tablets, with integrated access to social networks including Facebook and Twitter. A downloadable Media Center Bbox application allows users to access multimedia content stored on hard disks, USB keys and computers in the household and send them to the TV screen.
The Bbox service will also include access to a wide range of on-demand content from Hollywood Studios as well as TF1’s MyTF1VOD service.