Digital signage technology from Tivella will be part of an expected January product launch.
Cisco this week announced plans to acquire Tivella, a privately-held maker of digital signage software products, for an undisclosed amount.
Tivella, already a Cisco partner, plays into an area Cisco is already expanding into rapidly — using IP networks to control video and multimedia displays. Cisco will use Tivella’s Piccolo hardware and software in a product the company plans to launch in the first quarter of 2007 for controlling digital signage in retail or public spaces.
Tivella, a 10-person start-up with offices in Half Moon Bay and Milpitas, Calif., makes the Piccolo digital media player and Tivella Administration Server (TAV). The Piccolo is a device about the size of a cable modem, which attaches to a digital display — such as a flat screen plasma or LCD — and pushes content to the screen over an IP network. The TAV is server software used control the content pushed down Piccolo devices across a network.
Cisco will use the Tivella products in the launch of its Media Player and Digital Media Manager products, which are expected to debut in January. A preview demo of the product was given at Cisco’s recent C-Scape analyst conference during a keynote with CEO John Chambers.
The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2007. Tivella’s employees will become part of Cisco’s Emerging Markets Technology Group, headed by senior vice president Martin De Beer.
“We feel there is enormous potential for digital signage to be integrated into our existing enterprise streaming and live video broadcasting platform,” De Beer said in a statement. “This will allow Cisco to provide live video, video-on-demand, and other rich media content to desktops and digital signage displays using IP for applications such as targeted communications, advertising, and training.”
