Senza from Synamedia is another approach to connected television. It uses a small Wi-Fi dongle device they call a Cloud Connector attached to an HDMI port, with power provided over USB, but delivers an HTML5 user interface from graphics processors in the network cloud, powered by Google.
Senza means without in Italian, in the sense of not having something. It leaves out a lot of the hardware required by comparable HDMI dongles by moving the graphics processing to the network cloud.
Synamedia says that this radically reduces the cost of the device to around $6, or less in large volumes. The hardware design and device software are also available to license to other manufacturers.
The sample device provided to informitv measured 54mm square and weighed less than 32g, which is about the same as the supplied HDMI cable to connect it to the display.
A simple remote was also supplied to control the sample applications through the user interface.
Significantly, because the user interface is rendered remotely in the network, it can be maintained without requiring applications to be downloaded or updated on the client device.
The rendered graphics are delivered over a low-latency video protocol optimised for graphics application, so they feel reasonably responsive.
The dongle device also implements Google Widevine content security. Once selected, media streams are delivered directly from the provider through a content distribution network as normal. In our home testing there was a brief pause as the delivery cut over from the rendered graphics to the regular stream.
Synamedia suggests that the approach enables internet service providers to add a video proposition with minimal up-front investment. One of its first customers is a company called SuperCloud International with a service called UMAXX.TV, offering 350 channels over a 5G network.
‬Among other intended applications are hospitality services, such as televisions in hotel rooms, and digital signage.
There will be a developer programme with a self-service portal enabling developers to create, test and deploy web apps. The company says that even small businesses such as a restaurant or a boutique hotel can be up and running quickly using a web environment without the need for external specialist developer skills.
The thin-client approach is not entirely new. Companies like ActiveVideo, now owned by Arris and Charter Communications, have been delivering network-based services to set-top boxes for the best part of two decades.
Synamedia has its heritage in the Cisco service provider video business that was based on its acquisition of NDS. Permira bought the business from Cisco in 2018 and relaunched it as Synamedia. Its customers include many major pay-television companies around the world.