IDC said its Digital Tattoo portfolio will allow satellite operators to offer Ethernet-based content distribution within Multiple Dwelling Units (MDUs), including apartment buildings, hotels, campuses and gated communities.

   The Tattoo Gateway is designed as a high-density, multi-transponder satellite-to-IP converter designed specifically for the MDU market. The unit can process up to eight transponders of satellite content and convert it to gigabit Ethernet for distribution within the MDU.

   The gateway also is conditional access-transparent — a capability that allows DTH operators to keep their content encrypted as it is transmitted to a subscriber’s set-top box.

   “Operators can expand their service offering with content delivered by satellite to a micro video server within the MDU, which can be used to provide video on-demand,” IDC said in a company statement. “Content is then delivered and managed using IDC’s Centient media aware CDN platform. It remains encrypted and is accessed via the Digital Tattoo service portal and streamed over the MDU Ethernet network to residents’ set-top boxes.”