Case Study:
Cox iPhone App

The Project
NDS was selected by Cox to develop an application for iPhones and iPads as well as further develop the Cox Service Layer (CSL) to support other companion devices, such as Android and Windows.

The application, once downloaded from the Apple App Store, enables Cox subscribers to schedule and manage DVR recording, view and search channel listings, and manage their favorite channels at home or on the go—using their iPhone, iPod, or iPad for all set-top boxes deployed by Cox to date.

This complements and extends the work NDS Professional Services has done for the Trio solution, which provides the user interface to Cox’s advanced service package deployed on the tru2way platform.

The Solution
NDS’ Atlanta-based Professional Services team developed the Cox Remote Guide Access, an Apple iPhone® application, together with backend software.

The solution enables both the iPhone application, as well as the centralized headend components that provide the following features:

  • access to TV listings in channel list or time grid format
  • search by titles and keywords
  • program details including description, ratings, and actors
  • remote DVR booking
  • scheduling iPhone calendar alerts for programs
  • user profiles, including customized favorite channel lists, entitlements and personalized DVR names

The NDS developed backend software is part of a common service layer utilized by Cox’s Trio™ interactive program guide, as well as Android and other mobile applications on WAP and BREW devices. The service layer also supports the Cox subscriber web presence My Connections™ on Cox.com. It is a Java Enterprise application deployed in a load-balanced cluster of application servers and Oracle database servers.

As a result, the NDS software solution allows remote DVR scheduling across mobile devices and personal computers—whenever and wherever the Cox subscriber happens to be located.

The iPhone application was developed and integrated by NDS in just 3 months—meeting the client’s deadline. Cox provided functional requirements and UI specifications that were refined collaboratively during the incremental development process followed by NDS.

This project was handled by the Atlanta-based NDS Professional Services team which provided the following services

  • Project Management
  • iOS Development
  • Enterprise Java Development
  • Database Development
  • Software Integration
  • Quality Assurance
  • Operational Support

The remote DVR functionality is being rolled out for all Cox digital video recorders (DVRs), including legacy DVRs running the Rovi guide, and tru2way DVRs running Cox’s Trio guide. It is currently available in select markets and will be fully deployed in 2011. Future functionality is planned to include the ability to delete and manage existing DVR recordings, view the On-Demand catalog, and streaming of live TV as well as On-Demand assets.