Softel and Telecommunications Support Services (TSS) have announced a joint initiative to offer comprehensive testing services for developers of interactive television applications, based on the integration of Softel's MediaSphere platform with the TSS test suite.  Available as a rental service from TSS, the test environment, complete with the industry-leading MediaSphere interactive television playout platform, provides a fully featured, broadcast-ready lab rig with head-end equipment and conditional access systems from multiple vendors, and a range of STBs.

Application designers can use the service for rigorous verification of EBIF and OCAP/tru2way applications, avoiding the need to invest in their own equipment, while ensuring maximum robustness and compatibility in the test environment's accurate simulation of real-world conditions. Full support and guidance is available from TSS and Softel as part of the service. MediaSphere enables parallel playout of multiple middleware platforms from a single unit, and provides compatibility with the major US and international standards, allowing developers to test applications for deployment anywhere in the world while optimizing their test cycles by playing out concurrently over several different formats.