History

Futarque is an independent, privately owned company, founded in 2001 through a venture-backed management and employee buy-out from Force Electronics A/S, a Danish company specializing in the development, production and sale of analog and digital satellite receivers since 1996.

The buy-out involved the entire development team, the management and the source code and all intellectual properties related to the Set Top Boxes developed by Force Electronics.

This means that Futarque took off with several years’ experience and know-how in DVB hardware and software design, sourcing and manufacturing. These core competencies have been instrumental in developing and promoting Futarque as a reliable supplier of innovative DVB-T/S/C/IP and PVR solutions.

Today Futarque holds a unique position within sales of DVB concepts and future converging media systems, and we have demonstrated our staying power in a highly competitive market.

Among our customers you will find some of the largest and most well-reputed global brand names within the TV and set-top box business. Our designs are based on modular and well-proven technology platforms that are sold all over Europe in high volumes.

Our name

“Futarque” is an internationalized spelling of “Futhark”, the name of the runic alphabet used in Northern Europe from year 200 to 1600.

Futhark is composed from the first six letters of the alphabet and is therefore analogous to the word “alphabet” (from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet).

Runes are “written” symbols engraved into e.g. stone, clay, bone, or wooden sticks. The word “rune” means mystery or whispered secret, and the runes were believed to possess magic power, indeed. According to old folksongs a wish carved in runes into a wooden beech stick would soon come true.

The runes are even found in an alternative, “encoded” version:
which indicates the sophistication of this communicative system.

The compelling experience of using Distributed Digital Television may seem magic, too.

Just as our ancestors we believe that through knowledge we can make wishes come true.

Just as futhark was a sophisticated instrument of communication, Futarque will be instrumental in taking today’s sophisticated communication media to new heights.

We will create innovative solutions that enable reception and interactive broadcast media.