by Playfuls Staff |
11th October 2006
Microsoft and Cisco Systems,
Motorola, Philips and
Tatung announced at
Broadband World Forum Europe that advanced system-on-a-chip (SoC) set-tops,
which will greatly enhance the Internet Protocol [more]
television (IPTV) user experience, are now
available to support Microsoft IPTV Edition software platform deployments with
leading telecommunications carriers worldwide. An integral part of the IPTV
ecosystem, SoC set-tops will enable service providers to begin delivering
high-definition TV (HDTV), digital video recording (DVR) and picture-in-picture
functionalities as well as other advanced features in the future, enhancing
consumers' television-viewing experience.
This new generation of SoC-based,
HD-capable, IPTV-ready receivers makes it easier for service providers to
deploy IPTV Edition more broadly, quickly and cost-efficiently while supporting
exciting new TV services. The availability of these devices illustrates the
continued innovation of Microsoft and its IPTV Edition ecosystem partners in
the telecommunications and digital television industries.
Cisco's proven history of IP
innovation gives the company unmatched IP expertise and successful IPTV
deployments, which it is able to share with its service provider partners.
Cisco IP set-top models, which will be deployed by customers including
AT&T, support experience-enhancing features such as high-definition TV,
DVR, integrated home networking over coax and user-friendly displays. Models
are available with appropriate connectors and features for markets around the
globe. Cisco offers models that include silicon from both Sigma Designs Inc.
and STMicroelectronics.
Motorola's heritage of invention
for the connected home has resulted in over 48 million video entertainment
devices being shipped to service providers worldwide. The company's VIP series
of SoC-based set-tops are engineered to meet the needs of service providers
deploying the Microsoft IPTV Edition system. These solutions seamlessly bring
the advanced IP services into any room in the house, including on-demand
services, DVR and support for HDTV codecs, as well as forthcoming IPTV Edition
features such as multiroom streaming and home media networking. Motorola VIP
series set-tops are currently shipping in volume to leading providers
worldwide, and the company has announced that AT&T will be the first
service provider to commercially deploy these products.
Philips has introduced a hybrid
IPTV-DTT set-top box supporting Microsoft IPTV Edition with HDTV and DVR
functionality based on the Sigma Designs 8634 chipset. This product will be
launched by BT plc this fall.
Tatung
will introduce its STB2000 series SoC-enabled set-top boxes based on the Sigma
Designs 8634 chipset later this year. The new STB2300 model is an entry-level
IP set-top box that not only supports two high-definition decoding engines for
MPEG2, H.264 and VC-1, providing decoding flexibility, but also supports
advanced features including HDTV, video on demand (VOD) and high-definition
multimedia interface (HDMI).
