The Zi product portfolio dramatically improves the usability of mobile phones, PDAs, gaming devices and set-top boxes and the applications on them including SMS, MMS, e-mail and Web browsing. Zi supports its strategic partnDUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets () has announced the addition of World Report on Digital Satellite Set-Top Boxes to their offering. ADVERTISEMENTers and customers from offices in Asia, EuOoVoo is also in early discussions with US phone and cable companies about the possibility of building the videoconferencing function into their set-top boxes, Schwarz said. Home appliances for videoconferencing have been famously elusive: AT&T demonstrated a picturephone in the 1960s, but no company has managed to crack this market. (Boston Globe)
Entropic Communications Partners With Jiuzhou Electronics to Deliver Next Generation Digital Cable Set-Top Boxes Mar 22, 2008
Today, Entropic announced that its RF4800 silicon tuner for digital cable set-top box design has been selected by Jiuzhou Electronics as a platform for their next generation digital cable set-top boxes ... Jiuzhou Electronics partnered with Entropic Communications to develop a new generation of set-top boxes for digital cable applications ... As China's cable broadcasters are upgrading their cable plants from analog to digital cable technology, the need to rapidly implement high-quality digital... (Primezone Releases)
Entropic Communications and Earda Electronics Partner to Deliver Digital Video Over Cable (DVB-C) Tuner Modules Mar 22, 2008
As Chinese cable broadcasters upgrade their cable infrastructure to utilize digital cable technology, there is a need for high-performance digital cable tuners and set-top boxes that can deliver digital video to their subscribers. Up to now, Chinese set-top box manufacturers could only meet cable operator requirements by utilizing expensive discrete tuner modules from traditional suppliers,'' said Mr. Jeffrey Geng, General Manager of Earda Electronics. (Primezone Releases)
RGB Networks and CASTIS Collaborate to Deliver Integrated VOD Solution Mar 22, 2008
Operators simply plug the DBM into existing VOD deployments as it is compatible with all the major components of an end-to-end VOD system, including VOD servers, resource managers, quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulators, and existing set-top boxes. The DBM preserves optimal picture quality and ensures that subscribers experience no noticeable differences when using VODs fast-forward, rewind and pause trick-play features. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Broadcom Demonstrates Industry's First Single-Chip High Definition Set-Top Box Solution With China AVS Support Mar 21, 2008
China Netcom decided to use AVS in its IPTV roll-outs instead of MPEG-4 or H.264/AVC and is planning to deploy 300,000 AVS-based IP set-top boxes in the Dalian, Liaoning province this year ... These highly integrated silicon solutions continue to enable the most advanced system solutions on the market, which include digital cable, satellite and IP set-top boxes and media servers, broadband modems and residential gateways, high definition and digital televisions, Blu-ray Disc(R) players and... (PR Newswire)
Broadcom and Coship Electronics Collaborate to Deliver First Commercial High Definition Set-Top Box Solution for China, in Time for Beijing Olympics Mar 21, 2008
The new Broadcom(R) multi-format, high definition set-top box SoC solution, with digital video recording (DVR) capabilities, enables manufacturers to build next generation cable, satellite and IPTV HD set-top boxes that support the Chinese set-top box market. Coship, the leading STB solution provider in China, is currently developing next generation set-top boxes (model numbers N8603 and N8606) that use Broadcom's new high definition STB SoC solution, and will provide Chinese consumers with... (PR Newswire)
ViXS Systems and China Digital TV Collaborate to Develop Ultra Secure PC TV Solution Mar 21, 2008
ViXS XCode(TM) video processors are deployed worldwide in a variety of designs such as IPTV/cable set-top boxes, multimedia PC boards, digital TVs, PVRs, and Blu-ray and HD DVD products. Unique video technologies developed by ViXS, such as encoding, transcoding and decoding, provide CE and PC manufacturers with the necessary feature differentiators they need to become leaders in their respective markets. (PR Newswire)
Turner Picks Rentrak for VOD Metrics Mar 21, 2008
Rentrak processes daily, census-level on-demand data, representing 45 million set-top boxes from 23 MSOs, for more than 90 television networks and studios. VOD represents a growth opportunity for Turner brands, and we are pleased to be able to share metrics on the power of our VOD content, as offered via our MSO partners, to our advertisers, said Turner chief research officer Jack Wakshlag, by way of announcing the deal. (MediaWeek.com)
Drowning in sea of digital content Mar 21, 2008
I think theres a lot of people out there who had have set-top boxes (DVRs) for the last few years who were waiting for more storage, instead of having to buy a new set-top box, said Jennifer Serfas, senior marketing manager for Western Digital. advertisement. (MSNBC -- Technology)
OKI, Intel and Huashu Jointly Develop Next Generation Hybrid STB Mar 21, 2008
To accelerate the adoption of digital TV technology, telecom carriers in China have provided low-end set top boxes to their subscribers at no cost. These devices have limited the ability of subscribers to access value-added services, and free STB distribution has made it difficult for carriers to increase their profitability. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Spreadtrum to Display its New AVS Solutions at the 16th Annual China Content Broadcasting Network Exhibition Mar 19, 2008
The SV6111 also contains key functions designed to support both current and future digital TV set-top boxes (STB), and includes innovations in its architect, hardware, software design and other aspects. In October 2007, set-top boxes (STB) using Spreadtrum's SV6111 chip solutions were the first to successfully pass the first commercial trial tests based on the AVS standard conducted by China Netcom (CNC) in Dalian and the only ASIC-based solutions that adopted AVS standards among participating... (PR Newswire)
Local Cable Ad Sales Mar 19, 2008
Nielsen will measure the minute-by-minute viewing of 330,000 digital households served by Charter Communications in Los Angeles, under the terms of an agreement announced today, will provide the ratings measurement company with anonymous data from the cable set-top boxes, while Nielsen will develop analyses of viewership which will be provided to advertisers and ad agencies ... According to Navic, that more than doubles its potential market by expanding it to include Motorola digital set-top... (Multichannel News)
Another View: Theres a privacy deficit Mar 19, 2008
Cable operators and TiVo are taking data from their subscribers' set-top boxes to give advertisers and network executives an incredibly detailed picture of what their customers are watching -- in TiVo's case, down to how many seconds of a commercial the viewer tolerates before skipping ahead. No individually identifiable data are collected, however, the companies insist. (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
Telco IP Television Update Mar 18, 2008
B Telco-IP Video Update - March 18, 2008. This weekly e-mail newsletter covers everything related to Telco-IP Television. (Multichannel News)
A Far-from-Picture-Perfect JVC Set Mar 18, 2008
The rear of the set boasts three HD multimedia inputs for Blu-ray players, high-definition TiVos, and newer cable and satellite set-top boxes ... The two component inputs for HD set-top boxes, the aforementioned PC input, and the one S-Video and two composite connectors all sit behind the bezel on the right side. (BusinessWeek)
Trident Microsystems buys Chinese software company for $1.9M Mar 16, 2008
Santa Clara-based Trident (NASDAQ:TRID) said Tiside provides cross-platform software that allows multimedia applications to run on devices in the digital living room such as set top boxes or digital TV sets. Trident said the company "and many of its customers are engaged in projects designed to capitalize on the emergence of connected TV.". (San Jose Business Journal, CA)
DirecTV takes on video-on-demand Mar 15, 2008
DirecTV also can track customer activity on its Internet-connected set-top boxes, the Journal report noted, and use the data to help it sell targeted ads. DirecTV is expected to offer about 3,000 shows and movies, most of which will be delivered over the Net; the company will use the automatic transmission for exceptionally popular programs and movies. (CNET News.com)
IP-enabled CE: boon for chips? Mar 15, 2008
Manufacturers are adding Internet interfaces across TVs, equipment and set-top boxes. Those connections will not only serve as gateways to the Internet, but will also enable sharing of digital video, music and images among devices within the home. (EETimes)
Sigma Designs: Searching For The Bottom Mar 15, 2008
This despite the fact that the company remains a dominant chip supplier in both of its key markets: IPTV set-top boxes and Blu-Ray players. The biggest concern in both cases has been a fear of growing competition. (Barron's)
Fighting for ads, cable firms join forces Mar 10, 2008
Cable companies have the ability to compile better data on users than Internet companies can glean, which could make focused ads on television more effective, according to Craig Moffett, a senior analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. It also makes the data that Project Canoe will collect from set-top boxes a valuable asset. "Addressable advertising on television is in many ways the holy grail, because it can offer ever more targeting ability than Google," Moffett said ("addressable" is the... (Boston Globe)
There's Nothing Fluky About Marvell's Fortunes Mar 8, 2008
If makers of TV sets and set-top boxes warm up to this technology, it would be a definite growth driver that sets Marvell apart from video rivals like Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) and STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM). It certainly feels like the right product at the right time to catch a big wave. (MSNBC -- Business)
Amino Rejects Patent Infringement Claims in Germany Mar 8, 2008
Amino Communications () supplies the AmiNET series of set-top boxes (STBs), renowned for their low-cost and reliability ... The high performance coupled with the innovative design of Aminos set-top boxes, has brought the series industry accolades and the company a leading position within the IPTV market. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
TiVo could be binned in airwaves war Mar 7, 2008
5 million homes in Australia to ultimately have FreeView-compliant set-top boxes, starting at less than $100. TiVo is likely to carry an upfront hardware outlay of between $300 and $500, plus a monthly subscription fee for providing a range of interactive services through a broadband "back channel". (Sydney Morning Herald -- Technology)
rope and North America. (CCNMatthews Press Releases
