11th Jun 2007 14:00
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year, Pace Micro Technology,a dedicated, global set-top box developer that supplies the world'slargest television service providers, today announced plans todemonstrate the latest bandwidth saving, utilization and contentprotection technologies that Pace is incorporating into its family ofset-top boxes for the Americas markets. The demonstrations will takeplace in Pace's Exhibit #2659, at the Society of CableTelecommunications Engineers (SCTE) Cable-Tec Expo, June 20-22 at theOrange County Convention Center in Orlando. £ Pace Americas VP-Technology Chris Dinallo commented, "Thesetechnologies - Switched Digital Video (SDV), Channel Bonding, andDownloadable Conditional Access (DCAS) - either individually orcombined - allow cable operators to maximize their networks foroptimal bandwidth utilization in serving video assets to theircustomers." £ Incorporated into all Pace set-tops, Switched Digital Video (SDV)technology allows operators to "switch out" the programs that are notcurrently being viewed and replace them (e.g., switch in) in real-timewith programs that are being requested by subscribers more regularly -essentially enabling operators to deliver more video programs. £ Channel Bonding is an add-on feature riding on DOCSIS 2.0technology whereby up to 3 DOCSIS downstream channels may be combined(e.g. "bonded") to yield a total aggregate of 100Mb/s data rate forbandwidth payload. This technology allows cable operators to morefully exploit their current DOCSIS 2.0 CMTS infrastructure. At SCTE,Pace will demonstrate up to 5 High-Definition video streams beingplayed and streamed through the set-top using Channel Bondingtechnology. £ To offer the latest in content protection technology, Pace willshow its progress in incorporating Downloadable Conditional Access(DCAS) into future set-top boxes. DCAS is the current front-runnertechnology as a possible replacement to CableCARDs while still meetingthe FCC mandate of separable security in set-top boxes. £ In addition, Pace will feature removable security versions of itssuccessfully deployed Tahoe HD DVR and Vegas SD DVR with CableCARD(TM)interfaces, as well as its newest CableCARD interface set-top box, theMiami HD. These Pace set-top boxes can run either native applicationsor the CableLabs(R)' OpenCable(TM) Applications Platform (OCAP(TM))middleware, including popular Electronic Program Guides (EPG), and VODapplications ported from Aptiv, C-COR, Concurrent, SeachangeInternational, TVGuide, TANDBERG Television, and Zodiac Interactive.In addition, Pace will showcase its Tahoe and Vegas boxes withembedded Conditional Access. All of the Pace set-tops can run ineither DOCSIS Signaling Gateway (DSG) or legacy Out of Band mode fornetwork messaging. £ Pace Micro Technology Americas Vice President Sales and MarketingTim O'Loughlin commented, "The Tahoe, Vegas and Miami platforms areall built with Pace's unique EngineWare(TM) core set-top box software,which allows us to port applications to our boxes in record time.EngineWare enables rapid roll out of 'native' program guides, andserves as a field-upgradeable platform for the introduction ofOpenCable Applications Platform (OCAP(TM)) software as full OpenCablenetworks come on line." £ Live at the show, Pace will demonstrate how it can upgrade itsset-top boxes to OCAP via a software download in just minutes."Upgrading boxes in this manner saves cable operators time and moneyby avoiding truck rolls, protecting their investment in set-top boxesfor years to come," O'Loughlin added. £ Specific Products featured at the show are: £ Miami DC757X HD (CableCARD) £ As an extension to the HD Pace product family, Pace's unique MiamiDC757X HD host set-top box delivers an exciting new platform for cableoperators. The Miami DC757X HD can be deployed as a standalone non-DVRproduct, or subscribers can add DVR capability through the externalSerial-ATA hard disk drive port. The box supports both legacy OOBsignaling and Advanced DSG signaling via the built-in DOCSIS(R) 2.0modem, plus it has an Ethernet switch that allows for Internet accessconnectivity included as standard. The Miami HD set-top is a flexibleand cost-effective option for HDTV homes. £ Tahoe TDC778X HD DVR (CableCARD interface and Embedded CA) £ The most advanced dual tuner, high-definition DVR for NorthAmerica, this set-top box is the world's first high-definition DVROCAP-ready platform, for deployment on existing networks. Tahoe alsohas been fully integrated with the latest generation of set-top EPGand VOD applications. Tahoe's internal DOCSIS(R) 2.0 modem can alsoprovide high-speed data connections and has the first verified forinteroperability by CableLabs for DOCSIS/DSG. £ Vegas TDC575 SD-DVR (CableCARD and Embedded CA) £ This dual-tuner SD-DVR is the first of its kind available for themajority of cable networks in the Americas. It is a richly featuredset-top that includes advanced connectivity, DOCSIS, and the latestapplications. Like Tahoe, Vegas has been integrated with the latestEPG and VOD applications and additionally supports OCAP. Vegas hasalso been certified by CableLabs for DSG. Its slim case design and lowcost makes Vegas the choice for large-scale DVR deployments. £ About Pace Micro Technology £ Celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year, Pace Micro Technologyplc (pic.l) is a leading technology developer for the global payTVindustry. Pace's main focus is on creating intelligent and innovativeproducts and services that benefit its customers and fuel thedevelopment of digital TV. £ Pace has one of the world's most experienced specialistengineering teams and is the partner of choice for leading payTVoperators across the globe, including the top operators in NorthAmerica, BSkyB, FOXTEL, Premiere, Sky Italia and UPC (part of LibertyGlobal). £ Pace's international headquarters are in Saltaire, West Yorkshire,UK, with further offices in the USA, France, Germany, India and HongKong. For more information on Pace, please visit www.pacemicro.com. £ CableLabs, DOCSIS, OpenCable, CableCARD and OCAP are trademarks ofCable Television Laboratories, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2007Related Shares:
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