Sky announces HDTV set-top box plans

gameboy

BSkyB has appointed Thomson as the initial manufacturer of the set-top box for its forthcoming high-definition television service, and it will include a personal video recorder as standard.

Sky has placed an order with Thomson for the high-definition boxes, although terms and volumes have not been disclosed. It has been confirmed, however, that the box will be MPEG-4 compatible and will handle both 720p and 1080i frame formats.

Speaking at the DVB World conference in Dublin, BSkyB’s chief operating officer, Richard Freudenstein, revealed for the first time that Sky’s HDTV box will feature a personal video recorder capability similar to the existing Sky+ box, although this will still require a Sky+ subscription.

“More than 600,000 customers already enjoy the control and flexibility of our Sky+ product,” said Richard Freudenstein. “Offering PVR capability as a standard in the HDTV arena will ensure that they can continue to enjoy these benefits in association with our highest-quality programming.”

The news that Thomson will be the initial provider of the high-definition set-top box will no doubt be disappointing to Pace Micro Technology. The UK company has signed a deal to deliver MPEG-4 set-top boxes to Premiere in Germany, enabling the operator to be amonf the first to deliver high-definition services.

Confirming that BSkyB was on track to launch HDTV in 2006, Mr Freudenstein added that the step change in picture quality would help BSkyB to achieve its target of 10 million customers in 2010. “By introducing HDTV, our ambition is to raise the bar again. We want to re-affirm that the digital satellite platform is the home of the highest-quality viewing experience available.”

The UK satellite broadcaster says that current strong growth in sales of flat-screen television sets indicates rising consumer demand for a high-quality viewing experience in the home. BSkyB expects that sales of “HD Ready” TV sets will accelerate as equipment prices continue to fall and the availability of HDTV programming grows.

Although BSkyB’s HDTV box can be connected to any kind of TV set, customers will require an “HD Ready” TV set to enjoy the full benefits of HDTV picture quality. BSkyB estimates that almost two million such sets will have been sold in the UK by the end of 2006.

Source: informitv

Only he who does nothing, does nothing wrong.

PoloMint

Interesting stuff, but where are they going to find the satellite space for it by 2006?

'All you need is duck tape and WD40; if it moves and it shouldn't, use duck tape - if it should move and it doesn't, use WD40'

taung

By kicking off 'junk' FTA stuff.

bobnuts1

Or "acquiring" Euro1080 ? ? ? ? ?

gameboy

Codec news....

Facing the inevitability of multiple audio/visual codecs required in new-generation digital set tops, Broadcom Corp. said Thursday (March 3) it will stop developing MPEG-only chips by the second quarter of this year.

Speaking at the DVB World 2005 conference, Aidan O'Rourke, Broadcom's marketing director said, "As a chip vendor, it would be ludicrous to bet on one horse."

Broadcom last December unveiled its own H.264 decoder IC designed to work as "a side car" to the company's mother chip, or set-top system-on-chip. Broadcom is integrating the new H.264 chip into its existing MPEG-2-based SoC to create a multicodec IC. Broadcom is also adding VC-1 capability to the system.

While the trend toward multicodecs grows among chip makers, broadcasters still must find a preferred codec for their content. Key intellectual property holders of advanced video codecs such as H.264 are demanding royalties not only from set-top vendors but also from broadcasters.

BSkyB announced Wednesday that its HDTV service in the U.K. scheduled for launch next year will use an H.264-based advanced video codec. Although BSkyB has yet to license H.264 IP, Brian Sullivan, BSkyB's director, indicated it is beginning that process. "We will be there," he said.

Many in the DVB group characterize licensing terms for H.264 as less than perfect, but "acceptable." Gilles Maugars, chief technology officer at TPS, a service provider in France, called royalties for H.264 "relatively reasonable." He quickly added, "If you add the cost of transport, satellite, programs and others, there is more to say about that."

No European service provider has announced a commercial digital TV plan based on VC-1. Originally derived by Microsoft Corp.'s proprietary Windows Media Video 9 technology, VC-1 is currently in development within the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers (SMPTE). Although ballots for VC-1 have reportedly been cast, SMPTE has not announced the outcome.

In the U.S., SBC may become the first operator to deploy VC-1-based IPTV services. SBC, which has picked Microsoft as a system integrator for its IPTV infrastructure, has reportedly flip-flopped on the advanced video codec it plans to adopt. The telecom giant was initially committed to H.264, but it is now said to be leaning towards VC-1.

"The spec is not locked in yet," said Broadcom's O'Rourke.

For its IPTV deployment, SBC selected Motorola and Scientific Atlanta as IP set-top suppliers. Three chip vendors — Broadcom, STMicroelectronics and Sigma Design — are still in the race. Microsoft, meanwhile, is said to be calling the shots for SBC on everything from a back-office systems to SoC specs for IP set tops.

The DVB group, which has already embraced H.264, did not include VC-1 in its so-called "DVB Toolbox" for advanced video codecs. Theo Peek, DVB group's chairman, said it is keeping its option open for VC-1. For any new audio-visual codec to be considered for evaluation, it first needs support from at least five DVB members, according to Ken McCann, chair of AV coding group at DVB. The group also requires new AV codecs to be published by an international standards body, and that IP rights be made available under fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms.

Microsoft has yet to meet these requirements for VC-1.

Source: eetimes

Only he who does nothing, does nothing wrong.

samfernando

Hi gameboy, can u help me plz?

I tried to connect my receiver to my comp but failed. the comp didnt reconise the receiver. i used RS 232 cable. is there something wrong with the COM 1 port?

Please don't hijack a thread with a question. Please make a new posting.

MaroonGuru

They will re-use existing capacity by utilizing better codecs. That is why so many companies are exploring MPEG-4 to replace MPEG-2.

I was with Voom here in the US to the end. Their receivers (Motorola DSR-550) had a PCMCIA slot that was designed to accomodate any needed cards for receiving MPEG-4 or WMV-9. A little while before going dark they parted ways with Microsoft.

As said in another reply, manufacturers are avoiding single codec boxes at this time since it would be a dangerous gamble. And, unlike the whole Betamax vs. VHS debacle, most codecs are physically compatible.