Technicolor selects ViXS SoC for 60p HEVC UltraHD 4K set-top boxes

Wednesday, April 30th, 2014
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ViXS XCode 6400, the World’s Only Shipping 10-Bit HEVC 60p SoC, to Power Technicolor’s STB Family for Global Cable and Satellite Service Providers

TORONTO, ON — ViXS Systems Inc. (TSX: VXS), a pioneer and leader in media processing solutions, today announced that Technicolor, a worldwide technology leader in the media and entertainment sector, has chosen the ViXS XCode 6400 System on Chip (SoC) for their new Ultra High Definition (UHD) 4K set-top box (STB) product line. Technicolor is an innovator in STBs with the second highest volume of STB shipments worldwide. The Technicolor STBs offer front-ends for cable, satellite and telco internet protocol television (IPTV) operators, and supports High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) MAIN10 Profile up to 60 frames per second for service operators looking to launch UHD 4K content services. The new UHD 4K Technicolor STB is the industry’s first high frame rate 4K STB, and is targeted for cable and satellite services operators globally. ViXS expects such UHD 4K STBs to begin shipping within the year. Technicolor is showcasing this innovative family of STBs, using the XCode 6400 SoC, at Booth #513 the 2014 Cable Show in the Los Angeles Convention Center, open from April 29th to May 1st, 2014.

The volume deployment of Ultra HD 4K channels continues to build as 4K television prices drop rapidly and an ever-growing lineup of UHD 4K content is announced. Technicolor is helping drive the industry by launching STBs that support UHD 4K content services while also being able to take advantage of the significant bandwidth savings of HEVC. The XCode 6400 SoC is the only SoC commercially shipping now that natively supports UHD and 10-bit HEVC, enabling Technicolor to achieve fast time-to-market for these next-generation technologies within their STBs. With ViXS’ XCode 6400 family powering broadcast distribution equipment and STBs, content owners and service providers can now deliver unprecedented video clarity and color to consumers worldwide for breath-taking UHD 4K content.

An active contributor to the HEVC Standard, ViXS Systems was instrumental in driving and supplying reference code for the MAIN10 profile during the development of the HEVC technical specifications. MAIN10 profile content is becoming the standard throughout the broadcast and media industry with key advantages in higher color bit depth allowing for smoother color transitions in video, resolving color-banding, increasing end users perceivable video quality and bringing more than 1 billion colors to life.

“Technicolor has a long history of technology leadership in the service provider equipment market, and we are elated they chose ViXS as their SoC provider for the new Ultra HD set-top boxes,” said Sally Daub, President and CEO, ViXS Systems Inc. “Our leadership position is the result of the technical expertise, extraordinary vision and dedication shown by the ViXS team, and we look forward to the XCode 6400 shipping in volume in Technicolor’s STB family.”

Key Features of Technicolor’s Family of UHD 4K STB’s:

  • Decode and display UHD 4K HEVC 60 fps 10-bit broadcast content
  • Support for global cable and satellite front-ends
  • Broad range of SKU’s from full headed gateway to low end IP clients
  • Support for Multi-Screen and Multi-room options