Sling Media and ViXS team on Network Transcoder for MSOs and MVPDs

Wednesday, October 15th, 2014
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Sling Media And ViXS Team To Deliver TV Anywhere Network Transcoder To MSOs And MVPDs

  • ViXS System-on-Chip (SoC) Used in Sling’s Network Transcoder, Providing Unprecedented Full 1080p HD-Quality TV Content to Mobile Devices

FOSTER CITY, Calif. — Sling Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) and ViXS Systems Inc. (TSX: VXS), today announced their collaboration on Sling Media’s new network transcoder, a plug-and-play, stand-alone Slingbox targeted for MSOs and MVPDs. The network transcoder incorporates industry-leading Sling technology and is powered by the ViXS XCode 5190 chipset, which performs up to QUAD HD to HD transcoding to deliver four independent video feeds, live or recorded, to four separate mobile devices. Designed to seamlessly integrate with new and existing cable set-top boxes, the network transcoder will deliver a true TV Anywhere experience across the most popular CE devices. The network transcoder has already begun shipping and is currently being deployed by multiple cable MSOs and other channel partners in the United States.

The network transcoder employs the same proven technology as Sling Media’s award-winning retail Slingbox products, including the recently introduced Slingbox M1 and SlingTV, while adding new features designed for large scale deployment through MSOs and MVPDs. Using the ViXS XCode 5190 chipset, the network transcoder delivers best-in-class, up to HD-quality video of a customer’s favorite TV shows, sporting events, recorded programming and premium content to the largest array of Slingplayer-enabled mobile devices including PC/Mac desktops and laptops, tablets and phones.

“Deploying Sling technology is one of the best ways for operators to extend the entire living room TV experience anywhere and our retail Slingbox products have long been a leader in this space. We are pleased to again be working with our long-time partner, ViXS, to deliver this solution to MSOs and MVPDs who are looking to add more value to their current customer offerings,” said Sling Media’s Senior Vice President and General Manager, Michael Hawkey. “The Sling Media network transcoder provides a seamless way to integrate Sling technology for new and existing customers, further enhancing cable & telco TV offerings by extending the entertainment experience beyond the living room TV.”

“TV Anywhere is a necessity for MSOs and MVPDs to increase their subscriber reach, and Sling Media’s network transcoder based on ViXS market leading media processing technology becomes a vital tool for any operator ready to deploy TV Anywhere services”, said Sally Daub, President and CEO, ViXS Systems Inc. “ViXS has become the leader in TV Anywhere product deployments and Sling Media’s network transcoder is another example of the innovation found in our XCode products being utilized to build powerful media products that meet the needs of service operators”