Thomson Showcases Powerful Broadband Home Networking Ecosystem at CeBIT 2008 with Several New Products

Tuesday, March 4th, 2008
Thomson logo

New wireless gateways and HD PVR support network operators expand services, reduce costs

PARIS and HANNOVER, GERMANY — During the CeBIT show taking place in Hannover, Thomson (Euronext 18453; NYSE: TMS) today announced a series of major enhancements – including four new wireless products – to its end-to-end offering of multiple-play solutions and services already available to broadband network operators.

At CeBIT this week, Thomson will launch a range of innovative new home access and gateway products enabling broadband operators to offer more diverse and faster services to both their consumer and business customers. Today’s announcements ranged from wireless routers and gateways to enhance data communications and an Ethernet access point that can be used to transform any wired residential gateway into a wireless platform, to a new gateway for wireless VoIP applications which like all THOMSON platforms is easy to install, and a new, super-compact HD PVR (personal video recorder).

As part of its complete and expanding ecosystem of connected devices for the delivery of enriched multimedia services in the digital home, Thomson will also highlight several innovative platforms that are designed to enable operators to deliver even more advanced and compelling services to their customers.

These include the THOMSON Symbio all-in-one DECT phone and wireless internet radio — which also functions as a portable IP radio allowing direct access to Internet radio stations worldwide and features personalized music services, and the Thomson Portable InfoCenter for the delivery of IPTV and VoD services. A key platform for sharing personal and media content in the home network, the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance)-compliant InfoCenter device enables broadband operator customers to deliver enriched wireless video throughout the digital home, as well as services such as weather and traffic alerts, video on demand, interactive gaming, visual voice mail, and Internet access.

“We know that broadband operators have to offer exciting and unique functionality to win subscribers, and to continue to innovate to retain them,” said Bruno Fabre, Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing of the Systems Division at Thomson. “Well integrated triple play services are critical for minimising churn, and our broad and innovative platforms help do that. The new platforms we are launching this week provide fast wireless connections in the home thanks to 802.11n, and they bundle integrated functionality with the prospect of future upgrades via remote management functionality.”

Faster Speeds, Greater Range and Enhanced Functionality over Wireless

Thomson will highlight four new wireless access products that take advantage of the emerging 802.11n standard to deliver unparalleled performance and functionality in the home and small business.

These products include:

  • Two new wireless routers, the THOMSON TG585n and THOMSON TG587n enhance the quality of data communications, the latter platform including 2 USB ports to broaden the scope of home networking applications such as printer and content sharing, webcam control and display, and more.
  • A simple yet innovative Ethernet access point, the THOMSON TG185n can be used to transform any wired residential gateway into a wireless platform delivering the same ‘wire-free’ benefits as any 802.11n-enabled hub. Connected to an IP Set Top Box or indeed any other device in a home ecosystem, the TG185n can also serve as a client, removing the need for a wired Ethernet connection between the gateway and IP Set Top Box, for example.
  • And finally, sophisticated platform, the THOMSON TG787n. It adds wireless Voice over IP to the mix of products, and like all other THOMSON gateways comprises the so-called Home Install Wizard which makes setting up a home network as easy as clicking a button. With two phone connectors, the THOMSON TG787 accommodates both a phone and fax. Once the gateway is registered with a VoIP service, regular phone calls can be conducted over the Internet with all the benefits of IP Telephony.

All are fully compatible with the technical standard TR-069 for remote management making it easier for operators to deploy, manage and upgrade services as they come on stream.

High Definition IPTV via the World’s Most Compact Set-Top Box with Personal Video Recorder

Triple play operators need to be able to offer high definition television to minimise churn to other television providers. To meet their requirement for a powerful and affordable set-top box, Thomson is launching the DBI8500. The most compact HD PVR on the market, this combines MPEG-4 decoding for bandwidth-efficient services including HD with an integrated hard disk recorder. Fanfree for very silent operation, it can also include as an option a DVB-T tuner and decoder for both broadcast and IP reception.

Complete Solution Offerings

Thomson’s experience extends from end to end of the content creation, management and delivery chain. Alongside its residential products the CeBit booth will also feature demonstrations of Thomson’s headend capabilities, for both triple-play broadband services and for mobile television.

Thomson will also show its NexGuard forensic watermarking solution with full traceability of content to guard against piracy without impact on the quality of experience for subscribers.

Thomson will be present at CeBIT in Hannover, 4-9 March 2008.