ADB wins contract to supply HanseNet for launch of "Alice" IPTV services
April 21, 2006 - Advanced Digital Broadcast, a leading supplier of digital TV systems and software solutions for interactive television, announced today that it has won a contract to supply its ADB-3800TW, High Definition (HD) ready, set-top boxes to German telecommunications operator HanseNet, for the launch of its IPTV television service. The service will be marketed under the ‘Alice’ brand name.
The 3800TW is ADB’s latest IPTV set-top box incorporating Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) television reception. Equipped with H.264/MPEG4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC), the unit allows operators to optimise their broadcast bandwidth, whilst presenting consumers with the highest quality in sound and vision. The product features an advanced microprocessor, resulting in enhanced system performance and innovative feature-set, including fast channel decoding, HDMI™ interface and swift rendering of on-screen graphics and applications.

Spain - Abertis to carry all DTT services
April 21, 2006 (DigiTAG) - Broadcast network operator Abertis Telecom has signed agreements with all national broadcasters to transmit their DTT services. Abertis will broadcast 20 DTT programme services from 7 different broadcasters.

Doradus Technologies Secures IP Licensing Contract for its ATSC/QAM demodulator IP core with a Major Semiconductor Supplier
April 21, 2006 - Doradus Technologies Inc., a leader in the design and implementation of advanced modulation technologies for consumer and communication transmission, today announced that it is licensing its VSB/QAM demodulator (DoraVision™) core for digital terrestrial/cable TV integrated receiver applications to a major semiconductor manufacturer. DoraVision™ is suitable for any system designed to receive broadcast HD and SD signals including DTV sets, personal computers, DVD recordable devices, HD-DVDs, set top boxes, tuner modules, and Personal Video Recorders. The core enables system-on-chip (SOC) integrated circuits to comply with the FCC tuner mandate; this mandate requires consumer electronics manufacturers to build ATSC digital receivers into all televisions and some digital consumer electronics devices by March 2007.
DoraVision™ core meets all of the relevant North American DTV standards and requirements including ATSC A53 and ITU-T J.83 annex B. Designed for minimum power operation, small silicon area and minimal external hardware components, the core is designed to meet and exceed the requirements of ATSC A/74 performance specification guidelines. The core is ideal for semiconductor manufacturers as it is designed for ease of integration in System-on-a-Chip (SoC) digital picture processing backend or RF tuner front end designs.

Media Excel Announces Affordable H.264/AVC SoftStream® Internet Protocol Set-Top Box (IP-STB) Reference Designs for Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and Digital Home Digital Media Adaptor (DMA) Markets
April 21, 2006 – Media Excel, Inc. announced today the immediate availability of its SoftStream® IP-STB 3000, an H.264/AVC Internet Protocol Set-Top Box (IP-STB) reference design and evaluation system for Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and Digital Home Digital Media Adaptors (DMA) applications.
“Taking into consideration feedback from our IPTV and IP-STB original equipment manufacturers and customers, Media Excel designed SoftStream® IP-STB 3000 based on the Texas Instruments’ TM320DM642 Digital Media Processor” said Mr. Jongil Kim, Media Excel Chief Technology Officer. “Media Excel’s TMS320DM642 H.264 MP@ML high performance software library delivers the ideal solution for designing compact, flexible and cost effective IP-STBs for IPTV and Digital Home solutions.”

Nagravision Selected By HanseNet To Secure Germany’s First IPTV Commercial Rollout - Alice IPTV
April 21, 2006 - HanseNet, a subsidiary of Telecom Italia and one of the fastest growing telecom operators in Germany, has selected Nagravision, the world leading independent provider of open conditional access and integrated solutions for digital TV operators and content providers, to secure the Alice broadband Pay-TV bouquet and VOD offering.
NagraIP offers HanseNet a secure platform for its more than one hundred free digital television and premium Pay-TV channels to be broadcast to consumers over broadband DSL.
Under its brand Alice, HanseNet will launch the service prior to the FIFA World Cup in June/July 2006 leveraging Nagravision’s ability to rapidly and efficiently deploy secure IPTV solutions integrating an extensive range of best-in-class partners. Nagra IP platform will enable HanseNet to introduce value-added services such as video on demand as it further develops it commercial offer.

Hansenet selects Alcatel for IPTV equipment (Alcatel PR [German])
April 21, 2006 (Telecompaper) - Telecom Italia's German subsidiary and regional network operator Hansenet has selected Alcatel to provide the equipment needed for its IPTV service.

Harmonic’s Industry-Leading Solutions Deployed for New IPTV Service in Germany
April 21, 2006 - Harmonic Inc. today announced that HanseNet Telekommunikation GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Telecom Italia, is using Harmonic's MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) video solutions to deliver a range of digital TV services as part of its Alice brand. The advanced compression capabilities of Harmonic’s industry-leading DiviCom® encoders make it possible to distribute video service over longer distances and via bandwidth constrained links while maintaining a broadcast-quality picture. The new TV service is being launched in Hamburg, Germany first and rolled out country-wide over the coming months, and represents the first large-scale, real-time broadcast IPTV over ADSL service in the country. By adding TV to its portfolio, Alice is now able to offer a range of telephone, Internet and television bundles that are expected to better attract and retain customers.
Harmonic provided an integrated solution that is fully compatible with Alice's existing infrastructure, meeting the immediate need for video delivery while also providing room to scale the service in step with demand. The new Harmonic-based headend encompasses high performance standard definition DiviCom real-time encoders for low bit-rate MPEG-4 AVC video as well as the ProView™ receivers and decoders for scalable content acquisition. HanseNet also uses the versatile NMX Digital Service Manager™ for advanced monitoring and control, ensuring the highest levels of video quality and service availability. Alice’s new Harmonic-based headend is provisioning an extensive range of services, including 100 channels of broadcast television.

Verimatrix to Demonstrate Forensic Watermarking Integration with Conexant's Award Winning HD System Solution at NAB
April 21, 2006 - Verimatrix, the leading developer of IPTV content protection and security solutions, today announced a live demonstration at NAB of its patent-pending VideoMark™ user-specific forensic watermarking technology integrated with Conexant's high-definition (HD)/H.264 platform for IPTV, cable and satellite set-top boxes (STBs). Verimatrix and Conexant are responding to growing market needs for advanced piracy detection by integrating VideoMark on an HD/H.264 STB reference design. This design will be showcased for NAB attendees at booth #C10727.
NAB attendees will see how the VideoMark watermarking solution runs on an STB to add an invisible unique identifier to the video in real time. VideoMark is able to extract the embedded identifier to determine when the video was pirated and trace it back to the individual STB.

Sonic Helps Align World's Leading Consumer Electronics, Computer, and Entertainment Companies for HD Launch
April 21, 2006 - Sonic Solutions®, the leader in digital media software, is augmenting its well known High Definition Authoring Alliance (HDAA) with an Advisory Group (called the HDAA AG) and, in doing so, is aligning leading computer and consumer electronic (CE) device manufacturers facilitating next-generation format playback with top-tier Hollywood content holders. The result is a multi-industry cooperative that will test and validate user interactions with the new high-definition formats and help deliver reliable, consistent, and exciting viewing experiences across multiple platforms.
HDAA and HDAA AG members have access to evaluation software to test content for standard and advanced playback modes. In addition, members are able to attend HDAA meetings, participate in technical forums, and review research, in-depth documentation and test findings contributed by HDAA and HDAA AG members.
Sonic formed the HDAA in July, 2005, to help leading authoring facilities such as Laser Pacific, Deluxe and Technicolor Creative Services prepare for the release of Hollywood next-generation titles. With the formation of the HDAA AG, authoring houses are now joined by leading CE device and personal computer manufacturers and collectively represent the high-definition value chain from creation through consumption.

Consortium to continue European digital TV standard lobby - Brazil
April 21, 2006 (BNAmericas) - European tech firms will continue to lobby Brazil's government in favor of the European digital TV standard, despite an MOU signed between Brazil and Japan to develop the Japanese standard, Siemens executive Mário Baumgarten told BNamericas.

ANT Galio First to Integrate with the Quative IPTV Service Delivery Platform
April 21, 2006 - ANT plc, a leading provider of client software and solutions for the IPTV, hybrid TV and consumer electronics industries, announced today that it is partnering with Quative Limited, a new UK-based subsidiary of Kudelski SA, to launch and demonstrate Quative’s next generation service delivery platform for IPTV at NAB2006, taking place April 24-27 in Las Vegas.
The Quative IPTV Service Platform (QSP) features a set of applications that fully leverage the capabilities of the ANT Galio Client TV Application Manager and browser to deliver TV on Demand, Video on Demand, Digital Video Recorder & EPG services besides walled garden web applications and general internet support. With Galio, QSP can be fully customised to meet the presentation needs of service providers and TV operators providing both a consistent look and feel across a diverse range of consumer devices and the ability to exploit brand based UI advertising opportunities.

Dolby Digital Selected for First HD Channel in China with 100 Percent of Programming in Surround Sound
April 21, 2006 - Dolby Laboratories, Inc. announced today that the China Movie Channel is launching China's third HD channel, the China Hometheatre Channel HD Movie Channel with Dolby® Digital 5.1. The new HD channel will be the first in China's broadcasting history to broadcast 100 percent of its programming in surround sound.
The China Movie Channel group will celebrate the launch of the China Hometheatre Channel HD Movie Channel on April 27, 2006 in a media conference at the Movie Channel Building, where media representatives will be invited to experience the high-quality HD service with both high-definition picture and Dolby Digital surround sound. The new HD channel will start broadcasting to Chinese viewers the same day. Chinese viewers with suitable HD set-top boxes and home theater systems need only subscribe to local cable broadcasters to receive the new HD channel.

Thomson Delivers Next-Generation HDTV Receivers to US Satellite Programming Service DIRECTV
April 21 2006 – Thomson has started to deliver next generation high-definition TV (HDTV) set-top boxes (STB) to DIRECTV, the leading digital television service provider in the United States. The DIRECTV H20 receiver represents a key milestone in the definitive agreement signed between Thomson and DIRECTV in 2004 for the long-term development and supply of digital satellite set-top boxes. With DIRECTV commencing shipment this month to customers and into the US retail channel, this agreement underscores Thomson’s commitment to developing advanced technology solutions for its media and entertainment client base.
According to media and research company Screen Digest, by end 2005 there were 19m households with HDTV sets in the US, a figure which corresponds to 17% of total TV households. In 2010 the percentage of HD-ready households is expected to reach 59% in the US. To satisfy the demand that this growth brings, DIRECTV plans to offer more than 1,500 local broadcast channels and more than 150 national channels in HD by 2007 alone. The DIRECTV H20 STB features MPEG-4 advanced compression decoding functionality thus supporting DIRECTV’s launch of high definition broadcast channels across the U.S.

WhiteBlox & Amino Combine Technologies for Synergistic Content Delivery
April 21, 2006 (Virtual Press Office) - WhiteBlox and Amino today announced a new working relationship that will combine the technologies of both companies to deliver dynamic content over set-top boxes (STBs). In a joint venture, they will develop an interactive video conferencing program for B2B enterprise applications.

BellSouth Reports First Quarter Earnings
April 20, 2006 - BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS) announced first quarter 2006 earnings per share (EPS) from continuing operations of 43 cents, up 16 percent compared to the first quarter of 2005.
Customers continue to combine local and long distance voice, DSL, DIRECTV® and Cingular Wireless under the BellSouth Answers® bundles. BellSouth added 179,000 long distance customers and now serves almost 7.4 million long distance customers, a 59 percent penetration of its mass-market customer base. Once again, the company had strong growth in customers choosing to add DIRECTV® service to their BellSouth bundles, adding 105,000 customers. Through the first quarter of this year, 628,000 customers have included DIRECTV® service in their communications packages. By the end of first quarter 2006, more than 5 million residential customers had a BellSouth Answers® bundle, nearly 45 percent penetration of its retail residential lines.

Broadcom Reports First Quarter 2006 Results; Selected Highlights of the First Quarter of 2006
April 20, 2006 - Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM) today reported unaudited financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2006.
Selected Highlights of the First Quarter of 2006:
• Leveraging its time tested and field proven technology expertise in high-definition set-top boxes for cable, satellite and IPTV applications, Broadcom began shipping the industry’s first high definition (HD) audio/video decoder chip that is fully compliant with the Blu-ray™ and HD DVD™ optical disc formats. Each of these next generation optical disc formats requires support for both H.264 and VC-1 compression standards.
Broadcom is working with leading vendors of Blu-ray disc and HD DVD optical disc media players, as well as vendors that are expected to bring to market media players supporting both optical disc formats. Toshiba announced that its recently introduced HD DVD players incorporate this Broadcom solution.
• Expanding Broadcom’s footprint within the satellite set-top box market, the company began shipping the world’s first DVB-S2 receiver chip featuring two integrated tuners and demodulators. This receiver solution leapfrogs the competition in both integration and performance, offering manufacturers a significantly lower cost solution for the development of DVB-S2 capable satellite set-top boxes, personal video recorders, satellite receivers and multifunctional home media centers.
• Broadcom also began shipping the world’s first front-end cable TV set-top box chip that utilizes new channel bonding techniques to dramatically increase the transmission speed of cable TV networks. Increasing the speed, performance and flexibility of the cable network is a key element for multi service operators (MSOs) as more and more telecommunications operators are installing fast, fiber-to-the-curb networks. Utilizing Broadcom’s next generation receiver solution will help enable MSOs to migrate their networks to all Internet Protocol (IP) network platforms. Addressing voice, video and data, these all-IP networks allow MSOs to provide significant new benefits such as additional cable and local broadcast channels, content flexibility and improved network efficiency.
• These new satellite and cable set-top box front-end solutions are able to take advantage of Broadcom’s next generation dual HD decoder chip that supports AVC/VC-1/MPEG-2, providing customers with a complete solution to enable quick time to market for next generation platforms. This new audio/video decoder chip can support next generation HD cable and satellite set-top box solutions, as well as a newly emerging product category: digital media centers.
• To dramatically expand HDTV programming, satellite set-top box operators are migrating their networks to the next generation MPEG-4/AVC compression technology. Using this advanced compression technology, satellite operators are able to achieve a two-to-three times improvement in the number of HD channels that can be carried within the same bandwidth over prior MPEG-2 technology. Both DIRECTV and EchoStar rolled out their first, next generation solutions using Broadcom’s MPEG-4/AVC technology.

Cascade Ltd Complete IPTV System for True Digital Entertainment of Thailand
April 20, 2006 (IPTV News) - CASCADE Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of PCCW Limited, announced that it had completed building and installing an IPTV system for True Digital Entertainment Company Limited in Thailand.

DigiSoft.tv unveil new IPTV Application Development Lab
April 20, 2006 - The brand new developer lab called "IPTVBox" is a one-stop shop for developing and testing interactive applications for IPTV.
Based on the powerful Sun Ultra 20 Workstation, with its next generation 64 bit AMD Opteron processor, the iTVBox uses the NetBeans Integrated Development Environment combined with DigiSoft’s Software Development Kit to create Java interactive applications to run on a variety of IPTV Set Top Boxes and Middlewares.
IPTVBox is a tool to Design, Develop, Integrate, Test and Deploy Interactive Applications for IPTV. It is a flexible, turnkey laboratory for the development and testing of fully functional, interactive TV applications for IPTV networks.
Using the built-in video server containing sample AV content, the IPTVBox simulates linear broadcast TV and VOD environments for development of EPG, VOD clients and application launching. The java based IPTVBox gives developers an open homogenous environment to run and test new applications and business models on your choice of IPTV Set Top Boxes independent to your production environments

Japan - Digital TV era now five years away
April 20, 2006 (Japan Update) - Digital television, first introduced nearly a dozen years ago, will become the full industry standard in Japan beginning in 2011. Television networks and stations will no longer transmit analogue television signals, making digital technology the only system in use.

IP TV, Streaming Movie and Music Revenue Set to Explode, says Insight Research
April 20, 2006 - Streaming video and music distributed across the Internet or directly to a mobile handset is fast becoming a mainstream entertainment delivery vehicle that will generate more than $27 billion in network-derived and content-derived revenue into the US markets by 2011, according to a new market research study from The Insight Research Corporation. Streaming media refers to the transmission of digital audio and video files over an IP network or wireless network in real time or on-demand, while prohibiting users from storing the files locally.
Insight’s market analysis study, Streaming Media, IP TV, and Broadband Transport: Telecommunications Carriers and Entertainment Services 2006-2011, describes the technology and market forces underpinning the network-derived revenues generated from distributing streamed content across the public Internet, content distribution networks, cellular networks, or telco IP networks. The study also estimates the revenue from the various types of content-derived revenues, along with associated advertising revenue. The streaming market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of nearly 32 percent over the next five years, driven by on-demand audio, on-demand video, as well as the accompanying advertising revenue.

ESS Technology Licenses MIPS32® 24Kc™ Core from MIPS Technologies
April 20, 2006 - MIPS Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital consumer and business applications, today announced that ESS Technology, Inc., a provider of high-performance digital video processors and image sensor semiconductors licensed the MIPS32® 24Kc™ core.
"Using the MIPS32 24Kc core allows us to develop high-performance ICs for VoIP and High Definition DVDs while maintaining small die size and low power. The 24Kc core makes our products more competitive in the global market and allows our customers to develop and sell sophisticated and software-intensive consumer products at attractive prices," said Aki Kaniel, director of marketing for ESS Technology.

MIPS Technologies Reports Fiscal Third Quarter 2006 Financial Results
April 20, 2006 - MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIPS), today reported financial results for its third fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2006. Revenue was $17.5 million, an increase of 7 percent over second quarter revenues of $16.4 million, and an increase of 4 percent from the $16.8 million in revenue reported in the third fiscal quarter a year ago.
Following are selected press release headlines from MIPS Technologies, and the company's licensees, systems vendors and third party providers.
• Consumers on-the-Go enjoy Hours of Fresh, DVD-Quality Video Content on Personal Media Players Powered By MIPS-Based™ AMD Technology
• Zoran Integrates PVR and Set Top Box Functions Into DVD Recorder Chip Set; Hard Disk Drive and Digital Video Broadcast Support Added to MIPS-Based™ Activa DVD Recorder Solutions
• Philips Enables High Definition LCD TVs for the Mass Consumer Market; The Nexperia™ TV520 Family of Hybrid Semiconductor Reference Designs Utilizes MIPS-Based Nexperia Home PNX853X media processor
• Trident Announces MIPS-Based™ New-Generation HiDTV™ Pro Family to Bring Uncompromising Video Quality to HDTV
• Broadcom Introduces a MIPS-Based™ Advanced Dual-Channel AVC/VC-1/MPEG-2 Video Decoder Chip for High-Performance Digital Media Centers
• Micronas/WISchip and Digital 5 Partner on Digital Media Server; Will Utilize MIPS-Based™ Cypher 7108 CPU
• ViXS Systems Showcases Sony Products Utilizing MIPS-Based™ ViXS' Xcode Video Processor at CES 2006
• HUMAX USA Poised to Manufacture and Sell New MIPS-Based™ Portable Media Player Platform to Content Providers
• Zoran Powers New Humax Cable Set-Top Box Products for Japan; Utilizes MIPS-Based™ Generation 9 CPU
• NEC Electronics Introduces MIPS-Based™ EMMA™ 2SL/P Secure MPEG Decoder For Entry-Level Set Top Boxes and Integrated Digital Televisions
• Kreatel delivers MIPS-Based™ IP-STB Solution to FastTV's Scandinavian IPTV Service
• ViXS Systems Debuts Next Generation MIPS-Based™ MPEG Video Processor Family With Integrated Conditional Access
• Broadcom Announces Industry's First Front-End Cable TV Set-Top Box Chip With Integrated Channel Bonding Technology: MIPS-Based™ BCM3255 CPU
• Funai Demonstrates High Definition Advanced Video Compression Consumer Video Solutions; Demonstates MIPS-Based™ STB Using High Definition Advanced Video Compression Technology
• PLX, ViXS to Demonstrate Video-Streaming with MIPS-Based™ ViXS Encoder, PLX PCI Express Technology

Shanda gives up EZ Station strategy
April 20, 2006 (INTERFAX-CHINA) - NASDAQ-listed Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited gave up plans to independently produce and sell its EZ Station home entertainment center platform, a Shanda spokesperson said Tuesday.

Hungarian T-Online to launch country's first internet TV service in autumn
April 20, 2006 (Interfax) - T-Online Hungary, the ISP subsidiary of German Deutsche Telekom (DT)-owned Magyar Telekom, has launched technical testing of the country's first Internet Protocol-based (IP) television service, and plans commercial roll-out by the end of the year, the company said on Thursday.

Microtune's New Ultra Low-Power, Dual-Standard Tuner Enables Broadcast and Mobile Digital TV on Portable Devices
April 20, 2006 - Extending its family of ultra low-power tuners, Microtune®, Inc. today introduced a new dual-standard, dual-band tuner chip that receives and tunes both digital terrestrial TV and mobile broadcast TV signals for portable applications.
When implemented into consumer multimedia devices, the new Mobile MicroTuner™ MT2266 enables users to access a variety of content--digital TV broadcasts, mobile TV broadcasts, digital radio and teletext--across the digital video broadcast-terrestrial (DVB-T) and digital video broadcast-handheld (DVB-H) standards. With power consumption of only 350 mW, half that of conventional DVB-T tuners, the MT2266 has minimal impact on the battery life of portable platforms.
Original equipment and original design manufacturers can take advantage of the MT2266 tuner to deliver dual-standard TV capabilities and multimedia features on products as diverse as notebook PCs, USB sticks, PCI Express cards, portable DVB-T receivers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and personal media players. The tuner, which supports both the UHF and VHF (Band III) frequency bands, is also ideal for diversity systems, where low power is a critical consideration.

UTStarcom Signs Contract With China Netcom for the Deployment of IPTV in China's Harbin in Heilongjiang Province
April 20, 2006 - UTStarcom, Inc., a global leader in IP-based, end-to-end networking solutions and services, today announced that China Netcom has signed a contract for the deployment of UTStarcom's RollingStream™ end-to-end IPTV solution in Harbin in the Heilongjiang in northeast China. This deal represents the single largest IPTV capacity deployment in China to date.
The contract is based on a commercial trial that was launched in May 2005. The initial deployment had a capacity of 100,000 concurrent media streams, covering the major metropolitan areas of the city. Currently, the service offers channels of live broadcast television with "time-shifting" capabilities, 48-hour TV-on-demand, and approximate 5,600 hours of video-on-demand. At the same time, there are value-added services, such as on-line weather report, information browsing, and searching services available in the service package as well. The service has accumulated approximately 53,000 subscribers to date. UTStarcom has also announced commercial contracts in Shanghai and Fuzhou and Quanzhou in the Fujian Province, with an initial combined capacity of over 50,000 media streams.

Amino reorganisation establishes IntAct Software Ltd
April 20, 2006 - Amino Technologies plc has established an independent business, IntAct Software Limited to license its IntAct™ software solutions to set-top box (STB) OEMs and ODMs, semiconductor manufacturers, service operators and system integrators. In addition, service operators and integrators may also licence Amino's award-winning set-top box designs with unique signature form factor through IntAct Software Ltd.
The IntAct™ IPTV solution consists of both a client software stack and IP STB server management tools which represent the culmination of more than 150 man-years of product development, third party interoperability and pre-integration. This ensures that IPTV operators can use IntAct with the widest range of middleware, conditional access, silicon, head-end system and browser technology. This pre-established interoperability, linked with IntAct's lean architecture, drives down the deployment costs and reduces the time to market of the complete IPTV system. Therefore operators see a return on their investment much faster and can source equipment powered by IntAct from a number of suppliers, further lowering the risks associated with IPTV service deployment.
IntAct™ has been successfully deployed in more than 500,000 set-top boxes in 80 commercial roll-outs. It has been ported onto six silicon platforms, in multiple software configurations, in MPEG2 and MPEG4 H.264, standard and high definition formats.

Vivendi Universal Reports First Quarter Revenues up 6.5% on a comparable basis
April 20, 2006 - Vivendi Universal’s as published revenues amounted to €4,766 million compared to €4,509 million for the first quarter of 2005, an increase of 5.7%. On a comparable basis, revenues amounted to €4,766 million compared to €4,474 million for the first quarter of 2005, an increase of 6.5%.
Canal+ Group reported revenues of €899 million, up from €881 million in 2005. On a comparable basis, revenues were up 7.7% compared to the first quarter of 2005.
Revenues from pay-TV operations in France were up 11% compared to 2005 due to subscription portfolio (Canal+ and CanaSat) growth and higher revenues per subscriber.
Gross additions over the period were on a par with last year’s good levels. At the end of March, Canal+ Le Bouquet represented 54% of total Canal+ subscriptions portfolio, a 5-point increase compared to March 2005.
Revenues from pay-TV operations in Poland were up mainly due to subscriber portfolio growth.

Thomson’s First Quarter 2006 Revenues
April 20, 2006 - Thomson Core businesses reported revenues for the first quarter 2006 of €1,257 million, an increase of 5% on the first quarter 2005 core revenues of €1,195 million. Currency movements increased Core Business revenues during the quarter by €56 million. Core Business revenues excluding currency movements were therefore €1,201 million, an increase of 1% year-on-year. Total reported revenues for the Group for the quarter were €1,294 million.
Access Platforms & Gateways shipped 2.6 million satellite decoders (vs. 3.4 million in the particularly strong first quarter of 2005). By the end of the quarter, the Group had introduced a number of new advanced set-top box platforms for major customers including an HD box for the US satellite market and the first HD MPEG4 box, in France for both Canal+ and TPS.
The Group gained market share in the Telecom business. Growth in gateways, such as the Inventel Livebox, continued to be the principal driver of revenues. As well as in France, the business established good positions in the UK and Scandinavia.

France - CSA clears channel for a limited HD/DTT trial
April 19, 2006 (DigiTAG) - The Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA) has invited candidates to apply for a trial licence permitting HDTV services on the DTT platform. The trial will last for a period no longer than nine months. (CSA Press release [French])

China - 41 Regions Begin Shifting To Digital Television Programs
April 19, 2006 (ChinaTechNews) - Hu Zhanfan from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) has disclosed to local media that all analog signal television programs will be stopped and replaced with digital signals by the year of 2015.

Agreement to speed up development of mobile terrestrial digital in Italy
April 19, 2006 - Mediaset and Vodafone Italia have signed an agreement designed to accelerate and boost the technology and commercial rollout of mobile terrestrial digital TV using DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast - Handheld) technology in Italy, the first country in Europe to do so.
Under today's agreement, Vodafone Italia is to use Mediaset's multiplex DVB-H capacity for a period of five years, with an option on a further five years. Vodafone Italia will contribute to the launch by making its technology and broadcast infrastructure available in order to complete the network, thereby enabling the rollout of the new service during 2006.

Telefonica and Lucent Technologies Reach Strategic Agreement to Support Telefonica’s IPTV Service Rollouts Worldwide
April 19, 2006 – Lucent Technologies and Telefonica Group today announced that the two companies have reached a strategic agreement under which Lucent will support Telefonica’s IPTV service rollouts worldwide. The agreement was signed today in Miami, Florida by Telefonica’s Chairman and CEO Cesar Alierta and Lucent’s Chairman and CEO Patricia Russo.
Under the agreement Lucent will assume responsibility for the future development and deployment of Telefonica’s ”Imagenio” IPTV middleware platform, including the ongoing introduction of new features and capabilities; Lucent also will market the platform to the broader, global service provider community. In support of this effort Lucent will establish IPTV research and development centers -- linked to Bell Labs – in the Spanish cities of Madrid and Huesca (Aragon), as well as in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo for Latin American markets. In addition, Lucent Worldwide Services, the company’s services arm, will serve, as the prime network integrator for Telefonica’s end-to-end, multivendor IPTV solution, initially in markets including Brazil, Chile, the Czech Republic and Spain. The project will be extended to include additional countries in the future.
Telefonica’s Imagenio IPTV service is one of the world’s leading commercial IPTV service offerings, providing all-digital, DVD-quality delivery of TV and audio content to subscribers in Spain. Imagenio’s interactive video-on-demand service enables subscribers to watch movies, documentaries, concerts, TV shows and newscasts at any time of day, and features DVD-like controls (including play, stop, fast forward, rewind, pause, automatic language selection).

MPEG Industry Forum Re-Launching Logo Qualification Program at NAB2006
April 19, 2006 - The MPEG Industry Forum (MPEGIF), one of the world's largest standards based technology advocacy group, is re-launching its Logo Qualification Program at NAB 2006.
MPEGIF’s Logo Qualification Program is being operated to ensure interoperability among products and technology. Originally open to members of MPEGIF, the Logo Qualification Program is now open to all industry participants to have their products undergo testing against standardized bitstreams and qualified decoder products to confirm they work together under specific MPEG profiles and levels.
Qualified products have the right to display the distinctive MP4 Qualification Mark and may list test results of qualification in their documentation, literature, and advertising. Qualified products can be selected or have its status confirmed by browsing the Product Directory or searching for it on MPEGIF’s dedicated Logo Qualification website, part of MPEGIF’s internet presence, which counts millions of hits and is one of the most frequented resource when it comes to MPEG technologies.

MPEG LA Issues MPEG-2 Systems Patent Portfolio License
April 19, 2006 - MPEG LA today announced the availability of the MPEG-2 Systems Patent Portfolio License providing coverage for use of the MPEG-2 Systems Standard in products without MPEG-2 video encoders or decoders. The MPEG-2 Systems Standard (ISO documents IS 13818-1 (including annexes C, D, F, J and K)) defines how to format the various components of multimedia programs and combine them into a single program or transport bitstream. Currently included in the License are essential patents owned by Alcatel, GE Technology Development, Inc., Hitachi, Ltd., Mitsubishi, Philips, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Scientific Atlanta, and Thomson Licensing.
Under the MPEG-2 Systems Patent Portfolio License, the applicable royalty is US $0.50 per device (in addition to royalties that may be required for other licenses, e.g., for non-MPEG-2 video codecs). MPEG LA continues to offer its MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License providing coverage for use of the MPEG-2 Video and Systems Standards in products with or using MPEG-2 video encoders and decoders.

Gemstar-TV Guide Signs Digital Guide Plus+® Agreement With Panasonic For European Market
April 19, 2006 - Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc., a leading media, entertainment and technology company has signed an agreement with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., best known by its Panasonic brand name. Under this agreement, Panasonic will extend its current licensing relationship with Gemstar-TV Guide for a new digital Interactive Program Guide (IPG) in Europe known as GUIDE Plus+®, and will incorporate this digital version in certain products, including recorders and large-size digital televisions.
This agreement extends a long-standing relationship between Gemstar-TV Guide and Panasonic on the development and deployment of Gemstar IPGs worldwide, and provides for the two companies to work together to promote the adoption and usage of the Gemstar-TV Guide IPG in Europe. Additionally, the agreement allows Panasonic temporary deployment rights for non-Gemstar-TV Guide IPGs in certain consumer electronic products until the digital version of the Gemstar IPG is available.

Juniper Networks, Inc. Reports Q1'06 Financial Results
April 19, 2006 - Juniper Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: JNPR) today reported its results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2006.
Juniper continued to support its service provider customers as they transition to Next Generation Network infrastructures. China Telecom Shanghai and Cox Communications, for example, chose the T-series to provide the performance, reliability and scale to support the build-outs of their core IP infrastructures, while BT is deploying Juniper at both the core and the edge of its 21st Century Network. IPTV continued to drive demand for Juniper products. Working side by side with its partner, Siemens, Juniper garnered wins at T-Com and Fastweb in Europe. In addition, Juniper remains the sole sourced provider for the world's largest IPTV network, PCCW. Juniper was also chosen by Germany's leading TV station, RTL, to ensure quality of service and scalability for live broadcast content, via the M-series, multi-service edge router.

QUALCOMM Announces Second Quarter Fiscal 2006 Results
April 19, 2006 - QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced results for the second fiscal quarter ended March 26, 2006.
QUALCOMM Strategic Initiatives (QSI):
• MediaFLO USA and Network LIVE, a joint venture between AOL, XM Satellite Radio and AEG, announced an agreement to provide Network LIVE content and programming for MediaFLO USA's wireless multimedia service offering.
• We provided city-wide coverage of FLO™ Technology and conducted live, over-the-air MediaFLO demonstrations at CTIA Wireless 2006 in Las Vegas. These demonstrations included nine channels of live video and datacasting applications on eight proof-of-concept devices (including one UMTS/FLO handset) from leading handset manufacturers including, Kyocera, LG Electronics, Motorola, Pantech, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Sharp Corporation.
• The FLO Forum announced the ratification of key technical specifications developed by its Test and Certification Committee. The technical and performance requirements captured in the documents assure interoperability and compatibility for FLO based terrestrial mobile multimedia multicast devices and transmitters.
• We announced a joint investment in China with TechFaith to found a new company, TechFaith Software (China) Limited or “TechSoft,” that will develop application software for 3G CDMA devices.

Spain - New Digital TV licences for Andalucía
April 19, 2006 (Typically Spanish) - The Junta de Andalucia has announced that it is starting the process to grant licences for 186 local digital television channels to private operators across the region.

Philips highly integrated Nexperia TV810 semiconductor reference design chosen for Dell 26-inch LCD high-definition television
April 19, 2006 - Royal Philips Electronics today announced that Dell Inc. has selected the company's Nexperia™ TV810 semiconductor reference design for its W2607C 26-inch digital LCD HD TV. The Nexperia TV810 reference design is a highly integrated digital TV solution that enables state-of-the art picture quality in both analog and digital TV signals, as well as advanced connectivity features for easy connections to all audio/video and PC products, including gaming boxes, digital video recorders, Media Center PCs and future Blu-Ray DVD players.
The Nexperia TV810's enhanced picture quality features enable televisions such as the W2607C to automatically adjust picture quality settings for optimally displaying all content on the screen regardless of its source. With this capability viewers will experience programs at their absolute best, without having to adjust the picture settings every time they decide to watch a different movie or TV show.

Cisco and TELUS® Make Strategic Investment in Widevine® Technologies, Inc.
April 19, 2006 - Widevine Technologies, the world’s leading provider of downloadable content protection and digital forensics solutions today announced investments by Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) and TELUS (TSX: T, T.NV; NYSE: TU). Widevine’s products enable the acquisition of premium broadcast and video-on-demand (VOD) content from all major studios and broadcasters. The company currently has over ninety telco, cable, satellite and internet service operator customers.
Cisco invested in Widevine Technologies because of its leadership position in the content protection and digital forensics market and for its open solutions platform approach.
The Series C strategic round, worth a total of $16 million, includes follow-on investment from VantagePoint, Bear Stearns Constellation Ventures, Pacesetter Capital and Phoenix Partners.

Round One in the High Definition DVD Format Fight
April 19, 2005 - Toshiba's HD DVD player started shipping to US retailers this week, four months ahead of Sony's scheduled release of its Blu-ray format players. North America represents by far the most important market for the new high-definition formats, accounting for more than 60% of all HDTVs that ABI Research expects will be shipped during 2006.
What does this mean for the prospects of the rival formats? Will HD DVD's earlier entry to the market and substantially lower price tag give it the edge over Blu-ray? The answer is "yes" in the short term, but as time passes, complicating factors may shift the balance.
By the end of 2006, according to the latest update to the firm's Consumer Electronics Research Service, Blu-ray players alone will account for only about 30% of the global high-definition DVD player market, but there is a catch: PlayStation 3. Sony's next-generation game console will play Blu-ray discs, and when it is launched, its large expected sales figures could change the market dominance picture dramatically.

UK - Deregulation for pay TV channels on Digital Terrestrial Television
April 19, 2005 - Ofcom today announced it intends to deregulate the current rules restricting pay TV channels from being broadcast on Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), commonly known as Freeview.
DTT is transmitted on television multiplexes which are licensed by Ofcom under the Broadcasting Act 1996. Three of the six multiplex licences (multiplexes B, C and D) contain a requirement that all the channels they carry must be free-to-air.
Having considered the responses received during consultation Ofcom believes that the current restriction on pay TV channels is no longer a matter requiring regulatory intervention and that finding the right balance between pay and free-to-air services on the DTT platform can be better left to the market.

Airecable of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico Moves Ahead of Local Satellite and Cable Providers
April 19, 2005 - Airecable of Neuvo Laredo, Mexico launched its digital MMDS (Multipoint Microwave Distribution System) operation with the content protection solution from Conax AS, one of the world’s leading suppliers of conditional access technology for digital television operators.
MMDS technology, sometimes referred to as “wireless cable”, is a type of television distribution system, like a cable head-end, that offers its subscribers a mix of digital channels from a variety of sources. The channels are then distributed to the MMDS operator’s customers by transmitting the programming over MMDS frequencies (2.5 to 2.7 GHz range) along with MDS, OFS, and ITFS frequencies, if they are available. Wireless cable uses Super High Frequency ("SHF") channels to transmit satellite cable programming over-the-air instead of through overhead or underground wires. The Airecable installation in Mexico represents a new benchmark for MMDS systems in North America and around the world.

DRM/CA: The Nexus of the Digital Entertainment Media Business (iSuppli Research Note)
April 18, 2006 - They reside at the convergence point where content providers, service carriers and platform makers are aligning to develop digital entertainment. They play a key role in the development and growth of digital content for both home-entertainment and mobile-multimedia platforms. They will determine the future of the digital content business, depending upon their degree of success.
They are Digital Rights Management (DRM) and Conditional Access (CA) and together they represent a worldwide market that will expand to $4.7 billion by 2010, up from $1.5 billion in 2005, iSuppli Corp. predicts.

AT&T Homezone TV Service to Feature On-Demand Video Content from Akimbo
April 18, 2006 - AT&T Inc. and Akimbo™ Systems today announced an agreement to offer the award-winning Internet-based Akimbo video-on-demand service to subscribers of AT&T's Homezone™ TV service, scheduled to launch later this summer. AT&T Homezone subscribers will use their converged set-top boxes to access thousands of video programs and movies.
AT&T Homezone, currently in trial in several states, will integrate AT&T Yahoo!® High Speed Internet and AT&T | DISH Network programming to provide video on demand, digital video recording, and Internet content, including photos and music, via a new award-winning set-top box. AT&T Homezone will be available to customers who purchase both AT&T|DISH Network satellite television and AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet services.
AT&T plans to offer the content available from Akimbo's library of more than 10,000 television programs and movies-on-demand. Akimbo is the fastest-growing video-on-demand service in the United States, offering videos and movies from more than 165 content partners throughout the world. Each week, Akimbo adds more than 150 new mainstream and niche titles in 85 different categories, such as music, sports, independent film, anime, major motion pictures, education, children's programming and foreign language.

DG2L to Unveil Industry's First Hybrid High Definition DVB-IP Set-Top-Box
April 18, 2006 - DG2L Technologies today announced the upcoming availability of Neuron 2000, the first high definition (1080i) hybrid set-top-box that supports both Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) and ATSC broadcast services as well as Internet Protocol (IP) standards with H.264/AVC compression support. Designed for high performance and bandwidth efficiency, the Neuron 2000 enables broadcasters and network operators to leverage both traditional one-way broadcast as well as two-way interactive IP delivery.
The Neuron 2000 is the second in a series of DG2L's line of Neuron set-top-boxes based on the MPEG-4 compression standard. The new hybrid box also supports advanced interactive television services, such as personal video recording, a required feature for next-generation set-top-boxes.

China's Internet-based TV faces hurdles
April 18, 2006 (Xinhua) - Internet-based television services such as video-on-demand won't be widely adopted in China until 2008, according to new reports from research firms that watch the industry.

Spreadtrum to Integrate Hantro Multi-Format Video Solution into their Next Generation 3G TD-SCDMA Baseband IC
April 18, 2006 - Hantro today announced the signing of a license agreement under which Spreadtrum Communications Inc. will integrate Hantro’s multi-format hardware technology into its SC8800 series 3G TD-SCDMA/GSM/GPRS baseband chip. Enabling ultra-high performance multimedia capability in single-chip handset designs, Hantro’s multi-format hardware codecs achieve video resolutions up to SDTV at 30fps and provide support for MPEG-4, H.263 and H.264/AVC video formats as well as up to 16Mpix JPEG still images.
Building on the successful partnership, in which Spreadtrum previously integrated Hantro’s 4550 and 5550 to their mass produced SC6800 series 2.5G GSM/GPRS baseband chip, this new agreement enables Spreadtrum to realise an extremely competitive and highly integrated multimedia entertainment baseband IC for the 3G TD-SCDMA market. The solution will provide handset manufacturers with the ideal platform for developing the devices needed for volume penetration of the 3G market in China.

IPTV Lifts Off: The rate of service launches accelerates in Europe
April 18, 2006 (CENET/ScreenDigest) - Ten IPTV services were launched in 2005, compared with eight in 2004 and six in 2003. The number of IPTV subscribers stood at 1.185m at end 2005, up 203 per cent on the 390,000 subscribers at the previous year end. The market share of European IPTV of the total pay TV market has now reached 1.62 per cent, up from 0.52 per cent at the end of 2004. With subscriber number steadily increasing, and the launch of more services in the future, we forecast that the share of IPTV will reach 12.5 per cent of the total pay TV market by 2010.

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. Signs $3.5 Million Purchase Agreement with DIRECTV for New DVB-S2 Satcom Equipment
April 18, 2006 - Comtech Telecommunications Corp. announced today that its Tempe, Arizona-based subsidiary, Comtech EF Data Corp., signed a volume purchase agreement with DIRECTV, Inc. The agreement is for a minimum of $3.5 million over two years and encompasses the purchase of DVB-S2 Broadcast Satellite Modulators and Redundancy Switches.
DIRECTV will deploy the Comtech EF Data DVB-S2 Modulators and 1:1 Redundancy Switches to power its new high-definition television (HDTV) uplink services. The Modulators are based on the emerging satellite transmission standard, DVB-S2. DVB-S2 extends the range of possible applications by combining the functionality of previous standards developed for the direct-to-home and professional environments. The broad range of modulation and coding formats of DVB-S2 enable link performance optimization - delivering on average 30% greater throughput when compared to DVB-S services.

Seagate Technology Reports Fiscal Third Quarter 2006 Results
April 18, 2006 - Seagate Technology (NYSE: STX) today reported quarterly revenue of $2.3 billion, net income of $274 million, and diluted earnings per share of $0.53 for the quarter ended March 31, 2006.
Seagate experienced strong growth in the consumer electronics (CE) market in the March quarter, shipping 4.7 million drives, an increase of 12% from the year-ago quarter and 33% sequentially. Shipments into DVR applications grew over 100% year-over-year to 2.5 million units, while shipments into the gaming market increased 39% over the same period.

In-Stat Forecasts More Than 400 Million Global Broadband Subscribers by 2010
April 18, 2006 - With the increasing penetration of established broadband technologies like Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) service and cable modem service, in addition to improvements in fixed wireless broadband and satellite broadband services, the number of worldwide broadband subscribers will double over the next five years, reports In-Stat. By year-end 2010, worldwide broadband subscribers will reach 413 million, the high-tech market research firm says.
Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
• DSL remains the leading broadband access technology. On a worldwide basis, it currently accounts for 69% of all broadband subscribers.
• Based on current worldwide broadband growth rates, 3.7 million new subscribers will sign up for broadband services each month this year. In the US, 670,000 new subscribers every month are projected to sign up for broadband service.
• According to In-Stat estimates, in late February 2006 the total number of worldwide broadband subscribers passed 200 million.

Consolidated Communications Deploys the Verimatrix Content Security Solution to Protect Premium Content on its IPTV Service
April 18, 2006 - Verimatrix, the leading developer of IPTV content protection and security solutions, today announced the deployment of its Verimatrix Content Authority System (VCAS) with Consolidated Communications, a family of companies offering voice and data communications services to both business and residential customers. Its IPTV service, Digital Video Services, provides an affordable alterative to current cable and satellite TV services, and delivers up to three independent video streams to three rooms at each subscriber over its IP network.
Consolidated Communications, the 17th largest local telephone company in the United States with approximately 245,000 access lines, now provides triple-play services, including Video-on-Demand (VOD), pay-per-view and digital television channels. Subscribers receive ultimate value with bundled packages with their phone, Internet and digital television on a single monthly bill.
Consolidated Communication?s IPTV deployment includes the Hydra™ IP Video Gateway set-top box from Entone, a leading provider of personal video content delivery solutions, along with the Myrio TotalManage middleware, headend equipment from Tut Systems and server hardware from HP. The entire integrated IPTV platform represents one of the first Siemens SURPASS Home Entertainment deployment integrated with the Hydra gateway. Today, over 75 U.S. operators are using the Siemens SURPASS Home Entertainment solution as well as many more worldwide.

Frontier Silicon and Factum Electronics Form Strategic Alliance to Supply Complete Broadcast Solutions From Transmitter to Receiver for Mobile TV and Radio
April 18, 2006 - Frontier Silicon, the market leader in semiconductor solutions for mobile TV and digital radio, and Factum Electronics, the world’s leading supplier of head-end solutions for DAB and T-DMB, today announced a strategic alliance to supply broadcasters with complete broadcast solutions for mobile TV and digital radio. The alliance is being announced at the Beijing DAB Digital Broadcasting event (April 20-21), as China rapidly moves forward to roll out mobile TV services in 2006.
The two companies are leaders in digital broadcast technology in their respective fields: Factum Electronics in head-end infrastructure and Frontier Silicon in receiver modules. The complete solutions jointly offered will allow broadcasters to benefit from and adopt new T-DMB/DAB features quickly, and yield complete, well-tested and flexible solutions featuring a higher level of quality and stability.

Nearly half of Finnish households ready for digital TV
April 18, 2006 (STT) - Almost half of Finnish households have purchased a digital television adapter or a digital television, the Finnish transport and communications minister said in a statement Tuesday.

Over 400,000 Dutch households switch to digital TV in 2005
April 18, 2006 - Over 400,000 Dutch households switched to digital TV reception in 2005. This takes the digital TV market to over 1 million homes, or 15 percent of all TV households in The Netherlands, according to research by Telecompaper.
Cable operators have been the most successful on the digital television market, growing quicker than rivals in satellite and digital terrestrial TV. By the end of the first quarter of 2006, the cable companies had converted 575,000 households from analogue to digital cable television.

Media and telecoms players unite against new AV Directive
April 18, 2006 - A unique alliance from across the broadcasting, telecoms, technology, new media and advertising sectors is voicing its concerns about the draft Audiovisual Media Services (AMS) Directive that is currently under discussion in Brussels. The UK government has serious concerns about the draft Directive and is currently discussing these with other Member States.
The draft Directive proposes substantial changes to the existing Television without Frontiers Directive (TVWF), which has governed broadcasting regulation in the EU since 1989. While moves to liberalise some of the advertising restrictions currently placed on broadcasters have been largely welcomed, the draft Directive also suggests extending regulation to cover a broad range of new and emerging audiovisual media services, something which has been met with fierce criticism in the UK.
The group, led by Intellect and the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG), agrees with the objectives of the proposed Directive, including consumer protection and the promotion of a strong European economy, but is concerned that the proposed text will have an opposite and damaging effect.

Thomson Readies Affordable, Innovative Solutions for Completion of U.S. Digital TV Broadcast Transition
April 18, 2006 (Virtual Press Office) - To support the completion of the terrestrial broadcast transition to digital television in the United States, Thomson, the global technology corporation serving the media and entertainment industries, currently has several development programs underway that will enable consumers to receive terrestrial digital television signals on their existing analog TVs. Thomson is leveraging its position as a leading supplier of set-top boxes with a series of digital-to-analog converter boxes and is reaffirming its expertise as a developer of highly integrated digital TV integrated circuit (IC) solutions with the announcement of the Thomson 4300A ATSC-compliant IC incorporating both ATSC demodulator and MPEG-2 decoding functionalities.

TeamCast Introduces at NAB2006 New Mobile TV Products for L-Band Transmission
April 18, 2006 (Virtual Press Office) - To meet market demands, TeamCast are introducing at the National Association of Broadcasters 2006 Convention, two new modulators dedicated to transmission of Mobile TV in the L-band (1400-1700 MHz).

CyberLink Extends Digital TV Expertise from PCs to Mobile Devices
April 17, 2006 - CyberLink Corp., a world leader in digital home solutions, today unveiled CyberLink DVB-H TV Solution for accessing broadcast TV content via mobile devices. The announcement reveals the extension of CyberLink's leading digital TV expertise for the PC, to include playback of video and TV entertainment via handheld devices such as PDAs and smartphones. CyberLink is demonstrating its latest solution at the Taipei International Digital Electronics Show, starting today.
In close cooperation with its mobile TV partners for content, network service, and hardware, CyberLink is leveraging its extensive experience with digital TV standards and technologies to provide a DVB-H software solution for receiving and processing digital video content. Users access and view the content through the CyberLink DVB-H TV Solution interface.

ViXS Systems Debuts Industry’s First Video Processors Featuring High-Definition Transcoding Capabilities
April 17, 2006 - ViXS Systems, the leading developer of video processing and networking chipsets, today unveiled its newest breed of video processors, now featuring support for high definition (HD) broadcast content. ViXS’ XCode 2121 and 2111 combine MPEG encoding, transcoding and transrating with world-compliant conditional access and content protection to support multiple digital rights management (DRM) schemes. By integrating ViXS’ new single-chip video processors, OEMs and ODMs will give their products the functionality and flexibility needed for today’s multimedia devices, while also maintaining the lowest possible integration cost.