Samsung and Sigma Launch Second Generation Support for Microsoft® Mediaroom™

Thursday, September 10th, 2009
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First Set-Top Boxes Based on Sigma’s SMP8654 Will Be Delivered by Samsung

MILPITAS, Calif. & AMSTERDAM — Samsung Electronics (Seoul: 005930) and Sigma Designs (Nasdaq: SIGM), a leader in digital media processing SoCs for consumer electronics, today jointly announced that Samsung will be delivering the SMT-E7200 line of set-top box products, based around Sigma’s SMP8654 media processor system-on-chip (SoC), and supporting Microsoft’s Mediaroom client.

The new SMT-E7200 from Samsung ushers in a new generation of IPTV set-top boxes which provide a substantial improvement in performance and cost-effectiveness. These set-top boxes are initially targeted for deployment in Europe and are currently being integrated to run the Microsoft Mediaroom client.

“Samsung’s top goal is to ensure satisfied telco operators by providing the highest quality and performance available in a Mediaroom set-top box,” said Mr. Hee-Won Park, vice president of digital set-top box R&D, Samsung Electronics. “Microsoft has established a unique level of quality and service with its Mediaroom IPTV platform, as their top tier telco customer base indicates. By using Sigma’s SMP8654 SoC, our SMT-E7200 set-top box delivers an outstanding high definition user experience along with the dependability of the number one component supplier to this market.”

Sigma’s SMP8654 builds on the successful legacy of its predecessor, the SMP8634. With over 50% more processing power, lower cost, and an enhanced set of peripherals, the SMP8654 represents a “second-generation” SoC for the Mediaroom ecosystem.

“We are proud of the success we have achieved with Microsoft and are excited to be working together with Samsung, one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of consumer products and solutions,” said Ken Lowe, vice president of strategic marketing, Sigma Designs. “We believe that Samsung has the business and technical strengths to become a substantial force in the set-top box market and will enhance the range of solutions available for the Mediaroom ecosystem.”

Microsoft’s Mediaroom platform has achieved unparalleled success in establishing the premier solution for IPTV deployments of all sizes. Mediaroom is the world’s most deployed IPTV platform, with a global customer base delivering services to more than 3.5 million subscriber households. The ongoing subscriber momentum for Mediaroom-powered services demonstrates a growing demand from consumers for new ways to watch TV beyond what traditional cable and satellite providers offer today. As this demand increases, Microsoft continues to bring new life to its vision for connected TV by unlocking additional avenues for consumers to experience TV on their own terms.

“We believe that a continually growing ecosystem reinforces quality of service for Microsoft Mediaroom-powered offerings by providing service provider customers and set-top box OEMs additional choices in SoCs,” said Steve Koepp, Sr. Manager, Business Development of Microsoft’s TV, Video & Music business.