Onda Unveils the World's First Combined DVB-H/HSDPA Product for Notebooks for Italy's TIM, Jointly Developed With Siano and CyberLink

Onda, Siano and CyberLink Jointly Developed the DT501HS — A PC Card for Mobile TV and Data Communication Applications

VENICE, Italy — ONDA Communication Spa., a leading communications device manufacturer for the mobile phone and PC markets, today unveiled the world’s first Mobile Digital TV (MDTV) PC card that supports both DVB-H and HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) modems for the PC and notebook markets.

The DVB-H/HSDPA PC card is initially marketed by TIM, for its DVB-H and data communication networks. The pioneering card was co-developed with Siano Mobile Silicon, a leading supplier of semiconductor solutions for MDTV, and CyberLink, a world leader in digital entertainment and multimedia software solutions.

Telecom Italia executives unveiled the state-of-the-art DVB-H/HSDPA PC card, labelled DT501HS, at their quarterly conference in Berlin, on October 20, 2007. The introduction of the new TV/modem card will provide end users with on-the-go access to a wide range of high-quality multimedia and data communication applications, like movies, music and sports. The DT501HS sales will start in TIM’s stores in Italy next month.

The innovative product, interfacing the notebook via USB 2.0 High Speed includes a SIM card of the operator (TIM) and a secured conditional access mechanism by NagraVision.

“We regard this product as being a clear natural extension to our existing DVB-H and HSDPA mobile products,” said Onda President Michelanglo Agrusti. “Italy was the first European country to commercially deploy DVB-H, and the coverage here is nation-wide. This new product now allows consumers to use their PC’s and notebooks as the centre of their multimedia and data communication applications, and enjoy both TV and interactive services at the same time. On a notebook, the end user can not only receive the content, but also store it, edit, forward, etc., which basically means getting a broader value from the DVB-H subscription fee.”

Unlike other DVB-H products in the market, the slim DT501HS does not have an external antenna that sticks out. Instead, it uses Siano’s innovative tiny antenna chip, the SMS8021 (co-developed with Vishay), which is mounted on the internal PCB and exhibits high performance gain over the entire UHF spectrum. DVB-H reception is done by Siano’s single chip receiver, the SMS1010, which allows high speed mobility, smooth handovers, and reception sufficiently sensitive to allow deep indoor usage.

“By offering this product, TIM is smartly expanding the mass-market adoption of DVB-H beyond the rate dictated by users who buy new DVB-H enabled mobile phones,” said Alon Ironi, CEO of Siano. “This gives a new dimension to the potential revenues that operators can make from DVB-H. The same DVB-H network that serves mobile phones can address users of notebooks or even home desktop PCs – this is a growth multiplier. The combination of DVB-H with an advanced 3G modem makes a comprehensive user experience of wireless multimedia services,” added Ironi.

The DT501HS is complemented by an attractive, easy-to-use application on the PC side, provided by CyberLink. In conjunction with the Siano receiver, CyberLink’s software supports such advanced features as live picture-in-picture mode and an audio-visual TV program guide.

“CyberLink is pleased to collaborate with Siano, ONDA, and Telecom Italia Mobile to provide our DVB-H TV solution for notebook users,” said Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink. “With CyberLink PowerCinema supporting SIM-based Conditional Access (CA) and featuring a broad range of TV functions, TIM’s DVB-H/HSDPA PC card users can experience the rich features and quality of subscription-based premium TV content on-the-go, as well as simultaneous dual-channel viewing, and program guide search.”