Ericsson Empowers New TV Experiences at IP&TV World Forum

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN — At IP&TV World Forum 2011 (London, March 22(nd)-24(th)), Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) will demonstrate its end-to-end television solutions – from content management, packaging and delivery to the ultimate user experience on the consumer’s screen of choice. The event will see Ericsson focus on the new world of entertainment and multimedia – a world filled with more content, more screens and more services and how these opportunities can be efficiently and reliably delivered by operators to the consumer.

“We are seeing the multiscreen market opportunity quickly expanding thanks to the introduction of second screen devices which enable the consumer to enjoy high quality content wherever they go,” said Giles Wilson, Head of Technology, Ericsson Solution Area TV. “At Ericsson we are leading the development of multiscreen TV solutions that enable operators to deliver the ‘anytime, anywhere’ experience consumers are looking for, while generating revenues and increasing profits.”

Visitors to Ericsson’s IP&TV World Forum stand (119) can learn how exciting new developments within the company’s range of solutions for IPTV, Hybrid and the Connected World are addressing the latest trends and viewer demands with:

Content Management and Packaging

Ericsson will be demonstrating an end-to-end content acquisition and distribution solution utilizing a combination of products including Xport® Time-Shifted Television (TSTV) and WatchPoint® Content Management System (CMS). The Xport TSTV is uniquely designed to support any time-shifted business model via end-to-end management of rights, recording and viewing of content bound for any screen. The WatchPoint CMS provides centralized management of any metadata format, content type and any workflow process, providing the infrastructure for an efficient multi-screen strategy and accelerating VOD business across multiple platforms.

Content Delivery

Ericsson Consumer Lab studies show that picture quality is one of the most critical factors demanded by consumers. From venue to viewer, the company’s contribution, distribution and direct-to-home video processing solutions are best in class and enable over 2000 broadcasters and operators to manage bandwidth and deliver the best picture quality. Ericsson’s award winning video compression engineering team is focused on enabling the optimum video quality at the lowest possible bit-rates. This also frees up bandwidth for new and premium video services, driving new revenue models and enabling a richer consumer experience.

Solutions for HD and SD will be on display, enabled by the recently announced Video Processor Chassis (VPC) and its key encode or transcode modules, as well as a new high density, multi-functional, video processing platform. The highest performance HD compression of any vendor will be shown for IPTV, where HD bandwidths and picture quality are the most critical enablers to customer satisfaction and increased revenues.

Ericsson will also showcase its MDN (Media Distribution Network) – a complete solution for the delivery of video over IP which combines a content distribution network (CDN) with Ericsson’s broader TV portfolio to deliver a media centric solution to the growing amount of video on the internet.

To enhance the video quality to all the Mobile screens such as Smart phones, Tablets and PCs, Ericsson will showcase the market leading converged end- to-end policy control to make the network aware of service, user and end-device.

User Experience

Ericsson will show how its suite of products and solutions are enabling the next generation television experience. Demonstrations will include solutions that provide a consistent experience across different platforms. Ericsson’s commercial multiscreen TV offering (shortlisted for Best Multiscreen TV Service in the IP&TV World Series Awards) will be on show in London, which combines the full features of IPTV, Mobile TV, and WebTV with a common look and feel of the user interface. The solution is customizable to the operator’s exact needs and reduces operational expenditure, which in turn keeps costs down for the end user.

Also on display will be the Ericsson IPTV Remote. The IPTV Remote is designed to enable consumers with a single interface to control live broadcast TV, on- demand video, Internet video, photos, audio and any media stored on a personal computer or device with storage capabilities. The IPTV Remote includes a touchscreen so that the consumer can intuitively browse different sources of media, as well as preview and organize playlists.

IP&TV World Forum attendees can hear from a number of Ericsson speakers during the conference programme.