ViXS and Wyplay announce Ultra HD 4K and HEVC-Main 10 media gateway solution

ViXS and Wyplay Announce Industry’s First Media Gateway Solution with Full Support for Ultra HD 4K and HEVC-Main 10

LAS VEGAS — CES 2014 — ViXS Systems Inc. (TSX: VXS) and Wyplay ushered in the next chapter of their partnership with today’s announced availability of the home media gateway market’s first solution to support Ultra HD 4K content and advanced HEVC 10-bit media processing, which boasts a 50% reduction in bandwidth consumption. Central to this new architecture is Frog, Wyplay’s true open platform system middleware.

Using ViXS’ XCode 6400, which is sampling today and in production in Q1 2014, telco and satellite operators can rapidly deploy Ultra HD 4K content to increase the value of their offering and give their subscribers an unprecedented viewing experience. Moreover, the XCode 6400 enables operators to reduce operating costs by taking advantage of the 50% bandwidth savings found with High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC).

ViXS is the first video system on a chip (SoC) provider to market with 10-bit HEVC media processing, resulting in noticeably smoother color transitions and bringing more than 1 billion colors to life in Ultra HD 4K. Looking forward, the high-performance transcoding capability of the XCode 6400 provides support for legacy non-HEVC devices already in the home, giving operators increased options for managing the transition to new services using Ultra HD 4K. Combined with Frog by Wyplay’s robust middleware, this is a comprehensive and versatile media gateway platform for service providers that enables the launch of exciting new content and services, reduces operating costs, and protects legacy equipment in the home.

Frog by Wyplay is an initiative aiming to free all actors in the TV ecosystem from being locked into proprietary solutions. It is the first independent source software solution for pay-for-TV operators. Thanks to Frog by Wyplay, the full source code of Wyplay’s innovative and flexible set-top box middleware and backend add-ons — already being deployed to more than 10 million subscribers at Canal+, Belgacom, SFR, and Vodafone — will be accessible free of charge for evaluation and development purposes.

“ViXS is delighted to be demonstrating the XCode 6400 SoC integrated with Wyplay’s media framework at CES 2014,” said David Jones, VP Marketing, ViXS Systems Inc. “Working with Wyplay highlights how ViXS is driving the future of the home media gateway market by providing service operators a full software and hardware gateway solution that will usher in the next era of content and services.”

The Frog By Wyplay platform architecture can be customized to have a unique look and feel for specific operator requirements. Utilizing the latest open software techniques such as HTML-5, widgets and more, the software can leverage legacy set-top box architecture as well as run on newer platforms. Combined with ViXS’ new XCode 6400 chip, this solution now offers service providers a clear path for future deployment, while protecting legacy support.

“The emerging gateway market is an exciting space for Wyplay and a great match for our solutions,” said Wyplay CEO Jacques Bourgninaud. “We are pleased to continue partnering with ViXS on their media software ecosystem and to play a key role in helping the industry transition to Ultra HD 4K in 2014.”