NationalChip adds Eutelsat FTA EPG to set-top box chipset

Eutelsat and NationalChip Deliver Ground-Breaking Sat.tv Features on Popular Set-Top Box Chipset

PARIS — Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and silicon chip maker NationalChip are bringing an enhanced Free-To-Air satellite TV viewing experience to millions of homes around the world, thanks to the integration of the Sat.tv services in a chipset that is widely used in set-top boxes around the world.

Over 1000 Free-to-Air TV channels broadcast by Eutelsat are viewed by 120 million homes in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. And while the content offer has grown massively, it can be challenging both for broadcasters to target new audiences, and for viewers to find new content. To meet this demand, Eutelsat developed Sat.tv, an electronic program guide for Free-to-Air TV channels. The Sat.tv service delivers a uni-directional flow of information about free TV channels via satellite, to set-top boxes containing a Sat.tv-compatible chipset, giving users a more visual display of available content, including logos, channel line-ups and programme information.

To make this enhanced TV viewing experience available on some of the most cost-effective set-top boxes in the market, NationalChip has integrated the Sat.tv functional specifications defined by Eutelsat, into the GX6605S chip. With over 100 million units shipped worldwide, this is the most popular chipset used in set-top boxes in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Vincent Huang, CEO of NationalChip, commented, “As a market leader in the set-top box chipset industry, we believe that partnership and innovation are key to enhance the value proposition for our customers. Thanks to the innovative Sat.tv services launched by Eutelsat, GX6605S is the first mass market DVB-S2 HD STB chipset to support Sat.tv services and will provide a refreshed user experience for free-to-air satellite TV viewing.”

“Our goal with Sat.tv is to better connect our free-to-air broadcasters with their audiences” added Laurence Delpy, Eutelsat General Manager of the Video Business Unit. “When we make it easier for people to find their favorite channels and watch their favorite shows then they are likely to watch more Free-to-Air satellite television. An enhanced service is excellent news for users, broadcasters and the market as a whole.”

Eutelsat will be demonstrating the wide range of new mass market Sat.tv enabled satellite receivers at the IBC Show in Amsterdam, 15-18 September, on stand 1.D59.