Motorola VIP Set-Tops Selected by USEN CORPORATION to Expand Popular Internet Content Service in Japan

Thursday, February 1st, 2007
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Leading Japanese Internet Service Provider leverages Motorola IPTV platform flexibility to stream content to TV sets.

TOKYO — Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that USEN CORPORATION, a leading Japanese internet service provider, has selected the Motorola VIP series IPTV set-top platform to allow subscribers to it’s PC-based internet content delivery service to view offerings on TV sets.

The new device named “GyaO Plus”, a TV connected PC that will enable the current “GyaO”, a free of charge video streaming service provided in Japan, to be viewed on subscribers’ TV sets. To deploy the new service, USEN will deploy the Motorola VIP1200 set-tops operating with the Microsoft Windows CE® operating system. As a standards-based, open-architecture platform, the Motorola VIP series set-tops can be integrated with a variety of middleware and operating environments – enabling service providers such as USEN to offer solutions that best serve the needs of the local market. The robust Motorola IPTV platform brings high-definition TV (HDTV), video-on-demand (VOD), digital video recording (DVR), multi-room streaming, and other connected home applications into subscribers’ homes.

“With broad experience in facilitating advanced IP video solutions worldwide, Motorola was the natural choice for this deployment,” noted Yasuhide Uno, President, USEN CORPORATION. “The readiness, flexibility, and quality of the Motorola platform will enable us to quickly roll out this new service to our expanding subscriber base throughout Japan”.

“Motorola is pleased to have the opportunity to work with USEN as service providers continue to discover new ways to take advantage of IP delivered entertainment services”, said Doug Means, Motorola corporate vice president and general manager, Connected Home Solutions. “The Motorola VIP series set-tops have proven to be an excellent platform for rapidly developing new applications and reliably deploying new, advanced consumer solutions”, added Means.

About the Motorola VIP Set-top Platform

The Motorola VIP series of IP-based set-tops gives service providers an advanced and flexible platform for delivering next-generation video content and services. Designed to meet operators’ evolving business needs and consumers’ desire for television choice, these set-tops leverage Motorola’s decades of experience in video delivery and the company’s proven expertise in emerging standards and new network architectures. The Motorola VIP series supports Standard MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, SMPTE VC1, and MPEG-2 video codecs, digital rights management (DRM) solutions, and a variety of middleware platforms.

The Motorola VIP1200 is a compact, superior IP set-top that also supports high-definition (HD) and standard-definition (SD) high-quality digital video. Its two-way IP capability allows it to be used in multiple applications, including Multicast TV and VoD, and can support multiple middleware software solutions. The VIP1200 includes a high-end microprocessor and enhanced graphics to decode HD and SD digital TV, as well as output high-quality surround sound audio.