Pace paving the way forward for HD in Europe
ANGA Cable 2005 Cologne, hall 14.2, stand C7, 31 May 2005: Pace Micro Technology (pic.l), the leading dedicated innovator of technology solutions for the payTV industry, has today launched the first ever high definition (HD) MPEG-4 set-top box, the DS810.
Designed for the European market, the DS810 is the 'missing link' required by the broadcasting industry to exploit the opportunities available from HD services.
The DS810 is the first set-top box to make use of the latest Broadcom silicon, which has been developed to decode MPEG-4 AVC/H.264. This, together with the DS810's utilisation of DVB-S2, which offers a 30% improvement in bandwidth efficiency, will enable broadcasters to offer more HD channels, with better performance, than anywhere else on the planet.
As a multiformat HD decoder, the DS810 also allows the viewer to watch both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 HD programmes, as well as the existing standard definition (SD) programmes, at the best possible quality.
David Gillies, Director of Technology at Pace commented: "The marketplace has been getting ready to capitalise on HD over the past few years, from developing HD-Ready displays to generating HD content. This, together with the advances the HD-forum has made to establish suitable standards, has meant that the industry is now almost ready to deploy HD services. The missing link has been an HD set-top box that can transform HD readiness into reality.
The DS810 is premiering at ANGA Cable on the Pace stand (C7).
David continued: "The DS810 marks the beginning of a new family of products to be launched by Pace over the coming year, which is expected to include entry-level set-top boxes and the latest in PVR technology."
DS810 Technical information
The DS810 is packed with support for the leading edge digital TV standards and content protection including MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, DVB-S2, Dolby Digital Plus, AAC HE, DiSEqC 2.0, HDMI with HDCP, 3DES, AES and USB 2.0.
The superior performance of the DS810 is based on a 300MHz core CPU that delivers in excess of 420 DMPIS.
The DS810 comes with an integrated conditional access system and integrated common interface for most DVB common descrambling systems. Other features include digital content protection (HDCP) for securely passing digital signals to the display, favourite channel listing, multilingual on-screen menus, a quick and extensive EPG with a preview for up to eight days (subject to service), DVB subtitles and parental control.
It comes with an auto set-up feature and HDMI connectivity, so that it can be easily configured to both SD and HD displays.
The DS810 will initially be available with a Pace User Interface and electronic programme guide (EPG) together with a hidden front panel smart card reader and a common interface (CI) slot to ensure that a wide range of user requirements can be catered for.
The software is upgradeable to support other popular middleware options.
David Gillies concluded: "The DS810 builds on our position as one of the high definition pioneers in the USA, the world's leading HD market. Our first generation US HD box was the most advanced cable set-top box in its class and set the standard for HD set-top boxes across the US. With the DS810, and the ensuing family of products, we hope to continue with our success in this arena as HD services become widely deployed across Europe."
About Pace Micro Technology plc
Pace is a member of HD Forum, the association for the promotion and standardisation of HD.
Pace Micro Technology plc (LSE: PIC) is a leader in digital television technology. The Company's primary focus is the development of innovative set-top box solutions for operators, broadcasters, telecommunications companies and retail markets worldwide.
Pace's head office is in Shipley West Yorkshire, with further offices in the USA, Hong Kong, Germany and France.