| Windows CE-powered IP-STB nears "mass deployment" |
Oct. 17, 2006
 Interactive Television Networks (ITVN) is nearing "mass deployment" in the U.S. of a new Internet protocol set-top box (IP-STB) that runs Windows CE. ITVN's new IP-STB is based on NXP's STB810 reference design, and is the successor to a previous, Unix-based design, according to the company.
(Click for larger view of ITVN's new IP-STB)
According to ITVN, the new IP-STB offers "an unparalleled interactive IPTV experience for consumers to play back the thousands of unique and on-demand videos."
The new IP-STB is a customized version of NXP's STB810 IP-STB reference design, according to ITVN vice president Marshall Goldberg. ITVN's design utilizes NXP's PNX 8950 chip (also called "PNX 8550"), Goldberg said. NXP was formerly a division of Philips.
NXP says that the STB810 supports multiple video formats including SD H.264, MPEG4-ASP, WM9 up to 720p at 24fps, and MPEG-2 up to 1080i. In addition, the design provides "advanced" features such as video telephony, picture quality improvement, time-shift recording, DVD playback, storage and PVR (personal video recording) functions.
NXP STB810 reference design block diagram
The STB810 design incorporates NXP's Nexperia PNX855x Home Entertainment Engine, a multi-core system-on-chip (SoC) processor that includes a MIPS32 CPU core along with dual TriMedia media processing cores.
ITVN CEO Charles Prast added, "After reviewing all of our options, we determined that NXP offers the most reliable, interactive, future-proof solution, which is already in use in over two million TV sets worldwide."
"Our priority at ITVN is to increase our U.S. presence in the IPTV market through our Smarter TV offering and the only way to do that is to provide consumers with a feature-rich IP-STB. With the NXP IP-STB reference design, we can offer a truly superior device for better overall performance, more compatibility and upgrade options, and higher quality graphics," continued Prast.
NXP vice president Guus Frericks stated, "NXP is working with leaders like ITVN to provide consumers with a device that offers specialized video programming on demand and at a lower cost. The IP-STB will drive adoption of IPTV and provide a better consumer experience and a business model that is profitable for content owners and technology providers."
IPTV subscriber revenue is expected to top $27 billion within four years, according to Mark Kirstein, vice president Multimedia Content and Services for market researcer iSuppli, as cited by ITVN. "However, in order for the IPTV market to reach its full potential, consumers need devices that are easy-to-use and enable a smooth transition from traditional TV to IPTV," Kirstein stated. "NXP offers advanced technology solutions to providers of IP-STBs for a more personalized, seamless experience."
ITVN's next-generation, Windows CE-based IP-STB is expected to begin shipping in Q1 of 2007, Goldberg said.
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