Settop Boxes in Korea...................................
japanbiztech.com
Sam Woo, Others Create Digital Network Interface
<Picture>June 3, 1997 (Seoul) -- Sam Woo Telecommunications Co., Ltd. and nine partners have developed a digital network interface that supports telephone, cable TV, video-on-demand and high-speed Internet multimedia services.
The new interface, developed with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and eight U.S. companies, will be part of a set-top box connecting subscribers in Korea to a network combining a fiber-optic backbone and regular telephone lines to homes.
Korea Telecom has been running a multimedia service trial called SWAN-II in metropolitan Seoul, but so far it has supported only digital TV.
The digital network interface will allow 52Mbps broadband service to subscribers with digital set-top boxes. The interface uses the MPEG-2 standard to transmit moving pictures.
Sam Woo said the system will have added benefits such as saving subscribers 50 percent on call rates annually compared to the existing narrow-band system. The system also allows for faster Internet connections of 10Mbps compared with 33.6Kbps over traditional phone lines.
The digital set-top box will be priced at around 600,000 won (US$674), Sam Woo said. The company plans to begin producing the set-top box in July 1997. It anticipates large demand from educators offering "cyber tutoring" in Korea.
(Maeil Business Newspaper, Korea)
Maeil Business Newspaper, Korea - 06/03/97 |
