Rupert Buys Zenith Set Tops for Latin America. The Sky Systems are big. They are looking for advanced boxes...............................
biz.yahoo.com
Monday September 8 11:18 AM EDT
Company Press Release
Source: Zenith Electronics Corporation
Zenith to Supply Advanced Digital Terminals for Sky Latin America Direct Broadcast Satellite System
GLENVIEW, Ill., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Zenith Electronics Corporation (NYSE:ZE) has been selected to supply digital set-top boxes for Sky Latin America, marking Zenith's entry into the digital direct broadcast satellite (DBS) market.
Under the agreement with Sky Latin America, a strategic alliance that includes News Corp., Zenith will design, manufacture and distribute digital set-top Integrated Receiver Decoders (IRDs) beginning early in 1998, the companies said today. Terms were not disclosed.
The IRDs for the DBS service are based on the advanced system architecture developed by NDS Ltd., a subsidiary of News Corp. Zenith plans to distribute boxes through Latin American consumer electronics retailers -- initially in Mexico and Brazil, with plans to expand with Sky Latin America throughout the region.
``This agreement enhances Zenith's leadership position in digital technology,'' said William G. Luehrs, president, Zenith Network Systems division. ``The Sky Latin America agreement represents important firsts for Zenith; our first entry in the digital DBS market and our first digital set- top box available through retail channels.''
Sky Latin America Senior Vice President and General Manager Mark Goldman said, ``It is the goal of Sky Latin America to bring high-quality, affordable programming to millions of viewers across Latin America. We are very pleased to work with Zenith, for its combination of technical expertise and marketing strength.''
The Zenith/NDS system is an advanced DBS system, which uses industry- standard MPEG-2 (Moving Pictures Experts Group) and DVB (Digital Video Broadcast) architectures in direct-to-home DBS applications. The IRD incorporates MPEG-2 Main Profile Main Level video, QPSK (quadrature phase shift key) demodulation, and digital audio with sampling rates up to 48 kilohertz.
Zenith will take advantage of its state-of-the-art analog and digital set- top manufacturing plant in Chihuahua, Mexico, for the supply of the Sky Latin America production, Luehrs said.
Initially, Sky Latin America programming services will be provided by two sources: in Mexico, Innova, S. de R.L. (a partnership of News Corp., Mexico City-based Televisa, and Tele-Communications International Inc.) and in Brazil, NetSat Servicos, Ltda. (a partnership of News Corp., Rio de Janiero, Brazil-based Organizacoes Globo, and Tele-Communications International Inc.).
Zenith Electronics Corporation is one of the largest television manufacturers in North America. Based in Glenview, Ill., the company is also a major supplier of systems for the cable TV and telecommunications industries, and is a primary developer of the U.S. standard for high- definition television (HDTV).
Sky Latin America is the brand name for the direct-to-home (DTH) service offered by the strategic alliance formed by Organizacoes Globo, Brazil's leading entertainment group; Mexico's Grupo Televisa, S.A., the largest production and media company in the Spanish-speaking world; The News Corporation, Ltd., one of the world's largest media companies; and Tele- Communications International Inc., one of the world's leading telecommunications companies. The alliance will provide a 24-hour DTH digital television service to Latin America and the Caribbean Basin, broadcasting hundreds of digital television channels with crystal-clear pictures and CD- quality sound to its subscribers. Sky officially launched in Brazil in October 1996, and in Mexico in December 1996.
SOURCE: Zenith Electronics Corporation |
