Sony's PerfecTV boxes use C-Cube's decoder. Now that they have merged with JSkyB, Cube may be in the new box.............................
Thursday February 26 10:36 AM EST
Sony To Sell Set-top Box To Receive JSkyB, PerfecTV
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sony said today it will sell a set-top box to view Japanese satellite TV broadcasting programs from both Japan Sky Broadcasting (JSkyB) and PerfecTV.
Sony said it would begin marketing on April 10 a set-top box and antenna set for $520, with an initial monthly output target of 18,000 units.
A Sony spokesman said this will be the first unit that can be used to receive signals from both satellite broadcasting entities. Viewers will be able to select either broadcaster's programs by pushing a button on a remote-control device.
Earlier this month, JSkyB and PerfecTV announced they will merge on an equal footing in early April to create the nation's largest digital satellite broadcasting platform.
JSkyB was expected to offer 100 to 150 channels of TV broadcasting from April. PerfecTV, which began operating in 1996, now offers 97 TV channels.
Sony is one of four major shareholders in JSkyB, along with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, Fuji Television Network and Softbank. PerfecTV is owned by trading houses, including Itochu, as well as by Sony.
The alliance was expected to deal a severe blow to competitor DirecTV Japan, which launched a 63-channel service on December 1. DirecTV Japan's main shareholders are DirecTV International, a division of Hughes Electronics of the United States and Japanese video rental chain Culture Convenience Club. |
