C-Cube chips in a Pace box!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-NTL: NTL unveils 'best of breed' digital cable partners
Presswire - October 22, 1998 13:59
M2 PRESSWIRE-22 October 1998-NTL: NTL unveils 'best of breed' digital cable partners (C)1994-98 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
NTL has revealed more details of its plans for digital cable TV, providing consumers with a 'best-of-breed' route to the most important development in home entertainment since colour television. In addition, NTL has also announced what is believed to be a world first - the successful implementation of a two-way DVB/DAVIC modem over a live cable network.
NTL has assembled the most technologically advanced digital TV system available, having searched world-wide to find the best partners available in each discipline. Partners announced today include Pace Micro Technology, manufacturer of NTL's first digital cable set-top-boxes; C-Cube, supplier of silicon chips for the set-top boxes; DiviCom, supplier of video compression and multiplexing equipment; Nagravision, which will provide the conditional access system; Lysis, whose DTV Solution will integrate the business functions (content acquisition, service packaging, playout, etc.) necessary to deliver a comprehensive digital broadcasting service; and Compaq Computer, manufacturer of the video servers for near-video- on-demand.
"We've spent many months pulling all the elements of this package together and believe that we are now in a position to offer the best service possible, backed by the most advanced technologies available today," says Jeremy Thorp, NTL's group managing director of digital services. "These key partners - along with those we've previously announced - reaffirm our commitment to bring the best, not necessarily the first, digital TV service to market.
"Indeed, the partnerships we've assembled are already bearing fruit. For example, as part of our stringent acceptance and integration process, NTL and DiviCom have already achieved a world first, by successfully running a two-way trial of a DVB/DAVIC return-channel over a live cable network."
These latest technology partners are complemented by those announced recently by NTL Interactive, including Microsoft, for interactive service 'hosting' software; PowerTV supplier of HTML and JavaScript software for the digital cable set-top boxes; and ICL, the overall systems integrator for interactive elements.
The UK backbone for this advanced digital cable service will be NTL's own national Digital TeleNetwork, the country's newest broadband fibre-optic network.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
NTL is the UK's leading integrated communications company, offering alternative telecommunications solutions, broadcast and transmission services. NTL is listed on NASDAQ and EASDAQ and has its head office in Farnborough. Capabilities include NTL's Digital TeleNetwork, the only national fibre-optic network in the UK with the high capacity necessary to deliver multiple services to business and residential customers, including telecommunications, Internet services, mobile radio communications, international satellite links and visual communications. NTL provides transmission and broadcast services for the whole of ITV, Channel 4, S4C, Channel 5 and most UK independent radio stations. The NTL group operates the UK's most successful cable telephony and television company under the NTL CableTel brand from six regional businesses passing more than 2.2 million households and over 140,000 business customers. NTL is at the forefront of digital broadcast and telecommunications development, ensuring NTL business and consumer customers will be amongst the first to benefit from digital technology.
CONTACT: Bruce Randall/Will Robson, NTL Tel: +44 (0)1962 822582 WWW: ntl.com Lee Nugent, Nelson Bostock Communications Tel: +44 (0)171 229 4400
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