TWC, Cisco partner on HDTV educational site
By Traci Patterson
Time Warner Cable and Cisco have launched TWC’s “HD Clear & Simple” Web site, which provides information to consumers about setting up HDTV service.
“While many consumers are interested in HDTV, research shows many still don’t understand that to receive true HD programming, there are actually three steps: get the HD television; sign up for the HD service, which they can get with an HD digital cable box; and then tune in to the HD channel tier,” said Sam Howe, EVP and CMO at TWC.
According to In-Stat, U.S. consumers have exhibited a reduced interest in HDTVs this year. The research, “Global Digital TV Market – LCD TVs Continue to Lead the Way,” found that respondents most interested in HDTVs fell from 17 percent in 2006 to 13 percent in 2007, and those least interested increased 12 percentage points, to 65 percent in 2007.
C-COR’s shares slide after earnings report
By Mike Robuck
C-COR announced its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2007 results today, which caused its shares to slide during late morning trading.
C-COR’s stock closed at 14.14 a share yesterday, but was trading at 11.17 late this morning. C-COR, which makes hardware and software products for cable operators, said it expects sales of as much as $74 million in the fiscal first quarter, which is short of the average estimate of $78.2 million by analysts.
C-COR’s net sales from continuing operations for the fourth quarter were $74.4 million compared to $59.6 million in the same period last year and $73 million last quarter. Net sales from continuing operations for the entire fiscal year 2007 were $277.3 million compared to $213.9 million in fiscal year 2006.
Income from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2007 was $8.2 million, compared to $9.9 million for the same period last year. Included in income from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2006 were a $9.7 million gain on the sale of trade claims in the bankruptcy cases of Adelphia and its affiliates and a $1.2 million gain on a litigation judgment.
C-COR completed the sale of its Outside Plant and Installation Services business during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2007, and will begin reporting the results of operations and the sale of that business as a discontinued operation.
TiVo’s lower-priced HD DVR hits retail stores
By Mike Robuck
TiVo’s lower end HD DVR made its debut in retail outlets on Wednesday.
The $299 TiVo HD DVR was announced last month and it sports some of the same features that are found in TiVo’s high-end $799 Series3 DVR. The new HD DVRs are available at retail outlets such as Best Buy and Circuit City.
TiVo said the new HD DVRs are hitting the retail shelves as many consumers are looking to migrate their television setups to high-definition.
“Considering all of the human qualities TiVo embodies, it’s no wonder people have talked about TiVo as a family member or close friend ever since its initial introduction,” said Clent Richardson, chief marketing officer at TiVo, in a statement. “Today, we are proud to introduce another member of the TiVo family, TiVo HD, with all of the qualities that make it the perfect companion for HDTVs, allowing consumers to maximize their high-definition television and entertainment experience.”
Last month TiVo announced an initiative designed to help cable operators resolve problems with installing HD DVRs, including CableCARD-enabled DVRs. In June, Comcast gave its stamp of approval for TiVo’s software to run on its DVR platform.
Broadband Briefs for 8/23/07
* Broadband continues to flourish in United Kingdom
Associated Press
The demise of Internet dial-up has come a step closer as more people in the United Kingdom choose broadband, figures out today showed.
Competitive prices and widespread availability have made broadband increasingly popular, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) report said.
Dial-up accounted for just 13.9 percent of all connections in June – down from 16.4 percent in March this year and 67.3 percent in June 2004.
Nearly half (47 percent) of all Internet users in the U.K. now have connection speeds of at least 2 Mbps, according to the ONS index of Internet connectivity.
“The market share of broadband connections has been increasing since the index began in 2001, reflecting its growing popularity, widespread availability and competitive connection packages offered by Internet service providers,” the ONS report said.
Phone company T-Mobile said the official figures did not take account of some 500,000 people who accessed the Internet via their mobiles.
* Scopus Networks increases presence in Romania
By CED staff
Scopus Networks said today that Digital Cable System (DCS), the third-largest cable and DTH operator in Romania, selected Scopus’ digital broadcast platforms for an expansion of its direct-to-home service (MAX TV).
Under terms of the deal, Scopus is deploying a fourth transponder system in DCS’ Bucharest headends. DCS’ new system is composed of IVG-7100 Intelligent Video Gateway platforms, IRD-2900 Integrated Receiver Decoders, statistically multiplexed encoder systems, and Network Management System software. The ASI/IP-based IVG platforms provide advanced video processing capabilities including Joint Transrating, grooming, and bit-rate shaping for better bandwidth utilization.
* CodecSys receives U.S. patent
By Traci Patterson
Broadcast International’s CodecSys video compression technology has secured a patent in the United States. This is the company’s seventh international patent for the technology. CodecSys is based on artificial intelligence technology that reduces video bandwidth requirements for satellite, cable, IP and wireless media.
CodecSys will enable 12 HDTV channels to be broadcast over the same platform that can currently only support two, the company said, allowing for bandwidth-intensive video apps such as real-time video chat and live streaming video to mobile phones.
* Eagle Broadband sells more HD set-top boxes
By CED staff
Eagle Broadband, a provider of IPTV products and services, announced today that its leading hospitality customer has placed orders for 1,100 more MediaPro IP3000HD set-top boxes. This most recent sale will mark 3,500 units of Eagle’s IPVideo set-top boxes sold to this same major hospitality customer, of which more than 2,000 units have been ordered within the past three weeks.
The MediaPro IP3000HD delivers streaming video quality for both NTSC and PAL broadcast standards. It uses a system-on-chip architecture including an integrated graphics accelerator and dedicated multimedia engines executing in parallel to deliver 2D, 3D graphics, and video capabilities with motion compensation for video playback.
