SÃO PAULO, Brazil, Aug. 5, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ABTA 2014 -- Supporting the global Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) Outdoor Unit (ODU) market, Entropic (Nasdaq:ENTR), a world leader in semiconductor solutions for the connected home and Prime Electronics & Satellitics Inc., a leading manufacturer of advanced digital satellite communication and wireless consumer electronic products, today announced the availability of a single-chip, three-tuner analog Channel Stacking Switch (CSS) Low Noise Block (LNB) converter that can triple the distribution of satellite signals from a satellite receiver to gain access to more DBS content in the home. The latest product will be on display in Entropic's booth (D4) and Prime's booth (M2) at the ABTA 2014 Expo & Conference in São Paulo, Brazil, from August 5-7, 2014.
Prime's first single-chip, three-tuner analog CSS LNB was announced in January 2014, and in less than nine months, Prime and Entropic unveil today an LNB that leverages Entropic's leading analog CSS technology, the RF5218, with Triple Single Cable Router (SCR) capabilities. This powerful combination allows Prime's LNB to seamlessly distribute satellite signals for three receivers when in Triple SCR mode. By enabling Triple SCR mode in Prime's latest LNB, Entropic's technology enables DBS operators to simplify the deployment and lower the total cost of satellite service installation.
Specifically, Prime's new LNB allows DBS operators to support more satellite entertainment and services off a single-cable run, which is necessary when operators deploy High Definition (HD) entertainment to a personal/digital video recorder (PVR/DVR) at the primary TV viewing location in the home and to additional low-cost HD zapper/client set-top devices in a second, third or fourth room. By using Prime's Triple SCR LNB, operators gain immediate value when supporting multi-room zapper/client devices with a seamless plug and play upgrade path to a PVR/DVR install. Further, the new LNB simplifies system upgrades and new installations, and offers new revenue-generating services beyond HD PVR/DVR and multi-room viewing, such as whole-home connectivity with MoCA® (Multimedia over Coax Alliance) technology – all at a lower total system cost.
"We believe analog CSS will remain the dominant single-cable market solution for satellite outdoor unit products outside of North America for the next several years," said Vincent Hung, vice president of Marketing and Sales, Prime Electronics & Satellitics Inc. "Operators in emerging markets do not have a need for 24 or 32 tuners in a single family dwelling and therefore will continue to deploy LNB and Multi-switch products that leverage single-chip CSS solutions with Triple SCR capabilities to keep total system cost and power down."
The single-chip LNB is powered by Entropic's highly-integrated RF5218 CSS integrated circuit (IC), and offers a flexible input configuration and three-tuner support in a cost-optimized package with minimal power consumption.
"In working with Prime on the initial first single-chip, three-tuner LNB, powered by Entropic's RF5218, we saw how operators leveraged our cost-optimized CSS single-wire architecture to get HD service, multi-room entertainment and home networking to more tuners in the home," said Al Servati, vice president, Marketing, Entropic. "With the new single-chip, three-tuner LNB with Triple SCR mode, we believe the solution will have even greater impact for DBS operators in emerging markets as they look to support more tuners, including HD PVR/DVRs and HD zapper/client devices via a single-cable feed in the lowest cost single-cable solution available to the global market today."
CSS and Home Networking Co-Existence
By networking PVRs via a single-cable infrastructure, DBS operators can deploy whole-home PVR applications using MoCA. Operators can offer more entertainment services on the single-wire network, by combining Entropic's CSS technology with its MoCA-based home networking silicon, which enables the most reliable streaming of multiple HD video, audio and data traffic throughout the home. By combining CSS with MoCA, DBS operators gain a significant competitive customer service advantage in their ability to offer new services while reducing the capital costs associated with new subscriber installations and existing customer upgrades. Further, combining CSS and MoCA technologies provides a flexible way to allocate traffic on the subscriber's coax wiring; future-proofing potential bandwidth expansion needs required for capacity-heavy home networks
Product Availability
Prime's single-chip, three-tuner analog CSS LNB with Triple SCR mode will be on display at ABTA 2014 in Entropic's booth (D4) and Prime's booth (M2) in São Paulo, Brazil, from August 5-7, 2014. For more information on how CSS technology works, watch the video here, or see Entropic's CSS infographic.
About Prime Electronics and Satellitics Inc.
Prime Electronics and Satellitics Inc. (TWSE:6152) is one of the reputed manufacturers specialized in developing and manufacturing advanced digital satellite communication and wireless consumer electronics. Prime was founded in 1995. With the consistency of high quality and reliability products, Prime was certified with ISO 9001:2000(E) and CE marks. Prime provides superior performance products, as well as the flexibility to meet customers' OEM / ODM needs. Major products covers LNBs (Low Noise Block-converters), MS (multi-switches), satellite accessories and IRD (Set-Top Boxes) for worldwide satellite TV, CATV, and Internet markets. For more information, please visit Prime at www.PESI.com.tw.
About Entropic
Entropic™ (Nasdaq:ENTR) is a world leader in semiconductor solutions for the connected home. The Company transforms how traditional HDTV broadcast and IP-based streaming video content is seamlessly, reliably, and securely delivered, processed, and distributed into and throughout the home. Entropic's next-generation Set-top Box (STB) System-on-a-Chip (SoC) and Connectivity solutions enable Pay-TV operators to offer consumers more captivating whole-home entertainment experiences by transforming the way digital entertainment is delivered, connected and consumed – in the home and on the go. For more information, please visit Entropic at: www.entropic.com, read our blog Entropic Topics, or get social with us at @Entropic_News, or on Facebook, Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn.
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Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Entropic's analog CSS technologies, their related prospects and their role in the future of connected home entertainment. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause Entropic's actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, competition, risks associated with Entropic dependence on a limited number of customers and suppliers, technology risks, the risk that the market for HD video and multimedia content delivery solutions may not develop as Entropic anticipates and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of Entropic's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Entropic is providing this information as of the date of this release and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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