Now Showing: DVD-Quality, Real Time Video on Demand Available Over DSL

Sentivision's Integrated Video on Demand Technology, Now Available with TI Digital Media Processors, Brings Video on Demand for Set-Top Boxes to Market Quickly, Easily

Tokyo, Japan (PRWEB) January 18, 2004 --Bringing high-performance, cutting edge digital video solutions to broadband networks, Sentivision today announced the availability of an H.264 decoder technology platform for IP set-top boxes on Texas Instruments' DM64x digital media processors. Sentivision, an innovative provider of cutting-edge media technologies and products for the digital entertainment market, combined their digital video codec with TI's leading digital signal processing (DSP) technology to make rapid development of consumer electronic products requiring video-on-demand service over DSL now available. For more information, please see: http://sentivision.com/products/h264/h264-en.html.

Sentivision's video-on-demand system utilizes a television connected to a set-top box to enable delivery of digital quality content (video, audio, informational or interactive content) to users via an IP-based network with low bandwidth requirements - less than one megabit per second is required for instant playback. Optimized and ready for immediate integration on TI's DM64x processors, the system handles user interface, user and content databases, and provides both
server-side and client-side software and hardware. The combination allows operators to deliver full DVD-quality real time video on demand over DSL lines.

The system also protects content with strong cryptographic security and provides user authentication. The H.264/AVC decoder complements other video on demand offerings from Sentivision, including a reference STB (Set-Top Box) hardware/software platform based on the TI DM64x processor, a realtime RTSP/RTP streaming server for media delivery, a progressive download system for bandwidth-constrained environments and a hardware-enhanced Digital Rights Management (DRM) Plugin offering content encryption for high security. Together, these elements form a complete, secure, immediately available VOD platform, allowing customers to bring VOD solutions to market immediately. The incorporation of a TI DM64x processor allows for unprecedented flexibility and guarantees that STB hardware will not have to be replaced as technology progresses.

"TI's digital media processors have made many of the convergence technology devices in the market today possible," said Jan Rychter, CTO of Sentivision. "With Sentivision's solution now available on the DM64x processors, developers now have a convenient way to seamlessly integrate video on demand into the latest application requirements."

Built on the proven architecture of TI's TMS320C64x? generation of DSPs, the DM64x digital media processors achieve performance levels of up to 600 MHz and deliver exceptional video quality with
next-generation functionality and flexibility to enable OEMs to evolve designs to keep up with ever-changing technology demands. With the H.264 solution embedded on these processors, several improvements over existing video encoding standards are available, including ultra-high
compression ratio (more than 50 percent against any standard for the same perceptual quality), enhanced motion compensation and entropy coding and improved deblocking filter. The low bit rate and network abstraction layer integration permits quality video transmission over low and medium bandwidth networks, such as wireless, DSL or cable TV networks.

"Sentivision's knowledge of video on demand solutions enables developers using TI DSPs to build more powerful and innovative streaming media applications, ultimately lowering development costs and offering time-to-market advantages," said Henry Wiechman, general manager, Streaming Media Group, Texas Instruments.

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About Sentivision
Sentivision K.K. is an innovative provider of cutting-edge media technologies and products for the digital entertainment market. Sentivision products include digital video appliances, set-top boxes, video codecs, video content streaming and downloading systems, Digital Rights Management systems for securing copyrighted content and more. Sentivision is committed to providing its customers with
solutions enabling secure and reliable video transmission over low and medium bandwidth IP-based networks, such as DSL lines. Based in Tokyo, Japan, the company has its R&D facilities in Warsaw, Poland.

About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world signal processing requirements. In addition to Semiconductor, the company's businesses include Sensors & Controls, and Educational & Productivity Solutions. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25 countries.

Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Web at www.ti.com.

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