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DIRECTV Selects Ucentric Systems for Home Media Center
CES 2005, LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Ucentric Systems, a leading
provider of home media networking software for the digital home, today
announced a licensing agreement with DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading and
fastest growing digital television service provider, to deploy its Home
Media Center software platform. The new DIRECTV Home Media Center will be
comprised of a main unit, with smaller units located at each additional TV
networked throughout the house, to provide DIRECTV customers with digital
video recorder (DVR) service on all television sets. The networked system
supports both high- definition and standard definition signals. It also
provides an integrated and common consumer experience on all television sets
in which viewers can watch a program, pause it and continue viewing it on
another set in a different room.
"DIRECTV is responding to increased demand by our customers to expand their
DVR experience. It's very clear that once our customers have DVR service on
one TV in their home, they quickly want to have DVR service on all their
television sets throughout the home," said Romulo Pontual, executive vice
president and chief technology officer of The DIRECTV Group. "We're pleased
to be working with Ucentric to deliver a whole home media center solution
that offers the best combination of consumer features, ease of use and cost-
efficient hardware."
Ucentric's networked media center software provides the underlying software
platform for HD and SD video signal networking, device discovery, resource
management, bandwidth management and applications networking.
DIRECTV-specified whole-home applications make use of the services found in
the platform. The solution will be embedded on hardware platforms selected
by DIRECTV and will be integrated with NDS conditional access and
applications middleware, as well as DIRECTV Electronic Program Guide (EPG)
and DVR applications. The new product line is scheduled to be available to
DIRECTV customers by end of this year. The whole-home DVR offering will be
showcased at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2005 in Las
Vegas, January 6-9.
"We're very excited to be working with DIRECTV because they really know how
to deploy new technology to benefit consumers," said Michael Collette,
Ucentric chief executive officer. "DIRECTV is making optimal use of new
technology to provide a widely sought consumer benefit -- a home media
center -- without creating a complex new technology experience. They're
using in- home networking the right way -- an efficient equipment strategy
with substantial cost savings. Consumers will not need to see, touch, manage
or otherwise experience a broadband network in their home. The network is
embedded in the background and productized so as not to be seen. Instead,
they'll watch, pause and record TV with ease on every TV."
The Ucentric Networked Media Center platform supports whole-home DVR
functionality, networked personal media and networked broadband applications
such as broadband Internet access and telephony.
About DIRECTV
DIRECTV is the nation's leading and fastest growing digital multichannel
television service provider with more than 13.5 million customers. DIRECTV,
Total Choice and the Cyclone Design logo are registered trademarks of
DIRECTV, Inc., a unit of The DIRECTV Group Inc. . The DIRECTV Group is a
world-leading provider of digital multichannel television entertainment and
broadband satellite networks and services. The DIRECTV Group is 34 percent
owned by Fox Entertainment Group, which is approximately 82 percent owned by
News Corporation. For more information visit http://www.directv.com/.
About Ucentric Systems
Ucentric is a leading provider of networked media server software and
applications for the new digital home. Its patented technology enables the
secure, high quality digital distribution of HD and SD video signals from
broadcast, satellite or cable sources to all connected rooms in the home.
The Ucentric solution is uniquely capable of unifying networked television,
including whole-home DVR with networked personal media (music, photos, home
movies) and networked communications (broadband internet access and
telephony) -- all on a standards-based, cost efficient, interoperable IP
networking platform that can easily scale to support any array of
applications.
Ucentric is committed to supporting industry standards and is a member of
the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) and the Universal Plug and Play
(UPnP) Forum and actively supports CableLab's Open Cable initiative. Based
in Maynard, Massachusetts, Ucentric is backed by Polaris Venture Partners.
For more information, please visit http://www.ucentric.com/.
Ucentric Systems
CONTACT: Stacy Oaksmith of JLM Partners, +1-206-381-3600, or
mobile,+1-206-755-9771, or [email protected], for Ucentric Systems;
orBob Marsocci, Vice President, Communications of DIRECTV,
Inc.,+1-310-726-4656, or [email protected]
Web site: http://www.ucentric.com/http://www.directv.com/
DIRECTV Debuts Home Media Center at CES Trade Show
Digital Network System Provides Seamless DVR in Every Room
Las Vegas, NV Jan 6, 2005 DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading and
fastest-growing digital television service provider, today introduced at the
International Consumer Electronics Show an advanced new receiver and
networked system, the DIRECTV Home Media Center, designed to be a
whole-house entertainment solution that will allow DIRECTV customers for the
first time to access content-including digitally-recorded video, digital
photos and digital music-seamlessly from all television sets in a household.
The DIRECTV Home Media Center, which includes the most technologically
advanced DIRECTV receiver developed, has digital video recorder (DVR)
functionality and also supports high definition (HD) and standard definition
signals.
The Home Media Center will be comprised of a main unit, with smaller units
located at each additional TV networked throughout the house, to provide
DIRECTV customers with DVR service on all television sets. It also provides
an integrated and common consumer experience on all television sets. For
example, recordings can be scheduled and viewed from any room to any room.
"DIRECTV has been at the forefront of developing and bringing new television
technologies to fruition since its inception and our new Home Media Center
will take the DIRECTV viewing experience to a new level," said Mitch Stern,
president and CEO of DIRECTV, Inc. "By integrating the television experience
into a media center, we are providing our customers with the ability to have
easier access to and enjoy a full range of content throughout the home. This
product was developed in response to our customers' desire to expand their
DVR experience to every television."
The DIRECTV Home Media Center, which will be available by the end of this
year, will allow for networking throughout the house. DIRECTV customers with
the Home Media Center will be able to share, move and view content from room
to room.
The networked system's advanced middleware architecture will support
additional functions via its broadband connection. Examples are support for
personal computer connectivity, scheduling DVR recordings from the Internet,
photos from wireless phones and video-on-demand. It is also MPEG-2 and
MPEG-4 compatible, and as with all DIRECTV receivers, the product software
can be upgraded via satellite.
"Our goal at DIRECTV is simple: to provide the best television experience in
the United States," said Stern, "And our new Home Media Center will help us
get closer to that goal, as well as further distinguish DIRECTV from the
competition."
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DIRECTV Selects Ucentric Systems for Home Media Center
CES 2005, LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Ucentric Systems, a leading
provider of home media networking software for the digital home, today
announced a licensing agreement with DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading and
fastest growing digital television service provider, to deploy its Home
Media Center software platform. The new DIRECTV Home Media Center will be
comprised of a main unit, with smaller units located at each additional TV
networked throughout the house, to provide DIRECTV customers with digital
video recorder (DVR) service on all television sets. The networked system
supports both high- definition and standard definition signals. It also
provides an integrated and common consumer experience on all television sets
in which viewers can watch a program, pause it and continue viewing it on
another set in a different room.
"DIRECTV is responding to increased demand by our customers to expand their
DVR experience. It's very clear that once our customers have DVR service on
one TV in their home, they quickly want to have DVR service on all their
television sets throughout the home," said Romulo Pontual, executive vice
president and chief technology officer of The DIRECTV Group. "We're pleased
to be working with Ucentric to deliver a whole home media center solution
that offers the best combination of consumer features, ease of use and cost-
efficient hardware."
Ucentric's networked media center software provides the underlying software
platform for HD and SD video signal networking, device discovery, resource
management, bandwidth management and applications networking.
DIRECTV-specified whole-home applications make use of the services found in
the platform. The solution will be embedded on hardware platforms selected
by DIRECTV and will be integrated with NDS conditional access and
applications middleware, as well as DIRECTV Electronic Program Guide (EPG)
and DVR applications. The new product line is scheduled to be available to
DIRECTV customers by end of this year. The whole-home DVR offering will be
showcased at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2005 in Las
Vegas, January 6-9.
"We're very excited to be working with DIRECTV because they really know how
to deploy new technology to benefit consumers," said Michael Collette,
Ucentric chief executive officer. "DIRECTV is making optimal use of new
technology to provide a widely sought consumer benefit -- a home media
center -- without creating a complex new technology experience. They're
using in- home networking the right way -- an efficient equipment strategy
with substantial cost savings. Consumers will not need to see, touch, manage
or otherwise experience a broadband network in their home. The network is
embedded in the background and productized so as not to be seen. Instead,
they'll watch, pause and record TV with ease on every TV."
The Ucentric Networked Media Center platform supports whole-home DVR
functionality, networked personal media and networked broadband applications
such as broadband Internet access and telephony.
About DIRECTV
DIRECTV is the nation's leading and fastest growing digital multichannel
television service provider with more than 13.5 million customers. DIRECTV,
Total Choice and the Cyclone Design logo are registered trademarks of
DIRECTV, Inc., a unit of The DIRECTV Group Inc. . The DIRECTV Group is a
world-leading provider of digital multichannel television entertainment and
broadband satellite networks and services. The DIRECTV Group is 34 percent
owned by Fox Entertainment Group, which is approximately 82 percent owned by
News Corporation. For more information visit http://www.directv.com/.
About Ucentric Systems
Ucentric is a leading provider of networked media server software and
applications for the new digital home. Its patented technology enables the
secure, high quality digital distribution of HD and SD video signals from
broadcast, satellite or cable sources to all connected rooms in the home.
The Ucentric solution is uniquely capable of unifying networked television,
including whole-home DVR with networked personal media (music, photos, home
movies) and networked communications (broadband internet access and
telephony) -- all on a standards-based, cost efficient, interoperable IP
networking platform that can easily scale to support any array of
applications.
Ucentric is committed to supporting industry standards and is a member of
the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) and the Universal Plug and Play
(UPnP) Forum and actively supports CableLab's Open Cable initiative. Based
in Maynard, Massachusetts, Ucentric is backed by Polaris Venture Partners.
For more information, please visit http://www.ucentric.com/.
Ucentric Systems
CONTACT: Stacy Oaksmith of JLM Partners, +1-206-381-3600, or
mobile,+1-206-755-9771, or [email protected], for Ucentric Systems;
orBob Marsocci, Vice President, Communications of DIRECTV,
Inc.,+1-310-726-4656, or [email protected]
Web site: http://www.ucentric.com/http://www.directv.com/
DIRECTV Debuts Home Media Center at CES Trade Show
Digital Network System Provides Seamless DVR in Every Room
Las Vegas, NV Jan 6, 2005 DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading and
fastest-growing digital television service provider, today introduced at the
International Consumer Electronics Show an advanced new receiver and
networked system, the DIRECTV Home Media Center, designed to be a
whole-house entertainment solution that will allow DIRECTV customers for the
first time to access content-including digitally-recorded video, digital
photos and digital music-seamlessly from all television sets in a household.
The DIRECTV Home Media Center, which includes the most technologically
advanced DIRECTV receiver developed, has digital video recorder (DVR)
functionality and also supports high definition (HD) and standard definition
signals.
The Home Media Center will be comprised of a main unit, with smaller units
located at each additional TV networked throughout the house, to provide
DIRECTV customers with DVR service on all television sets. It also provides
an integrated and common consumer experience on all television sets. For
example, recordings can be scheduled and viewed from any room to any room.
"DIRECTV has been at the forefront of developing and bringing new television
technologies to fruition since its inception and our new Home Media Center
will take the DIRECTV viewing experience to a new level," said Mitch Stern,
president and CEO of DIRECTV, Inc. "By integrating the television experience
into a media center, we are providing our customers with the ability to have
easier access to and enjoy a full range of content throughout the home. This
product was developed in response to our customers' desire to expand their
DVR experience to every television."
The DIRECTV Home Media Center, which will be available by the end of this
year, will allow for networking throughout the house. DIRECTV customers with
the Home Media Center will be able to share, move and view content from room
to room.
The networked system's advanced middleware architecture will support
additional functions via its broadband connection. Examples are support for
personal computer connectivity, scheduling DVR recordings from the Internet,
photos from wireless phones and video-on-demand. It is also MPEG-2 and
MPEG-4 compatible, and as with all DIRECTV receivers, the product software
can be upgraded via satellite.
"Our goal at DIRECTV is simple: to provide the best television experience in
the United States," said Stern, "And our new Home Media Center will help us
get closer to that goal, as well as further distinguish DIRECTV from the
competition."
To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]
To receive the digest mode (one email a day made from all posted that same day) send an email to:
[email protected]
