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07/09/2000

Sky Heralds Revolutionary Integrated Digibox

New product to launch in Q1 2001
British Sky Broadcasting today announced that Europe’s first integrated
Personal Television Recorder – which will combine an enhanced digital
satellite set-top decoder with a 40 gigabyte advanced hard-disk recording
facility – would go on sale to the general public in the UK in Q1 2001.

The announcement of the new product and its specifications were made to
coincide with the start of the annual International Broadcasting Convention
being held in Amsterdam.

Sky’s integrated Personal Television Recorder will allow for the recording
of up to 40 hours of programming – in the original digital quality – and
will enable viewers to:
Pause live digital satellite television broadcasts – viewers will no longer
miss crucial moments when they are interrupted in the middle of a programme
Record current and future programmes for later viewing at the touch of a
button – no need to set the clock or search for a spare videotape
Automatically record every episode of a series – viewers will never miss
their favourite programmes again
Control all recorded programmes just like a VCR (pause, rewind,
fast-forward)
In another first, Sky’s integrated Personal Television Recorder will
include
two digital satellite tuners, meaning that digital satellite television
viewers in the UK will be able to watch one live digital programme (or a
previously recorded digital programme) while simultaneously recording
another for viewing at a convenient time.

The recorder will utilise an extended version of SkyGuide, the electronic
programme guide currently in use in 3.8 million Sky digital homes, allowing
viewers to record programmes across the next seven days at the touch of a
single button. In addition, the fully integrated system means that the all
the functionality is incorporated in one single set-top box, using a single
remote control.

Unlike other recording devices, Sky has chosen a technology that will
record
the original encrypted digital signal, ensuring both the quality of the
digital recording and the security of the system.

“The first truly 21st century home entertainment product”

Sky’s Chief Executive Tony Ball said:

“Sky’s integrated Personal Television Recorder is the first truly 21st
century home entertainment product. It gives viewers greater power to
choose
what they want to watch when they want to watch it.

“Sky was the first to launch digital television in the UK; the first to
introduce interactive services; the first to let viewers shape how they
watch programmes with enhanced channels such as Sky Sports Extra and
services such as Sky News Active. Yet again we’re leading the way and
clearly positioning Sky digital as the leading multichannel platform in the
UK.”

Technology partners

Sky’s integrated Personal Television Recorder is the culmination of two
years’ development work by Sky and its technology partners NDS, NEC, Open
TV
and Pace Micro Technology.

The unit incorporates NDS’s XTV™ technology, which enables personalised TV
services as well as encrypted recording of all content to be stored on the
hard disk, ensuring that decryption of that content remains under the
control of the NDS conditional access system.

OpenTV has developed a new multi-pipeline operating system for the device
that includes extensions for the hard disk functionality and control of
twin
digital satellite tuners.

The recording functionality has been integrated into a Sky digibox using
hard disk interface and indexing hardware developed by NEC, and the NEC
‘EMMA’ single chip set-top box solution.

The hard disk drive and dual tuner integration has been completed by Pace,
which will also manufacture the integrated Personal Television Recorder.

Dr Abe Peled, President and CEO of NDS Group plc, said: “The new XTV™
enabled device provides Sky digital viewers with the world’s most advanced
Personal TV experience. Once again NDS and Sky are at the forefront of
providing UK television viewers with powerful yet easy to use cutting edge
technology. I look forward to working with Sky digital to ensure that
consumers obtain a more fulfilling experience through combining a hard
drive
with the digital set-top box.”

Jan Steenkamp, CEO, OpenTV, said: “Enabling personalised television and
providing viewers with choice remains a core focus for OpenTV. OpenTV’s new
advanced middleware solution establishes the engine and foundation of this
exciting new capability. The UK represents the world’s most advanced
digital
TV market (source: Strategy Analytics) and we will continue to drive this
market and others forward, further establishing Sky and OpenTV as market
leaders for advanced digital TV deployments.”

According to Malcolm Miller, Pace's Chief Executive Officer: "Sky
digital is
continuing to drive the revolution of digital TV in the UK, by launching
new
interactive services and features. With its new integrated Personal
Television Recorder, Sky digital will create the concept of personalised
television in the UK, providing viewers with new, easy-to-use features
which
they have never had before. We are delighted that Sky digital will be the
world's first broadcaster to launch Pace's hard disk range of digital
set-top boxes.”

NEC Managing Director Tetsuya Hikino commented: “We are delighted to have
been working with Sky on this innovative product. Sky has demonstrated once
again, its pioneering approach by being first to market with an enhanced
digital service. Research shows that Personal Television Recorders will
greatly enhance the consumer viewing experience, and Sky has the capability
to maximise the potential of such a service. This development program has
been extremely exciting and challenging for all involved, and NEC is
pleased
to be playing a key role in the project’s success by bringing its systems
and silicon expertise to the party.”

Three hardware choices

Mr Ball said that the introduction of the integrated Personal Television
Recorder would complement Sky’s existing offer of a free digibox and the
forthcoming launch in the UK of TiVo’s standalone Personal Television
Recorder.

“By extending the range of hardware we offer to UK consumers, Sky is
broadening customer choice. Through the introduction of the standalone TiVo
Personal Television Recorder, and soon afterwards, the Sky integrated
Personal Television Recorder, all UK TV homes can choose to access these
great new features. The TiVo Recorder will work whether the viewer receives
their television through terrestrial, cable, or digital satellite, while
Sky's integrated Personal Television Recorder will offer additional
enhanced
functionality specifically for digital satellite homes."

The branding and price to consumers of Sky's integrated Personal Television
Recorder, an unsubsidised premium product, will be announced in the lead up
to the consumer launch.


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