AT&T's U-verse IPTV is the first video service provider to commit to operating under the new ENERGY STAR program for video providers. As an ENERGY STAR participant, AT&T will provide U-verse TV customers with Motorola and Cisco Systems Inc. receivers that meet the new ENERGY STAR efficiency criteria well in advance of Jan. 1, 2009, when it goes into effect. U-verse IPTV receivers offer increased energy efficiency compared with other digital set-top boxes today. ENERGY STAR is a voluntary program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy that sets strict energy-efficiency specifications and promotes qualified products to help American consumers reduce their carbon footprint and save money.

NXP Semiconductors will acquire the Broadband Media Processing business of Conexant System. With this transaction, NXP’s existing set-top box and digital TV operations will be combined with Conexant’s BMP business. The combined operations will create a top three player in digital video systems with the scale to establish a strong leadership position. The deal represents NXP’s fourth acquisition since independence and is the first for its Home Business Unit.

Conexant’s BMP business, which provides industry-leading solutions for satellite, cable and IPTV applications, accounted for US $205 million in revenue in 2007. Under the terms of the deal, NXP will pay Conexant US $110 million in cash up front, and additional consideration of up to US $35 million based on achievement of certain revenue milestones over the period from closing through 2009.

Sigma announces that its highly integrated SMP8634 media processor is being used by Pirelli to power their line of IPTV set-top boxes, which are currently being deployed by two major European operators. Demand for IPTV has been sweeping across Europe over the past two years, where the vast majority of the 10 million worldwide IPTV subscribers are located. Over the past 2 years, nearly every major European Telco offers IPTV video services, with deployments split between the Microsoft Mediaroom platform and a range of Linux based platforms.

The MPEG Industry Forum honored Amino for its successful completion of the Premium Conformance Tier of the MPEGIF Logo Qualification Program. Amino’s AmiNET130 and AmiNET530 STBs became the world’s first HD H.264 IPTV and HD H.264 DVR STBs to meet the requirements. Through its participation, Amino has contributed to driving MPEG-4 industry standards in the IPTV industry.

MPEGIF is the world's largest advocacy group for MPEG technologies, and plays a significant role in facilitating the widespread adoption and deployment of MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 as the industry's standard video compression technology powering next generation television and most mainstream content delivery and consumption applications including packaged media.

Amino has been named as the top vendor of pure IPTV Set-Top Boxes worldwide by ABI Research for the third consecutive year. Amino has recently been ranked as the world leader in a new classification from ABI Research entitled ‘Pure IPTV’. The focus of this segmentation is to classify and separate ‘Pure IPTV’ and ‘Hybrid IPTV’ services. The latter typically involves a traditional broadcast service (terrestrial, satellite or cable), coupled with IP for limited interactivity and for VOD.

Making the transition from Hybrid to Pure IPTV requires that the deployed equipment has sufficient IP capability to handle all service requirements. Some hybrid systems currently available do not have the IPTV technology elements to do this.

Amino launched an integration of the AmiNET130 STB with the first G-cluster HD games on demand application at this year’s IPTV World Forum. Allowing users to play streaming HD games via a wireless USB gamepad, the offering will enable telco providers to offer interactive gaming with popular titles from the traditional games console market.

Visitors to the Amino stand used the device to play on HD interactive games such as Resident Evil 4 and Sensible Soccer. The product will allow telco providers to drive revenue by building on the STB as the technology point of convergence in the home.

Tilgin launches its new Mood 400-020 Advanced IP Set-Top Box. Sporting a compact and sleek design, the new product offers a cost-effective entry level solution that operators can grow with to expand and enhance their IPTV service. The product offers an excellent extension to the existing Tilgin Mood 400 family, with its range of advanced PVR-enabled IP STBs. Designed for easy upgrade of new functionality over time, the Mood 400 products help operators to deliver more personalized and interactive multimedia services to the home without needing to replace the STB with each addition of new services or applications.

Advanced Digital Broadcast has been selected to supply IPTV STBs to SeaMobile. ADB's advanced WAV-2500W units are enabling SeaMobile to deploy interactive, digital video services on their client's cruise ships - the new services will allow guests to access a wealth of video and interactive entertainment services including IPTV and VoD.

The contract marks another achievement in ADB's progress in the IPTV market in North America, where it has already supplied IPTV products to over 90 independent operating companies. It also marks the company's first incursion into the at-sea marketplace.

Tilgin has signed a worldwide sales and marketing co-operation agreement with Nokia Siemens Networks a globally recognized system integrator regarding the sale of pre-integrated Tilgin IPTV set-top boxes to selected customers.

According to the agreement Tilgin will be promoted as a preferred supplier of Nokia Siemens, with respect to Tilgin products certified with the system integrator’s technical platform, which is known for its industry leading solution. Under the agreement, the Tilgin IPTV Mood product series will be specifically tailored for compatibility with the evolution of Nokia Siemens' technical platform end eco-partners for IPTV solutions. The agreement has an initial term of two years.

Avinity Systems announces support for the H.264 codec to be available for its RenderCastT platform in the second quarter of 2008. The platform offers a novel and disruptive approach to bring on-demand Internet content to digital TV over any network to any existing two-way Set-Top Box.

The RenderCastT platform is already used by several leading cable and IPTV operators and content providers to bring on-line content, rich media navigation and interactive commercials to digital TV platforms based on the MPEG-2 codec. The H.264 codec provides even richer cinematic user interfaces, much lower bitrates, and efficient support for High Definition.

Amino shipped its millionth AmiNET110 Set-Top Box in H2’07. The AmiNET110 has become the benchmark MPEG-2 standard definition product for the IPTV industry. With nearly half a million AmiNET110 STBs distributed in 2007 alone, Amino offers an award winning compact STB, ideal for multicast and video on-demand applications.

The AmiNET110 STB provides an elegant and powerful means of delivering sophisticated interactive digital television including multicast and on demand video along with Internet access. A USB interface is provided to support functionality such as games controllers. It also offers Ethernet input and flexible audio/video outputs, together with S/P-DIF and an RF Modulator output.

HaiVision announces immediate support for the AmiNET130 IPTV STB with its acclaimed MAKO-HD encoding technology. The MAKO-HD, which supports the lowest latency video encoding available and is a fraction of the cost of competitive products, now delivers full frame rate H.264 encoded video at 1080i or 720p high definition to the Amino platform.

This new development is a critical milestone in the planning of IPTV, video distribution networks, and digital signage systems. Previously, designers either had to rely on costly signage style computer endpoints, expensive video and audio distribution hardware, or if they opted for live network video, had to suffer standard definition video networked to large flat panel displays. Now, integrators can centralize the content delivery and distribute the highest quality HD video content to low cost endpoints over the network. As well unlike traditional computer based signage systems, integrators and their clients alike can be secure with the knowledge that the STB endpoints will not need to be upgraded for more performance in years to come - the video network will always distribute full resolution, full frame rate HD.

Microsoft's Mediaroom IPTV and multimedia platform is delivering video entertainment experiences to more than 1 million set-top boxes worldwide and its service provider customers are adding two new IPTV subscriber households every minute. The Mediaroom platform is on pace to reach 1 million subscriber homes in the first quarter of 2008. These milestones demonstrate the growing consumer demand for IPTV and connected television experiences that go beyond traditional pay-TV offerings. Helping to lead this connected TV revolution, Microsoft Mediaroom is transforming the way viewers experience television, movies, music, photos and games in their own homes.

BT has selected Motorola as the lead supplier of next-generation set-top boxes for its BT Vision digital TV service. Motorola will supply BT with second-generation V-Boxes boasting a new look, the potential for substantially improved energy efficiency and enhanced capabilities for deployment in 2009.

The HD-capable V-Box digital TV recorder will provide access to up to 40 Freeview TV channels and 30 radio channels, the ability to record an average of 80 hours of content, on-demand access to a huge library of films, TV shows, music videos and sport and a range of interactive applications.

Micronas has decided to discontinue its activities in the area of set top boxes for IPTV. This restructuring measure forms part of the announced streamlining of the product portfolio in the Consumer division. The restructuring will affect around 100 employees in Santa Clara, USA, and around 20 employees in Shanghai, China.

Most of the discontinuation activities are expected to be completed during the first quarter 2008. The respective costs have already been taken into account in the announced projected restructuring expenses.