Agreement Brings Ucentric's Whole-Home Software Platform to DIRECTV Customers
Nationwide
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. (NYSE: DTV). 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.
SOURCE Ucentric Systems
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Related links:
http://www.ucentric.com
http://www.directv.com
CONTACT:
Stacy Oaksmith of JLM Partners,
+1-206-381-3600, or mobile, +1-206-755-9771, or
stacy@jlmpartners.com, for Ucentric Systems; or Bob Marsocci,
Vice President, Communications of DIRECTV, Inc., +1-310-726-4656,
or ramarsocci@directv.com
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