SAN DIEGO, July 31, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Entropic Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:ENTR), a leading provider of silicon solutions to enable connected home entertainment, announced that DIRECTV(r), the industry leader in HD programming, has incorporated Entropic's Channel Stacking Switch (CSS) technology in DIRECTV's SWM-ODU dish unit, a mainstream follow-on to this year's earlier announcement of DIRECTV's use of CSS technology in their MDU MFH-2 system.
The SWM-ODU delivers the full suite of DIRECTV's HD programming directly to all of the consumer's set-top boxes (STB) in the home via a single wire. In the past, a typical installation of one HD DVR, one DVR and two standard STBs required six cables to be run into the house from the satellite dish, but now, utilizing a SWM-ODU, the number of cables from the satellite dish is reduced to just one.
Single Wire Architecture Driving HD Content Delivery
The increase in HD content and the wide adoption of DVRs is driving the need to easily and cost-effectively support multiple tuners in the home. Entropic's Channel Stacking Switch (CSS) technology is used in DIRECTV's SWM-ODU to enable delivery of the KA/KU satellite signals from the dish to set-top box receivers in the home over a single cable. In a traditional DIRECTV DBS installation, a unique cable is required for each tuner from the satellite dish to the STB. For example, a customer with 4 DVRs in the home would need 8 cable runs from the dish to support all the tuners. CSS technology enables DIRECTV's SWM-ODU to provide access to all available program content to up to 8 tuners with a single cable run from the dish.
"Our SWM-ODU, incorporating Entropic's CSS, is an important technology roll-out that enables us to further enhance operations and achieve excellence in customer satisfaction by improving installations and equipment reliability," said Romulo Pontual, CTO of DIRECTV.
By reducing the number of cables required to support multiple tuners, CSS technology delivers savings through lower cabling and installation costs. Additional benefits of CSS technology include greater customer acceptance due to improved aesthetics, shorter installation times which increase the number of installations possible in a day and decrease customer installation wait time, and the ability to support easy upgrades where the consumer can add additional set to boxes (STBs) by simply plugging them in with no new wires or truck rolls needed.
These capabilities, together with other SWM-ODU advantages, play a critical role in helping DIRECTV execute its HD programming strategy which will scale to 150 national and 1500 local HD channels.
The Power Behind DIRECTV's SWM-ODU
Entropic's core CSS technology supports up to twelve tuners and enables the simultaneous reception of multiple channels from multiple satellites over a single wire. This single wire connects the outdoor unit to the many STBs in the home and delivers all available programming to all TVs in the home. The CSS technology in the SWM-ODU selects each users' desired satellite channels and "stacks" them for delivery to the indoor DIRECTV STB over a single connecting cable.
"Entropic has worked cooperatively with us for several years to develop a system IC solution to enable the SWM-ODU product," said DIRECTV's Pontual. "We are excited to have worked with Entropic, who has demonstrated world class RF systems competency in meeting our technical requirements."
"We are pleased that DIRECTV has launched their single cable SWM-ODU product using our Channel Stacking Switch technology," said Patrick Henry, CEO of Entropic. "We wish to thank the engineering teams at both DIRECTV and Entropic for their hard work developing this product. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with DIRECTV on innovative solutions for connected entertainment."
About DIRECTV, Inc.
DIRECTV, Inc. (Nasdaq:DTV), the nation's leading satellite television service provider, presents the finest television experience available to more than 17 million customers in the United States and is leading the HD revolution with 95 national HD channels -- more quality HD channels than any other television provider. Each day, DIRECTV subscribers enjoy access to over 265 channels of 100% digital picture and sound, exclusive programming, industry-leading customer satisfaction (which has surpassed all national cable companies for eight years running) and superior technologies that include advanced DVR and HD-DVR services and the most state-of-the-art interactive sports packages available anywhere. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please visit directv.com.
About Entropic Communications
Entropic Communications, Inc. is a leading fabless semiconductor company that designs, develops and markets systems solutions to enable connected home entertainment. The company's technologies significantly change the way high-definition television-quality video and other multimedia content such as movies, music, games and photos are brought into and delivered throughout the home. For more information, please visit www.entropic.com
The Entropic Communications logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4255
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature constitute "forward-looking statements." Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the advantages and deployment of Entropic's Channel Stacking Switch technology. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause Entropic's actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the effects of competition; Entropic's dependence on a limited number of customers and ultimately service providers; Entropic's ability to introduce new and enhanced products on a timely basis; the risk that the market for high-definition television-quality video and other multimedia content delivery solutions based on the MoCA standard may not develop as anticipated; the effect of intellectual property rights claims; risks related to Entropic's international operations; and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of Entropic's final prospectus filed with the SEC on December 7, 2007. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Entropic is providing this information as of the date of this release and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
The integrated SWM dish will be released to the field in a phased approach, beginning today. The Single Wire Multi-switch (SWM) is designed to carry the signal from the KA/KU satellite dish via a single cable into a satellite cable splitter. Each set-top-box within the customer premises connects directly to the same splitter utilizing only one cable -- including DVRs and HD DVRs. Thus, installations are significantly easier, simplified and less costly, supporting DIRECTV's 2008 goals of improving bottom-line results through efficient operations and achieving excellence in customer satisfaction by improving installations and equipment reliability.