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Sumitomo Electric Networks Provides 4Kp60 IP Set Top Boxes for NTT Plala's UltraHD 4K HEVC VOD Trial in Japan(ENP Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) ENP Newswire - 10 April 2014 Release date- 09042014 - Sumitomo Electric Networks, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., today announced that it has been selected by NTT Plala, the largest IPTV Service Provider in Japan, to provide Ultra High Definition '4K' 'p60' Set Top Boxes, its Stream Cruiser SmartTV ST4100 Series, for the carrier's 4K video streaming trial service of 'Hikari-TV', starting from April 8th, 2014. Sumitomo has collaborated with ViXS Systems Inc., a Toronto, Canada based leading supplier of 4K SoC's, to design the new Set Top Box ST4112 for this trial service. Sumitomo Electric Networks, Inc. is Japan's leading supplier of SmartTV IP Set Top Boxes, with millions of units in commercial operation, and has long been a supplier to NTT Plala for its Hikari-TV service. Today's announcement follows NTT Plala's Business Briefing on October 21, 2013, in which it announced trials of '4K' video, as well as its plan to offer commercial Ultra High Definition service to its customers in 2014. The ST4112 IP Set Top Box for this trial service supports the decoding of 4K video content at 60 frames per second (4Kp60) with 'HEVC' (ITU-T H.265) video compression technology, by utilizing the latest ViXS XCode XC6400 series SoC. ST4100 series IP Set Top Boxes also support a number of leading edge capabilities, including HDMI 2.0 output, MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP), several types of DRM (Digital Rights Management) technologies and the IPv6 network. When coupled with in-house developed IP streaming technology from Sumitomo Electric Networks, the new Set Top Box offers an unparalleled viewing experience for the subscriber, made possible by 4Kp60 content being sent over an IP broadband network, and with such video streams being decoded on a real-time basis stably. 'NTT Plala will make any efforts to enable the transition to UltraHD 4K services in the Japanese content market, and we needed innovative and reliable partners, such as Sumitomo Electric Networks and ViXS, to help us achieve our ambitious goals,' said Katsumi Nagata, Board Director, Executive Director, Technology and Engineering Division, NTT Plala. 'We are excited to provide the launch of this new UltraHD 4K service in trials, showing the public the amazing video quality they can expect from NTT Plala's 'Hikari-TV'. Sumitomo Electric Networks, Inc. expects to continue in its leadership role in the development of next generation video services, by leveraging its broad experience in IPTV, video streaming, and market proven products. About NTT Plala NTT Plala is the provider of an IPTV Service called 'Hikari-TV'. 'Hikari-TV is a total life entertainment service allowing users to enjoy popular Movies, Drama, Animation, Premium Channels, Gaming, and Music using their TV's, PC's, smart devices and several other devices through the Internet. The 'TV service' has 94 channels which include popular pay channel, Digital terrestrial broadcasting, BS broadcasting, and 85% of the content is available in High Definition. Approximately 70,000 'Video service' and 'Karaoke Service' selections are available to be enjoyed at anytime. In addition, within the 'Video service' there are 8,000 all-you-can-watch titles available to users, the biggest in the industry. About ViXS Systems Inc. ViXS is the pioneer and market leader in designing revolutionary media processing semiconductor solutions for the broadcasting and consumer electronics industries, with over 437 patents issued and pending worldwide, numerous industry awards for innovation, and over 29 million media processor shipments to date. ViXS is driving the transition to Ultra HD 4K across the entire content value chain by providing professional and consumer grade chipsets that support the new High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard up to Main 10 Profile, reducing bandwidth consumption by 50% while providing the depth of color and image clarity needed to take advantage of higher-resolution content. ViXS' XCodePro 3xx family is ideal for Ultra HD 4K infrastructure equipment and the XCode 6xxx family of system-on-chip (SoC) products achieve unprecedented levels of integration that enable manufacturers to create cost-effective consumer entertainment devices. About Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. designs, manufactures and sells optical fibers, cables, components, advanced electronic devices, and automotive parts. Through successful strategies of research and diversification, Sumitomo Electric has become one of the world's leading companies at the forefront of the revolution in information and communications. Sumitomo Electric's world-class research and manufacturing capabilities in optical technology continue to expand and strengthen the product portfolio while maintaining industry leading levels of reliability. The company has global operations in more than 30 countries with over 200,000 employees. Sumitomo Electric reported group net sales of $21.6 billion for the fiscal year ended March 2013. About Sumitomo Electric Networks, Inc. Sumitomo Electric Networks, Inc. (SEN), is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., and is dedicated to supplying video and broadband access solutions for the world's leading telecom and video service operators. The company serves customers, who are leaders in information and communications technology, and provides innovative, reliable and high-quality products, including GE-PON, IP and Hybrid STB (Set Top Boxes), DMS (Digital Media Servers), RGW (Residential Gateways), SGW (Service Gateways), Wireless Broadband, PLC (Power Line Communication) and XDSL. SEN is continually pursuing innovations, which enhance and improve the end-user's broadband environment and experience. Contact: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. 4-5-33, Kitahama, Chuo-ku Osaka 541-0041, Japan Tel: 81 (6) 6220-4141 Fax: 81 (6) 6222-3380 (c) 2014 Electronic News Publishing - |