Entropic and Wistron NeWeb (News - Alert) Corporation recently announced that they have entered into a strategic collaboration with Sky Italia. WNC's most recent operator-class Low Noise Block (LNB) converter, which utilizes Entropic’s EN5288 Channel Stacking Switch or CSS (News - Alert), will now be implemented at Sky Italia. A single-cable architecture will be used to deliver digital entertainment to several set-top boxes (STBs) and tuners across the home.

In a statement, Jeffrey Gau, president and COO, WNC said, "WNC and Entropic (News - Alert) continue to evolve the way satellite service is installed in the home; enabling DBS operators to be more competitive in servicing new customers and upgrading their current subscribers. No longer do DBS operators need to run a unique cable from the satellite dish to each tuner or STB. This paradigm shift is significant as the number of HD and PVRs increase in the home. Our new LNB with Entropic's EN5288 chip addresses this growing multi-tuner home transition; ensuring consumers quickly get the content they want in any room and operators reduce the cabling complexity, installation and upgrade costs."

Italian service providers are investing in highly developed LNBs with CSS technology to tackle the intense competition from other Pay-TV operators. These LNBs are designed to allay subscriber acquisition costs by decreasing expenses related to equipment and installation. Service providers can augment annual revenue per user (ARPU) by using a solitary-cable to offer additional services and entertainment, increased number of high definition or HD channels and video on demand to personal video recorders (PRVs). DBS operators can leverage Entropic’s EN5288 technology to provide multiple video streams from individual or multiple satellites into single family home or multiple dwelling unit.

Al Servati, vice president of marketing at Entropic said, "The EN5288 is cost optimized to support four tuners in the home, but also offers the scalability DBS service providers want to support up to twelve tuners down a single coaxial cable. In working with WNC, we can create the most innovative single-cable network to allow DBS operators to future-proof their network topologies by driving multiple HD streams to multiple tuners anywhere in the home."