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ASTER has chosen Kaonmedia set-top boxes (STBs) alongside NDS XTV™ technology for high definition digital video recorder (HD DVR)
LONDON – January 29, 2008 – NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced that it has joined forces with Kaonmedia (Kaon) to deliver digital set-top boxes (STB) and DVRs, including a DVR for viewing in High Definition, to ASTER, a leading provider of media and communication services in Poland.
ASTER is upgrading its existing digital television platform and plans to offer subscribers different types of Kaon STBs, including a high definition DVR embedded with NDS DVR technology, XTV™. Advanced technology from NDS currently protects and powers over 8.8 million DVRs worldwide. All models will include NDS MediaHighway® middleware and the NDS Electronic Program Guide, enabling ASTER to introduce future enhancements including interactive applications. In parallel, ASTER has chosen market-leading VideoGuard® conditional access from NDS to secure the new platform.
“The Kaon STBs and DVRs all support MPEG4/MPEG2 and include embedded EuroDOCSIS allowing a return path for interactive applications. Kaon is setting new standards in STB design with a form factor that is ready for wall mounting underneath flat screen TVs. Each model includes a universal remote control allowing subscribers to control their TV, STB and DVD player from a single device,” said Tom Buhl, Executive Vice President of Kaonmedia.
“Kaon STBs and DVRs provide the best of both worlds – they are proven in the marketplace, yet they also offer innovative technology and features to ensure that we can differentiate our service,” said Marek Bury, Strategy and Development Director of ASTER.
ASTER is the largest cable TV provider in Warsaw, Poland’s capital, and the fourth largest operator in the country. The NDS portfolio will allow ASTER to migrate analog subscribers faster to digital TV. Its subscriber base includes 370,000 pay-TV subscribers, of whom 55,000 have digital services. ASTER also provides services to 130,000 internet subscribers and over 50,000 telephony subscribers.
“Kaon is a strategic STB partner for us and we have worked together to successfully deploy solutions for both cable and satellite customers around the world, including Get in Norway,” said Jeremy Maddocks, NDS Business Development Director for Central and Eastern Europe. “Kaon has proven to be a flexible business partner as well as one that offers a strong product portfolio.”
About Kaonmedia
Kaonmedia Co Ltd (Kosdaq: Kaonmedia) supplies digital DVB Pay
TV and IP solutions
on all platforms to major operators worldwide. See www.kaonmedia.com
to learn more
about Kaon and the four Kaon divisions: Set-Top Box TV Division,
IPTV Division,
Portable TV Division and Interactive Digital TV Division.
About NDS
NDS Group plc (NASDAQ: NNDS), a majority owned subsidiary of
News Corporation, supplies
open end-to-end digital technology and services to pay-television
platform operators and content
providers. See www.nds.com for more information about NDS.
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Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-looking
Statements
This document may contain certain “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management’s
views and assumptions regarding future events and business performance
as of the time the statements are made. Actual results may differ
materially from these expectations due to changes in global economic,
business, competitive market, regulatory and other factors. More
detailed information about these and other factors that could affect
future results is contained in our filings with the US Securities
and Exchange Commission. Any “forward-looking statements” included
in this document are made only as of the date of this document
and we do not have any obligation, nor do we undertake, to publicly
update any “forward-looking statements” to reflect
subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law.
For further information:
| NDS | |
| Cynthia Ritchie | T: +44 (0)20 8476 8378 |
| Director, Corporate Communications | critchie@nds.com |
| Breakaway Communications Europe for NDS | T: +44 7949 883636 |
| Rachel Postlethwaite, Director | rp@breakawaycom.com |
| Breakaway Communications for NDS | T: +1 212 616 6006 |
| Kelly Fitzgerald, Managing Partner | kfitz@breakawaycom.com |
| Kaonmedia | |
| Tom Buhl | T: +47 97707860 |
| Executive Vice President | tombuhl@kaonmedia.com |