Tcom&dtvro Co., Ltd. announced the introduction of the TD530, one of the industry's first H.264 IP set-top boxes (STB) for IPTV applications in Korea.

Powered by TI's TMS320DM642 digital media processor, the TD530 enables advanced interactive multimedia applications such as voice over IP and TV over IP for carriers, targeting the corporate, hospitality and retail markets. As a result of the DM642's high performance, the TD530 also supports Microsoft's Windows Media Video 9 Series and performs on screen display (OSD), anti- flicker filter and video decoding in tandem, TI's programmability also affords TCOM&DTVro ease of design to support a variety of set top box models and new codec profiles in software.

"We are pleased that Tcom&dtvro has chosen the DM642 digital media processor for its IPTV set-top box solution," said Suman Narayan, worldwide marketing manager for the streaming media group at Texas Instruments. "The flexibility and performance of TI's digital media processor is ideal for IP set-top box makers and carriers looking to provide the latest technology on the market."

Resolution and bandwidth requirements are key issues within the IPTV sector. The power of Tcom&dtvro's H.264 solution allows MPEG-2 quality audio and video streaming over a 1.5Mbps connection, significantly reducing bandwidth requirements from 4Mpbs to 1.5Mpbs while subscribers enjoy the same quality of MPEG-2 streaming.

"TI's DM642 supports our solutions with standards-based interoperability for the delivery of content across cable, satellite, Internet and wireless connections. The TD530 provides the latest features and increased functionality to meet customers' growing demands for triple play -- video, voice and data. Our solution is a seamless migration. Currently based on MPEG-2, it will be upgraded to H.264 to meet market demands for a high rate of compression," says TCOM's CEO and president, Youngmin Kim. "The H.264 engine- enabled solution benefits everyone: Subscribers get quicker interactive feedback and a higher quality of multimedia rich content; Operators and service providers achieve less bandwidth requirements and benefit from increased customer satisfaction and reduced costs. It's a classic win-win," he says.

Tcom&dtvro's will begin delivering TD530 to a major service provider for a trial service at the end of May 2005.