Micronas a leading supplier of innovative application-specific IC system solutions for consumer electronics announces an alliance with Planetweb, a leading provider of embedded software and developer tools for the consumer electronics industry, to produce fully featured reference designs for IPTV and Hybrid IPTV/Digital Broadcast Television set-top boxes. The product designs incorporate both the Micronas DeCypher DHM 8100 High-Definition Multi-format Decoder and Planetweb's SpectraWorks user interface platform and applications. The combined technology solution will be demonstrated at a Micronas sponsored event to be held during the IFA Trade Fair at The Hotel Adlon in Berlin from September 1-4, 2006 and at the IBC Trade Fair in Amsterdam from September 8-12, 2006.

"Clearly, the opportunities in IPTV are substantial. But the inherent complexity of the technology, combined with stringent pricing requirements and aggressive market timing, present a huge challenge for many manufacturers," said Keri Waters, director of strategic marketing at Micronas USA. "By working with Planetweb to develop our set-top box reference designs, we will provide a cost effective and customizable solution for our customers who want to quickly and successfully bring innovative products to market."

"As a leading provider of IPTV technology, Micronas is successfully delivering the cutting edge of in-demand features such as High-definition H.264 video decoding," said Paul Stathacopoulos, vice president of marketing at Planetweb. "We believe that the combined technologies of Micronas and Planetweb will set the standard for the next generation of IPTV and networked television devices delivering the best-of-breed in video streaming and highly graphical feature-rich applications."