Amino announced that it has enabled leading independent telecommunications holding company SureWest Communications as it prepares to become the first US broadband service provider to offer high-definition (HD) television services over IP. Through its current beta testing phase, SureWest has already rolled out Amino's AmiNET120 HD set-top box to a core group of subscribers in the Sacramento, California region. With the first high-definition IPTV roll-out of its kind in the USA, SureWest customers will be able to enjoy the same live sports, Hollywood films, and other high-definition content with the added benefits of IPTV.

"Many cable companies have begun to deploy HD services in an effort to attract more subscribers," commented Bill DeMuth, SureWest's vice president and chief technology officer. "Therefore, time to market was a critical factor for us in selecting the AmiNET120, in addition to fundamental quality."

The SureWest fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) infrastructure in the Sacramento region supplies more than enough bandwidth to allow its standard-definition (SD) IPTV subscribers to receive full HD services.

The AmiNET120 unit is based on the award-winning AmiNET103 design and has the same dimensions as the AmiNET110, which is currently deployed with SureWest subscribers. "The design of the set-top box was important to us," explained DeMuth. "Customers appreciate modern-looking equipment that performs at high levels and doesn't take up much space. The AmiNET120 is the smallest high-definition set-top box we evaluated offering advanced functionality and high-performance."

Rick Sailor, VP Sales - Americas for Amino noted, "HDTV has been accepted as the next evolutionary stage for television and manufacturers are already making HD-ready equipment available to consumers for their homes. Consumers are therefore demanding HD services from their Pay-TV operators to justify their hardware investment. SureWest has been very quick to respond to this increasing consumer demand and provide advanced, interactive HD IPTV services over its existing fibre network."

Amino's technology will be demonstrated at TelcoTV 2005, San Diego - USA, from 9 to 10 November, stand #628.