equator/picosoft/on2/adsl
Aug. 20, 2002--Equator Technologies Inc., a leading provider of high-performance, programmable and power-efficient system-on-a-chip processors for video streaming and image processing applications, and Picosoft Co. Ltd., a leading application software developer in Korea, today announced the development of a low bit-rate ADSL video-on-demand (VOD) set-top box based on Equator's high-performance, award winning MAP-CA(TM) processor. The Picosoft VOD system will be deployed over ADSL networks in Korea and other markets, with rollout scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2002.
The new set-top box was developed using Equator's Dolphin(TM) reference platform, which enables OEM manufacturers like Picosoft to bring new products into production in record time. To achieve high-quality video at the lowest possible bit rates, Picosoft chose On2 Technologies' VP4 video codec and TrueCast server technology, which allow the set-top box to provide DVD-quality video at bit rates lower than 1 Megabit/sec. Network operators can now offer high-quality video to nearly 100% of their customers without the significant investment in cable infrastructure that was previously required.
"With In-Stat/MDR projecting 17 million subscribers worldwide for VOD over Internet in 2006, there is a tremendous market opportunity for ADSL-based set-top boxes," said Avi Katz, president and CEO of Equator. "We are delighted that Picosoft selected Equator to play a pivotal role in their VOD system offering. By using our Dolphin reference platform to speed the time it takes to bring products to market, Picosoft was able to maintain focus on its core business of application software."
"We selected Equator's MAP family of chips as it allows us to rapidly deploy advanced high-quality VOD services and significantly expand our product features. With the Equator Technologies, Inc. MAP-CA as the heart of our system, we can offer our customers a recurring value through product upgrades and feature additions," said Yoo Ju-Han, CEO of Picosoft. "The Dolphin reference design significantly improved our time to market and gave us a jump on our competition."
