Korea Telecom’s IPTV Service Uses STMicroelectronics’ HD Digital TV Decoder Chips

STMicroelectronics , the world’s largest supplier of silicon chips for set-top
boxes (STBs)*, announced Korea Telecom’s (KT) launch of its new IPTV service
using high-definition (HDTV) set-top boxes based on ST’s STi710x family of
highly integrated HDTV decoder chips.

The
commercialization of

Korea’s
IPTV service was successfully tested and evaluated during the final trial in
May 2007, and KT officially announced the launch of its IPTV service in

Korea
yesterday.

During the
final trial, KT Corporation,

Korea’s
leading broadband operator, chose the STi710x-based set-top boxes from Humax
(model name: TS-110) and Samsung (SMT-H6170), both of which are KT’s consortium
partners for the country’s IPTV service. Additionally, LG-Nortel, another
consortium partner for the service, is also developing its set-top boxes based
on the STi710x.

The
service provides over 1,200 on-demand videos with hardware-assisted security
and 27 interactive services, ranging from education to finance to instant
messaging. An electronic program guide and user-created content are also
available. Other KT IPTV services include: digital photos and personalized
stock; plus weather and sports information.

“KT
is committed to leading the development of IPTV services,” said Young-
Hyun Kim, Assistant Vice President of KT’s Media Technology Department.
“Using the latest and most innovative set-top-box technology enabled by
ST’s cost- effective AVC decoder available today, to deliver high-definition
multimedia content and innovative services, is a key element in driving
consumer enthusiasm.”

“The
STi710x family of single-chip HDTV decoders has quickly become a worldwide
standard as the key device in leading-edge set-top-box designs, enabling
operators and OEMs to deliver the very best home entertainment experience, via
satellite, cable, terrestrial, or in the fast-growing area of IPTV,” said
Luigi Mantellassi, General Manager of ST’s Consumer Segment, Asia- Pacific.

The
STi710x family, launched by ST in 2005, offers the world’s first single-chip
H.264/AVC and VC-1 decoder. It combines high-performance multi- standard video
decoding circuitry and all the required STB functions in a single-chip device.
The H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding) standard, also known as MPEG-4 Part 10,
and VC1 — Microsoft’s Windows Media 9 Series codec — are technologies that
produce high-quality video at lower data rates than earlier solutions, and are
used primarily in applications such as high-definition DVDs and HDTV
broadcasting.