This article was originally published at display-central.com.
ViXS Systems Inc. (TSX: VXS), a pioneer and leader in media processing solutions, announced that NTT Plala, a major Japanese IPTV Service Provider with more than 2.8 million subscribers, has chosen the ViXS XCode 6400 System on Chip (SoC) to power NTT Plala’s latest Ultra High Definition (UltraHD) 4K set-top box (STB). This next-generation STB was developed by Sumitomo Electric Networks Inc., a major Japanese Smart TV IP set-top box and broadband access equipment vendor. The ViXS-powered Sumitomo Stream Cruiser® SmartTV ST4100 Series STB will lead the launch of NTT Plala’s UltraHD 4K resolution High Efficiency Video coding (HEVC) 60p (60 frames per second) VOD trial service, called “Hikari-TV”, starting April 8, 2014.
The XCode 6400 is driving the next era in content by being the first SoC to successfully support UltraHD 4K and HEVC Main 10 Profile at 60p, enabling content owners and service providers to deliver unprecedented video clarity and color to consumers worldwide for visually stunning 4K broadcasts, with 50% bandwidth savings. The launch of NTT Plala’s “Hikari-TV” VOD trial is the latest example of native UltraHD 4K content being made available to consumers and drive the mass market adoption of this new display resolution. As content choices increase and consumer demand builds, a new generation of broadcast infrastructure and residential delivery equipment is needed. ViXS’ XCode and XCodePro chipsets are the first commercially available solutions that support UltraHD 4K and HEVC at Main 10 Profile 60p, enabling manufacturers to deliver, in 2014, the equipment necessary for this significant industry technology transition.
“NTT Plala is enabling the transition to UltraHD 4K services in Japanese content market, and we needed innovative and reliable partners such as ViXS and Sumitomo Electric Networks to help us achieve our ambitious goals,” said Katsumi Nagata, Board Director, Executive Director, Technology and Engineering Division, NTT Plala. “We are excited to provide the launch of this new UltraHD 4K VOD service in trials, showing the public the amazing video quality they can expect from NTT Plala’s ‘Hikari-TV.’”
“As a leading supplier for Smart TV IP set-top boxes and Broadband access network equipment we are very proud to provide our IP-STB which uses the ViXS XCode 6400, the world first UltraHD 4K p60 (60 frames per second) and HEVC (ITU-T H.265) IP video contents delivery with DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) over IPv6 FTTH network for the 4Kp60 trial service of ‘Hikari TV’ from NTT Plala,” said Hiroaki Nishimoto, Director & Co-CTO of Sumitomo Electric Networks, Inc. “We believe 4Kp60 will be quickly adopted by Tier-1 carriers in the world and our experience with NTT Plala and ViXS will keep us in a leadership position for this emerging technology.”
“We are honored to have NTT Plala choose the XCode 6400 to power their flagship UltraHD 4K STB and to bring this Ultra HD trial service to life and give consumers an unbelievable viewing experience,”said Sally Daub, President and CEO, ViXS Systems Inc. “The ViXS team has yet again used its considerable expertise and flawless execution to give our customers a commercial-ready solution ahead of the market.”
The XCode 6400 SoC can decode HEVC-based content and display resolutions up to Ultra HD 4K (3840×2160 pixels) at a full 60 frames per second. ViXS is an active contributor to the HEVC Standard and was a leading proponent of 10-bit media processing during the development of the HEVC technical specifications. Advantages of 10-bit media processing are higher color bit depth allowing for smoother color transitions in video, resolving color-banding issues, and bringing more than 1 billion colors to life in Ultra HD 4K.
The ViXS XCode 6400 device family is in commercial production now with immediate availability. Please contact sales@vixs.com for further information.