News

New Wireless TV From Vestel Based on Ubicom's Network Processor Delivers Faster Response Times to Customers and Better Network Throughput (8/9/2005)

Enables DVD-Grade Quality and Responsiveness to Streamed Video, Pictures and Audio Content

Ubicom(TM), Inc., a leading provider of communications processor and software solutions, today announced that Vestel(TM), one of the top manufacturers for consumer electronics products in the world, is following up a recent announcement of their production release of flat panel displays (FPDs) with digital media player (DMP) technology by introducing network connected versions of those same TVs. Demonstrations of the new TVs can be seen at the IFA 2005 trade show in Berlin, September 2-7, 2005.

The first-generation integrated DMP technology in Vestel's TVs enabled a user to view photos and movies or listen to music that is stored in flash memory cards by plugging the cards into a slot in the TV. This second generation with wireless networking makes it possible to access the same types of multimedia files, but the content can now also be stored on your PC, and the TV accesses it over a wireless 802.11g or wired 10/100 Ethernet connection. "The PC and consumer electronics industries are converging as multimedia content becomes completely digital. Our newest line of TVs positions Vestel at the forefront of this convergence, enabling customers with a home network installed to take full advantage of the music, photos, and even videos they have stored on one or more PCs in their home," said Ihsaner Alkim, chief technology officer of Vestel.

To address the unique challenges of streaming multimedia content over wireless networks, Vestel selected Ubicom's network processor optimized for wireless networking coupled with the KestrelMedia(TM) DMP middleware solution from Kestrelink. "We wanted to ensure that our customers experience the most reliable and robust implementation possible, effectively and transparently accessing all forms of content over a wireless network," said Murat Sarpel, deputy R&D general manager at Vestel. Many competing solutions have slow or even faulty responses to user commands, especially on requests that require real-time responsiveness over the network, such as fast forward or rewind during playback of a movie. Said Orhan Coskun, senior design architect for Vestel, "We felt that Kestrelink's solution, using a dual-processor approach based on Ubicom's IP3023(TM) network processor and ESS Technologies' ES6425 media processor, provided outstanding performance in handling the separate tasks of wireless networking, TCP/IP stream processing, audio/video (A/V) decoding, and GUI rendering, and we have been very pleased with the resulting performance of the solution."

According to Holmes Lundt, President of Kestrelink, "Our goal was to provide a networked streaming solution that feels and reacts like a DVD player, even though the content is actually being provided over a network rather than a local disc." A foundation technology that makes this possible is Ubicom's IP3023 network processor, a multi-threaded CPU optimized for wireless networking and packet processing applications. "The IP3023 provides the highest measured throughput on 802.11a/g networks, including support for turbo modes at greater than 50 Mbps for TCP-based streams. While the maximum bit rates in this application tend to peak around 10 Mbps, the extra performance our processor can deliver translates to faster response times to the customer, and better throughput at further distances. You can really see the benefit in Vestel's new line of FPDs," said Mark Throndson, product manager for Ubicom's networked multimedia technologies and network CPUs.

To find available content sources on the network and communicate with them, these new networked FPDs use UPnP-AV technology. This enables the FPD to communicate with PCs running Windows(R) Media Connect server application from Microsoft(R), which Vestel is bundling with the TV, but can also be freely downloaded from Microsoft's Web site. In addition, Vestel is targeting compliance with the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) v1.0 guidelines, planning for certification in conjunction with the rollout of the DLNA's formal certification process later this year. Conforming to DLNA guidelines ensures compatibility with a much broader range of PC-based, embedded, and Internet media servers.

The DMP functionality in Vestel's network-enabled FPDs plays a variety of video, photo, and audio file formats. These include MP3 and WMA files for audio, JPEG and BMP files for photos and graphics, and MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4 SP, DIVX 3.11/4.x/5.x and MJPEG files for video.

Vestel sells in 103 countries under OEM and Vestel brands. A pre-eminent solution provider and a first class OEM company, Vestel leverages design expertise, quality, and high volume to deliver products sold under a number of major consumer electronics (CE) company brands. Vestel is introducing these FPDs in limited markets in Europe with rollout to the rest of Europe and sourcing to international CE companies in early 2006.

www.ubicom.com