The chosen one — Entropic Communications, Inc. announced that BSkyB (Sky) selected Global Invacom to supply its new four-channel satellite channel router (SCR) incorporating Entropic’s Channel Stacking Switch (CSS) technology. Entropic [Nasdaq:ENTR] provides silicon solutions to enable connected home entertainment, and Global Invacom manufactures satellite and cable peripherals. This new solution will help Sky address demand from residents in multi-dwelling units (MDUs) for their Sky+ and Sky+HD set-top boxes and multi-room services.
It’s not easy accommodating many residential buildings, especially older ones, as they have limited cable access making it very difficult for for Sky+ and Sky+ HD, the U.K.’s digital video recorder (DVR) and high-definition (HD) services respectively to cost-effectively address the growing consumer demand from those in such buildings. Sky’s new four-channel SCR is designed specifically to address multi-dwelling units with limited cable access by leveraging the multi-tuner support enabled by Entropic’s CSS chipsets. CSS technology is able to support multiple tuners over a single cable. Sky’s new multi-switch can support up to two PVRs and a number of future Sky+ and Sky+HD boxes will have SCR technology built in to take advantage of this new multi-tuner support. With the new multi-switch, Sky can more easily upgrade existing customers to its Sky+ and Sky+HD boxes. This capability, supported by CSS technology, will help satisfy the additional demand from MDUs for DVR functionality and keep customers happy.
“We are very pleased that Global Invacom has successfully incorporated
Entropic’s CSS technology in our new SCR,” said Pascal Wharton, head of Sky Homes at BSkyB. “This technology will help us to cost-effectively expand our coverage for the MDU market and meet the entertainment
demands of our customers without costly retrofitting or rewiring.”
Global Invacom was selected as the OEM of choice to deliver the Sky SCR. The four-channel SCR multi-switch was designed to be flexible and scalable. The SCR can be deployed in dwellings with single cable topographies as well as in dwelling with twin “shotgun” cable infrastructures. Further, since the SCR was designed to be cascade-able, allowing multiple switches to be deployed in a series, it can provide programming to any size MDU.
Entropic’s CSS technology significantly reduces both the cost and the cabling complexity of single-family and multi-resident home satellite installations. Unlike traditional satellite installations, which require a unique cable for each tuner from the satellite dish to the set-top box, Entropic’s CSS chipsets enable multiple video streams from individual or multiple satellites into the home over a single cable. This simplified cabling architecture allows for the deployment of set-top boxes with multiple tuner capabilities, in multiple rooms without expensive installation or retrofitting. Additionally, CSS technology enables plug and play for set-top box upgrades and lets installers reuse existing cabling to quickly set up a DBS system.
