Prime integrates NDS MediaHighway MiddleWare into new set-top boxes

[BGonaSTICK]

Highlights:

• NDS provides MediaHighway™ middleware for new set-top box (STB) developed by Prime Electronics & Satellitics, Inc. (“Prime”).

• NDS partnership with STMicroelectronics (“ST”) on STB provides a turnkey solution enabling a more rapid time to market.

• Integration with Prime enhances NDS’s share of international middleware market.

• First deployment of new STBs anticipated to begin in Italy in the second half of 2006.

NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced an agreement with Prime, a leading manufacturer and developer of advanced digital satellite communications and wireless consumer electronic products, to integrate MediaHighway™ middleware into a new STB to be produced by Prime. With 38.4 million cumulative STBs activated with NDS middleware as of March 31, 2006, the integration between MediaHighway and Prime further cements NDS’s position as one of the preferred middleware solutions providers in the industry.

MediaHighway will provide Prime’s new STB with a fully compliant DVB-MHP open standard middleware, enabling the execution of interactive TV applications. The new STB will be based on the turnkey approach developed by NDS with its partner ST, one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers, enabling a quicker time to market for Prime’s customers. The new STB already complies with the conditional access requirements for the Italian market and the initial deployment of the STBs is expected to begin in Italy in the second half of 2006.

Caroline Le Bigot, Vice President and General Manager of NDS France, commented: “We are delighted that Prime has chosen NDS’s MediaHighway middleware solutions for their new set-top box. The combination of NDS middleware and ST chipsets will enable broadcasters to offer consumers a more powerful and flexible TV service, with extremely fast deployment capabilities. Our partnership with Prime further solidifies our position as one of the leading international middleware providers and we look forward to launching these new STBs in Italy and elsewhere around the world.”

Daniel Hsieh, President of Prime, said, “NDS has proven itself as the most innovative and successful middleware supplier, with a wide array of premier set-top box partners from around the globe, and we are very happy to be part of this family. Our collaboration on this new set-top box is a further sign of our confidence in NDS’s technology, which will help us to further extend our international footprint moving forward.”

About Prime.
Prime Electronics & Satellitics Inc. is a leading manufacturer specialized in developing and manufacturing advanced digital satellite communication and wireless consumer electronic products. Prime's satellite communication products cover the a wide variety of LNBs (Low Noise Block-converters), MS (multi-switches), satellite accessories and IRD (Set-Top Boxes) for worldwide satellite TV, CATV, and Internet markets. Prime's wireless consumer electronic products also cover Video Sender and wireless enterprise and home network applications.

This announcement follows hot on the heels of the announcement earlier this month that Premiere, the leading pay-TV operator in Germany and Austria had chosen the NDS MediaHighway™ middleware solution to set up an advanced interactive digital TV platform.

Source: NDS