BSKYB HERALDS REVOLUTIONARY INTEGRATED DIGIBOX

BRITISH Sky Broadcasting (BskyB) have announced plans to launch their second Personal Television Recorder (PTR) in the first quarter of 2001.
The PTR will combine an enhanced digital satellite set-top decoder with a 40 gigabyte advanced hard-disk recording facility.
The announcement, which coincides with the launch of IBC 2000 in Amsterdam, is the result of two years of development between BSkyB and Technology partners NBC, NEC, Open TV and Pace Micro Technology.
BSkyB’s integrated PTR records up to 40 hours of programming in the original digital signal.
The new PTR will include two digital satellite tuners, meaning that digital satellite television viewers in the UK will be able to watch one live digital programme while simultaneously recording another for viewing at a convenient time.
The unit incorporates NDS’s XTV technology, which enables personalised TV services as well as encrypted recording of all content to be stored on the hard disk, ensuring that decryption of that content remains under the control of the NDS conditional access system.
BSKyB is set to launch its first PTR next month, the BSkyB TiVo box based on US technology outfit TiVo’ PTR technology.
BSkyB’s Chief Executive Tony Ball said: “By extending the range of hardware we offer to UK consumers, BSkyB is broadening customer choice. The TiVo Recorder will work whether the viewer receives their television through terrestrial, cable, or digital satellite, while BSkyB’s integrated Personal Television Recorder will offer additional enhanced functionality specifically for digital satellite homes.”
The branding and price to consumers of the PTR will be announced in the lead up to the consumer launch.