CES: Broadcom Adds Sling Media Capabilities

Other new products for CES include first integrated MoCA 2.0 system on a chip offering and new over-the-top platforms

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/4/2012 8:00:00 AM

Complete Coverage: CES 2012

Semiconductor provider Broadcom will be launching a number of new products at the 2012 International CES that will include the integration of the EchoStar's Sling Media SDK into Broadcom's latest set-top-box (STB) system-on-a-chip (SoC) platforms and the launch of an integrated MoCA 2.0 SoC portfolio.

In two other separate announcements, Broadcom has also partnered with Myriad Group AG to simplify the delivery of Android apps on TVs and it will be launching a full range of platform solutions for hybrid TV and over-the-top media players that would allow existing digital TVs to be turned into smart TVs.

The new products reflect a growing demand for TV Everywhere services and the delivery of content to multiple screens, notes Steve Palm, senior technical director at Broadcom.

"Getting content that typically went from the set-top-box to the TV to tablets, mobile and all kinds of other devices in the home" is increasingly important for both operators and consumers, he noted.

That push to multiplatform delivery was also found in a new survey sponsored by Broadcom and conducted by JZ Analytics. It found that 62% of U.S. consumers would like to watch live TV on their laptops, tablets and smart phones if there was no charge for the service.

The Nov. 2011 poll of 1,025 consumers also found that 68% of those surveyed watch more than two online videos a day and that 87% estimated that they consume more than 10 hours a week of digital content.

Another 62% said they would like to stream content that can normally only be watched on their TV to such wireless devices as laptops, smartphones or tablet PCs and that 22% claimed to have six or more wireless devices in their homes, up from only 6% three years ago.

As part of the MoCA 2.0 announcement, Broadcom will be showcasing six new set-top box (STB) and Hybrid IP Gateway system on a chip (SoC) platforms. The company is billing the launch as first the industry's first MoCA 2.0-Integrated Portfolio.

By integrating MoCA 2.0 directly in the STB SoC, Palm notes that they can double the video bandwidth, while offering increased security and lower power consumption.

As part of the Sling Media announcement, Sling Media's licensed software ecosystem will be supported on the Broadcom's BCM7425 Dual HD Transcoding MoCA Gateway SoC. That paves the way for manufacturers of STBs and CE devices to offer consumers a place-shifting solution that will allow authenticated users to watch their favorite television content on any device with an internet connection.

Broadcom-powered boxes with Sling Media software will be available by the third quarter of 2012.