Pace introduces set-tops for TV-over-DSL

Pace Micro Technology today introduced a family of IP-based set-top boxes to meet a demand for TV-over-DSL that the company is predicting will boom in the next few years.

The boxes, including the base model IP420 that will sell for under $200 in volume, were introduced at IBC 2002 in Amsterdam. The new family of boxes can be used by carriers to create an end-to-end Windows Media method of delivering video and multimedia services over IP networks running on DSL lines, the company said.

“The market for IPTV over DSL is gaining momentum,” said David Novak, vice president of marketing for Pace in North America. “The IP400 family … opens up the opportunity more than ever before for telcos and broadband IP operators to launch television services.”

Steve Farmer, head of Pace’s IPTV division marketing, conceded the TV-over-DSL market today currently is very small, but predicted that by 2006 there will be 6 million homes worldwide and between 2 and 2.5 million homes in the U.S. and Canada receiving television via DSL.

“We spent a lot of time talking to telcos who were gearing up for this,” said Farmer. “The companies do not want to declare their hands too early [but] both big guys and small guys are very interested.”

In addition to the base model IP420, the new box family includes the two products that will be Windows Media 9 series-capable, the company said, with a number of advanced interactive capabilities. The high-end version will also contain dual tuners. Connectivity will be provided using Ethernet and USB.