Microsoft and several manufacturers have announced the availability of new Internet television set-top boxes with advanced system-on-a-chip (SoC) designs, responding to demands from network operators for home devices with embedded systems.Cisco Systems, Koninklijke Philips Electronics, Motorola and Tatung are offering SoC-based IP television set-top boxes designed to meet the needs of carriers deploying the Microsoft IPTV Edition software platform, the companies said Tuesday in a joint statement.The systems include chipsets from Sigma Designs and STMicroelectronics.“The early set-top boxes were based on PC architectures, but what carriers really wanted were set-top boxes with embedded systems,” said Rudy Roth, senior director of product strategy in Philips’ consumer electronics telco division. “The new boxes meet this demand.” Integrated into the boxes are several components, including the demodulator, MPEG-2 decoder, video output and the processor, according to Roth. Security components for Microsoft’s software are also included.In addition, the new set-top boxes are equipped with technology to enable DVD-quality video at speeds up to 1.5Mbps over ADSL2+ (asymmetric DSL) lines, Roth said. The fully integrated home systems are designed to help carriers roll out IPTV services more easily, quickly and cost-efficiently, the statement said.-John Blau, IDG News Service (Dusseldorf Bureau)Related Links: Microsoft’s IPTV Software Hits Europe Microsoft, Juniper Team Up in IPTV Pact Apple ‘iTV’ Targets Couch PotatoesCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content events promotion Australia's CIO50 Team of the Year Awards finalists revealed Along with the unveiling of the annual CIO50 List and the team category winners, the 2023 CIO50 Awards will also recognise the inaugural Next CIO winner and a new Hall of Fame recipient. By Cathy O'Sullivan May 31, 2023 3 mins IDG Events brandpost API security: key to interoperability or key to an organization? Understanding the risks of using APIs and how to prepare to address those risks. By Keith Zelinski, Managing Director, Technology Consulting May 31, 2023 6 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Designing the campus of the future starts with high-quality 10 Gbps connectivity By Huawei May 31, 2023 4 mins Network Architect Networking Devices Networking brandpost How an Indian real-estate juggernaut keeps growing by harnessing the power of zero A South Indian real-estate titan is known for the infinite variety and impressive scale of its projects, but one of its most towering achievements amounts to nothing literally. By Michael Kure, SAP Contributor May 31, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe