Businessweek

Pace Micro Technology plc engages in the design, development, and distribution of digital receivers and receiver decoders which provide a gateway for the reception of digital television and the reception/transmission of interactive services, telephony and high-speed data. The company also provides support services and software applications to its set-top box customers. Each of these services is delivered over satellite, cable, terrestrial and IP network transmission systems. The company’s digital set-top boxes have been installed in around 12.5 million consumer homes. Products The company creates set-top boxes on more platforms. The Pace engineering teams works at bases in the U.K, U.S and France and Tata Elxsi in India. They design set-top boxes for operators and broadcasters who provide digital TV and interactive services on cable, satellite, terrestrial and telecommunications platforms. The company supplies its set-top boxes to various digital TV broadcasters, operators and retail customers. Pace's solutions range from adapters, to digital television services, to personal video recorders and high definition set-top boxes. Satellite The company launched its digital satellite service in 1995. Its satellite product range starts with basic adapter units such as the DTVA or the DS210, which its German customer Premiere is using for its satellite network. Cable Pace cable products have been used by service operators in the U.K. and U.S. to deliver digital television services. The company’s solutions range from delivery of essential multichannel TV, to interactive services such as video-on-demand, e-commerce and high-speed data. The DC210 and DC220 entry level series are targeted at operators such as the company's German customers Premiere and Kabel Deutschland. The company supplies its mid-range box, the Di4000 to the UK’s cable operators Ntl and Telewest, the Di300 to Ntl in Ireland and US operators with its ‘standard definition’ product the DC510. In the U.S. the company has developed cable products, including the ground-breaking DC550 high definition box. It also engages in the development of its high definition set-top box for Motorola-based networks, the DC755. For operators needing a more complex set-top box platform outside of the U.S., the company has completed development of the interactive DC610, with a DOCSIS cable modem. Personal video recorders (PVR) and high definition (HD) The company has built a significant knowledge base in these technologies through products such as Sky+ and the DC550 and all of its product roadmaps include options for PVR and HD. Digital broadband media (DBM) The company engages in the development of support for the video coding standards including MPEG4 Part 10 (H.264) and Microsoft Windows Media 9 (VC-9). Terrestrial (DTT) Digital terrestrial services are delivered through existing TV aerials. The company offers pay and free-to-air digital terrestrial products. In addition to its set-top box products, the company is working with a number of TV manufacturers to build its DTT technology into integrated digital televisions (iDTV), a particularly important move in markets where digital terrestrial is used for non-payTV services. Strategic Alliances In September 2009, Pace plc has partnered with Viaccess. The new collaboration would enable Pace to take use of Viaccess' enhanced conditional access (CA) security solutions in advanced DTT, DTH and IPTV digital TV entertainment solutions for consumers across Europe. Customers The company’s customers include Arab Radio and Television (ART), Bright House Networks, BSkyB, Canal+, Comcast Communications Inc., Foxtel, Kabel Deutschland GmbH (KDG), Kingston Communications, NTL, NTV-Plus, ONO, Premiere, Sky Italia, Sky (New Zealand), Star TV (Asia, India), Telewest Communications, Time Warner Cable and Viasat Broadcasting. History Pace Micro Technology plc, was founded in 1982.