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nCUBE will demonstrate the world's most scalable network-based personal video recorder (nPVR) systems at Cable 2001, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's (NCTA) 50th Annual Convention and International Exposition in Chicago, June 10-13. The nCUBE nPVR solution uses the unparalleled scalability of the company's n4 streaming media appliance to enable cable operators to store a week's work of programming for up to 200 digital channels, giving cable subscribers full VCR control over their cable programming. nCUBE's Cable 2001 booth will be located at McCormick Place, #1734.

Currently, PVR solutions are "client-side" models with a hard-disk drive and MPEG encoder built into a customized set-top box. Network PVR is "server-side", with encoders and disk drives stored at the network headend, creating no need for consumers to purchase expensive in-home devices or tangle with complicated installation processes in order to have the ability to pause, rewind, fast forward programming or call up shows from earlier in the week. The nCUBE PVR solution gives cable operators the ability to control what channels or programs they wish to store and how long that storage should last.

nCUBE provides the only system that can scale to the storage and stream input requirements of network-based PVR, whereas other systems cannot economically store thousands of hours of programming nor can they ingest the dozens of simultaneous streams needed to offer a full PVR service. As a leading server vendor for video-on-demand (VOD), nCUBE offers network operators a unique and cost-effective method of integrating VOD and PVR services.

nPVR has much higher storage needs than VOD. To store one week of 100 channels of programming a server will need to be able ingest 16,800 hours. The n4's unique scalability allow it to stream up to 60,000 streams per server, significantly larger than any other market offering. In addition the n4 requires only a single content copy for serving hundreds or thousands of homes, greatly reducing costs for operators.

"This is a very exciting period, we are pioneering a whole new concept with nPVR, " said Daniel Sheeran, senior vice president, worldwide sales and marketing, nCUBE. "Issues like the effect of ingesting so much programming into a server and how that reduces the server's ability to stream out to subscribers has financial and business ramifications in the number of servers and pieces of content operators have to purchase if they want to satisfy their customer's desire for personalized television experiences."

About nCUBE
nCUBE (www.nCUBE.com) provides scalable streaming media solutions to all broadband networks. Broadband operators worldwide count on nCUBE to provide solutions for broadband video-on-demand, IP streaming media and advertising insertion.

The company's core product line, the n4 streaming media appliance, can scale from 100 megabits per second to 128 gigabits per second of streaming media from a single system. nCUBE systems are used by today's leading interactive television companies. nCUBE's distinguished customer and partner list includes: Alcatel, AT&T, Bertelsmann, Enron Broadband Services, Cisco Systems, Charter Communications, Gemstar-TV Guide, Liberate, Motorola, Scientific-Atlanta, RealNetworks, Telewest Communications and Time Warner. nCUBE is a contributing member of numerous industry forums and standards bodies including the ISO/IEC MPEG committee, Digital Video Broadcasting, Society of Cable Television Engineers and Internet Engineering Task Force. The company is based in Foster City, Calif., with sales and customer support offices in Colorado, Oregon, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and China.

Source: nCUBE