Pace throws down IP215, an H.264 set-top box
Pace Micro Technology is known moreso for their set-top box development moreso than their forays into PVP-land, and happily so for they're putting out what looks like the world's first H.264-based hardware set-top box, the IP215. You know H.264 — the codec to end all codecs, the one that Apple is betting will usher in the year of HD. Offloading all of the nasty decoding work to the hardware box frees up a lot of processing power hogged up by software-based solutions, making this unit a rather interesting device in the field of IPTV. Pace is even saying this box could come in at the sub-$100 price level, which would make it attractive to telcos and operators looking to make the convergence leap to broadband TV/HDTV. They do have deals with Comcast and Time Warner in some markets, so anything's possible — we're keeping our eyes peeled and the cliches a-flowin'.
[Via TRFJ]
