Motorola's new IPTV box features plug-and-play upgrade to DVR
While it had a streaming IP box for Comcast and and gateway for Time Warner to show off at the US cable show, in the UK Motorola's newest set-top box is this VIP1853. Its trick feature is an easy access hard drive port that lets it add a hard drive (or upgrade to a larger one) with the click of a button. It seems like a nice trick for pay-TV operators to roll out new boxes for low prices when it becomes available in Q3, but we'd probably prefer the ability to add our own storage (at sizes greater than the max 500GB allowed here) via USB or eSATA.
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Motorola Mobility Unveils New IPTV Set-Top with a 'Click-in' DVR Module
Motorola VIP1853 enables users to add video recording capability and capacity by installing a DVR module
June 28, 2011
LINKOPING, Sweden – June 28, 2011 - Motorola Mobility UK Ltd is giving service providers an elegant and cost-effective solution for expanding their service offerings with the new Motorola VIP1853 – an IP set-top with a 'click-in' Digital Video Recording (DVR) module. The Motorola VIP1853 was designed to reduce set-top box deployment costs for operators without compromising on performance by enabling them to choose the DVR capacity for set-tops.
With the Motorola VIP1853, service providers can market a set-top that can be easily upgraded for customers wanting to add DVR capability to their basic box or wanting to expand their recording capacity with an additional or larger capacity module. The flexible design of the Motorola VIP1853 offers a choice of DVR capacity – it has an 8GB DVR module that supports trick play/pause functionality, and hard drive capacity can be increased to 160, 320 or 500GB for full featured DVR functionality.
"The Motorola VIP1853 can further strengthen the operator's relationship with its subscriber base and differentiates its position in the marketplace by offering a high performance IP set-top with a lower cost DVR option," said Keith Kelley, vice president, home devices, Motorola Mobility. "The modular design of the Motorola VIP1853 is attractive and environmentally friendly, and allows subscribers to increase the enjoyment of their home entertainment service with its opt-in DVR capacity at an affordable and easy-to-control price point."
This latest addition to Motorola's line of high-performance, IP set tops, comes in a sleek, compact design and by optimizing the feature set and employing an efficient mechanical design, Motorola has achieved an extremely cost-effective solution. In addition, the Motorola VIP1853 has low power consumption thereby helping to minimize its impact on the environment.
The Motorola VIP1853 works on the same hardware platform and runs on the same software as the highly successful Motorola VIP19x3 and Motorola VIP1003 set tops and boasts an even higher performance level. It is compatible with Motorola KreaTV 4.2 or higher, Motorola's open software application framework designed to enable operators to deliver carrier-class IPTV services, while being able to easily add new functionality and services at any time. This allows the service provider to grow according to business needs and customer demands.
The Motorola VIP1853 is expected to be available for delivery globally from Q3 2011 and be launched by a major European operator by the end of 2011.
About Motorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE:MMI) fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people's lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.
