TelcoTV Conference & Expo Announces 2008 Vision Awards Finalists

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- TelcoTV, the premier meeting place for the massive convergence of the entertainment and communications markets, has determined the finalists for the 1st Annual TelcoTV Vision Awards, which recognize the most compelling new products, applications, or services in each of the six designated categories: Broadband Access Networks, Conditional Access, Customer Premises Equipment, Middleware, Encoding, and Service Provider Innovation. A seventh award, Best in Show, will be bestowed upon the most innovative, most interesting technology from among all the nominees.

The 2008 TelcoTV Vision Awards winners will be announced before an audience of eco-system partners, service providers, analysts, and technology and business press at TelcoTV on Wednesday, November 12, at 1:30 PM in room 207A of the Anaheim Convention Center, immediately following the Heavy Reading consumer research presentation "Is IPTV Ready for the Prime Time Consumer?"

The TelcoTV Vision Awards recognize the most innovative and "visionary" new products, services, or applications announced in the communications industry in the past year. The finalists were determined by a distinguished panel of industry executives, analysts and service providers: Bernardin Arnason, Chairman, TelcoTV; Joseph Braue, SVP and Group Director, Light Reading; Steve Fravel, Video Services Manager, NTCA; Keith Galitz, President, Canby Telcom; Aditya Kishore, Senior Analyst, Heavy Reading; Kevin McGuire, VP Business & Technology, NTCA; and David Osborn, General Manager, Valley Telephone Cooperative.

There was an overwhelming response to the announcement of the TelcoTV Vision Awards, with more than 65 entries received. The finalists in each category include:

  Broadband Access Networks
  --  Calix: 762G Optical Network Terminal (ONT)
  --  Motorola: Amplified PON
  --  Pannaway: MAGNM-20

  Conditional Access
  --  SecureMedia: Encryptonite ONE System Release 2
  --  Verimatrix: VCAS for IPTV 2.3
  --  Widevine Technologies: Widevine Cypher for Digital Media

  Customer Premises Equipment
  --  Amino Communications: AmiNET130M
  --  Advanced Digital Broadcasting: ADB-5811WX - advanced
      high-def/standard-def/MPEG2/MPEG4 IPTV set-top box
  --  Sigma Designs: SMP8654 media processor system-on-chip (SoC)

  Middleware
  --  Ericsson: IMS Integrated IPTV Middleware
  --  Mariner Partners: HomeVu
  --  Thomson: Personalised TV

  Encoding
  --  Envivio: 4Caster C4
  --  Thomson: ViBE encoders (fast channel change)
  --  Tandberg Television: iPlex UltraCompression Transcoder

  Service Provider Innovation Award
  --  AT&T: U-verse Total Home DVR
  --  BEK Communications: BEK TV
  --  QuickPlay Media: Rogers Vision

The seventh annual TelcoTV08 Conference & Expo is the largest IPTV and video event for communications service providers in the United States, with more than 150 exhibitors. It is produced by TechWeb's Light Reading Communications Network, which is part of United Business Media LLC, in partnership with the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association.

About Light Reading

Founded in 2000, Light Reading (http://www.lightreading.com/) is the leading online media, research, and focused event company serving the $3 trillion worldwide communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the media sector in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading's research arms, Heavy Reading and Pyramid Research, provide the most comprehensive communications research, market data, and technology analysis in close to 100 markets around the world. Light Reading produces almost 20 targeted communications events including TelcoTV, Ethernet Expo New York and Ethernet Expo London, The Tower Summit @ CTIA, and Optical Expo, as well as focused one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives. Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005, and operates as a unit of TechWeb.

About TechWeb

TechWeb (http://www.techweb.com/aboutus) the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our global face-to-face events Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network, Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and The Financial Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services ranging from next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.

About United Business Media Limited (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/)

United Business Media Limited (UBM) is a global media and marketing services company that informs markets and brings the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print, and with the information they need to do business successfully. UBM serves professional and commercial communities, from IT professionals to doctors, from journalists to jewelry dealers, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. UBM employs more than 6,500 people in more than 30 countries. UBM's businesses operating in the US include CMPMedica, Commonwealth Business Media, Everything Channel, PR Newswire, RISI, TechInsights, TechWeb and Think Services. UBM is listed on the London Stock Exchange (UBM.L) and has a market capitalization of $2.5 billion.

About NTCA

The National Telecommunications Cooperative Association is the premier association representing more than 580 locally owned and managed telecommunications cooperatives and commercial companies throughout rural America. NTCA provides its members with legislative, regulatory, and industry representation; meetings; publications and educational programs; and an array of employee benefit programs. Visit us at http://www.ntca.org/.

  CONTACT:
  Tony Fisch
  President, Tony Fisch Consulting
  (323) 461-7878
  tony@fischconsulting.com

SOURCE: TechWeb

CONTACT: Tony Fisch, President, Tony Fisch Consulting, +1-323-461-7878,
tony@fischconsulting.com

Web Site: http://www.lightreading.com/
http://www.ntca.org/
http://www.techweb.com/aboutus
http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/

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