Pioneer Digital Technologies Delivers Passport Echo DVR Interactive Navigation Suite to Motorola DCT Digital Set-Top Platform
The Company’s Popular High-Resolution Interactive Navigation Suite, Supporting DVR and HD Technology Now Available on Both Headend Systems and Set-top Platforms
Pioneer Digital Technologies, Inc., a leader in interactive digital cable navigation software, today announced that its Passport Echo™ interactive DVR navigation suite has been validated by Motorola’s Horizon Program for use on the Motorola DCT platform. The company’s popular high-resolution navigation suite, supporting digital video recording (DVR) and high definition (HD) technology can now be deployed on the Motorola DCT6208 and DCT6412 high definition DVR-enabled digital set-tops.
This revolutionary software gives cable operators another tool to compete with alternative video service providers. Cable subscribers can now enjoy a great service enabling them to take control of their viewing choices with the most advanced, user-friendly navigation system and user interface available on cable TV today. With high-resolution graphics, intuitive control, and clever power-user features, Passport Echo delivers a gratifying experience to all types of viewers.
Passport Echo is platform independent and engineered to take advantage of the hard-drives in next-generation digital cable set-top boxes. Its advanced feature-set and finely-tooled interface graphics are designed to let DVR customers easily store and watch their favorite programming at their own convenience. Cable customers are no longer confined to watching a particular show at a particular time.
Passport Echo’s advanced feature set includes:
- Series Manager: By setting menu preferences in advance, the intelligence of Passport Echo allows viewers to select and automatically store favorite shows on the hard disk drive of their digital cable set-top on a continuous basis without having to set up timers week after week.
- Content Management Priority System: Refined software features enable viewers to prioritize video to be stored on their DVR’s hard disk drive. Preferences can be set to store first-run episodes of a favorite show, a favorite show on any channel where it appears, a favorite show only in its primetime slot, or all shows any time they air including syndicated cable. A priority system also allows viewers to let Passport Echo automatically manage hard disk drive space. An hourglass icon accompanied by a number of days is shown on the ‘Saved Shows’ display to alert the viewers of estimated time remaining to watch the program before it is erased from the hard disk drive. Viewers can also “lock” one or more programs to keep them on their DVR until they are manually deleted.
Because broadcasts are continuously being cached, Passport Echo viewers can time-shift “live” video. It’s also just as easy to pause live action for any unscheduled intermissions. Ultimately this allows the user to harness and take command of their live programming.
“Porting Passport Echo to Motorola’s DCT platform represents one of our company’s greatest achievements to date, making the cable TV viewer’s experience especially rewarding on all platforms,” said Neil Jones, senior vice president of Pioneer Digital Technologies, Inc. “Passport Echo offers a compelling consumer product to attract new customers, and upgrade existing customers, to a new revenue-generating service and provides the most extensive cable TV navigation software available to cable operators today.”
Passport Echo now operates on all deployed DVR equipped cable set-top boxes and supports all analog and digital broadcast standards including the industry’s latest offering, high-definition signals.
About the Motorola Horizon Program
Motorola created the Horizon Program to facilitate independent software vendor (ISV) partners in the development and implementation of interactive TV solutions, including IPGs, VOD, personal video recording (PVR), Internet access, gaming, targeted advertising, e-mail, and commerce applications. These applications enable broadband network operators to create additional cash flow and decrease customer churn. The Horizon Program is used as a benchmark for broadband network operators as they choose the software, content, and applications to deliver to their subscribers. The ACADIA Application Integration Center, a wholly owned subsidiary of Motorola Broadband, is the supporting facility for the Horizon Program. It provides resources and expertise to take applications and other software solutions from prototype to commercial deployment. ACADIA is an independent development and integration entity, with a staff completely dedicated to supporting the Motorola Horizon Program.
About Pioneer Digital Technologies, Inc.
Pioneer Digital Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of interactive program guides (IPG) to the cable television industry. Millions of copies of its Passport navigation and application suite are deployed nationwide to cable MSOs on a variety of digital cable set-top platforms. With its steadfast dedication to technological development, Pioneer Digital Technologies continues to be an innovative supplier of IPGs and interactive applications. For more information visit www.pioneerdigital.com.