August 29, 2011

Pace Set-Top Client Receives RVU Certification

The Pace C30 set-top box is the first device to go through the RVU Alliance certification program, which is run by the independent University of New Hampshire Interoperability Laboratory. The certification marks a major milestone in the development of whole home client/server technology for the U.S. payTV industry, and in the adoption of the RVU standard.

The C30 will be compatible with RVU servers from payTV service providers, including the DirecTV HR34 Home Media Center, which is undergoing field trials now.

RVU is a client/server-based technology that allows the TV viewer to experience a consistent, pixel-accurate server-generated user interface on various consumer electronics devices. The RVU specification uses widely implemented UPnP and DLNA technologies to enable a gateway device such as an advanced set-top box to work with non-proprietary client devices such as connected TVs, Blu-ray players, and set-top boxes.

Pace is a member of The RVU Alliance, founded by Broadcom, Cisco, DirecTV, Samsung and Verizon, which facilitates the adoption of an open standard technology that allows service providers to expand their unique UI and user experience onto standard consumer devices without the need for proprietary equipment.

The Pace C30 RVU Client is an optimized, small footprint set-top box solution, which works in conjunction with an RVU server to provide HD content and DVR capabilities to consumers via a consistent, feature-rich user interface. The publicly-available RVU technology standard allows a single server in a household to serve multiple clients simultaneously, providing every TV in a household with the same user experience. Pace developed the C30 solution in cooperation with JetHead Development, to form part of the next generation DirecTV whole home platform, targeted for release at the end of this year.