BendBroadband, an independent cable operator in Bend, Ore., will deploy Evolution Digital's relatively inexpensive HD universal digital transport adapters -- priced at less than $50 apiece -- designed to work in both Cisco Systems and Motorola cable systems.
The Evolution Digital HD uDTA measures 3.5 x 1 x 4.5 inches. The vendor is not disclosing specific pricing but said the HD uDTAs cost less than $50 per unit, which it estimated is one-fifth the cost of HD set-top boxes two years ago.
BendBroadband -- which completed the conversion to all-digital at the start of 2009 -- is the first U.S. operator to deploy the Evolution Digital HD uDTAs. The deployment includes full self-install kits, and the uDTAs also include RF remote control technology that require no line of sight to the unit. BendBroadband will offer the HD uDTA devices from Evolution Digital to bulk hospitality accounts such as hotels.
The Federal Communications Commission in October 2010 ruled that cable operators could deploy HD DTAs with integrated security functions, in an exemption from its integrated set-top ban.
"It's encouraging to see how the cost of technology has decreased through new providers like Evolution Digital entering the cable space," BendBroadband director of marketing Mark Hobbs said in a statement. "This device will give us a low-cost advantage when marketing our services to bulk accounts."
Evolution Digital's HD uDTA supports SD and HD MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 video services, with HDMI and RF outputs that support resolutions of 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i. The devices provide tuning up to 1 GHz with MoCA rejection and supports RF universal remote control.
