Akimbo Selects Intel Set-Top Box Reference Design For Akimbo Player

22-Apr-04

Akimbo Systems, the company that in June 2004 will launch the nation's largest video-on-demand service for television, revealed details about the Akimbo Player, the initial platform for the Akimbo Service. Akimbo chose the Intel 815 Digital Set Top Box Reference Design to create a sleek set-top box that will receive, store and play high-quality video sent from the Akimbo Service. The Intel 815 reference design was selected by Akimbo because its low-cost software-centric architecture allows for unlimited flexibility with respect to advanced media formats, software enhancements, and upgrades to future services. ""Akimbo is a perfect realization of Intel's vision of the digital home, where consumers will be able to enjoy all kinds of content at any time, anywhere, on many kinds of devices,"" said Glenda M. Dorchak Vice-President, Desktop Platforms Group and General Manager, Consumer Electronics Group at Intel. ""Akimbo is creating new and stimulating experiences for consumers, who will now have access to vast libraries of video content on their TVs, delivered in a more individualized manner than has ever been possible before."" ""Intel provided the best reference design choice for the Akimbo Player since the Intel 815 platform allows us to quickly produce the Akimbo Player,"" said Josh Goldman, chief executive officer of Akimbo. ""With a secure and consumer friendly set-top box that easily connects to the TV and the Internet, we can deliver our revolutionary service to consumers who are eager for more choice in television programming."" The Akimbo Service will feature more than 20,000 hours of video in 50 categories including independent films, foreign language, news, health and fitness, sports, children and education. The Akimbo Service automatically delivers an onscreen program guide filled with video previews and editorial information and providing viewer options like parental controls. From the guide, Akimbo subscribers choose which programming they would like to download to the Akimbo Player for later viewing. Then, each time Akimbo subscribers turn on the TV, they will have up to 200 hours of fresh video, previews and editorial information waiting for them. The Akimbo Player is expected to start at $199. The monthly subscription to the Akimbo Service will be $9.99. For more information, please visit www.akimbo.com.

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