Cisco Unveils New Set-Top Models: Financial News

New Features Allow Consumers to Blend Digital Video and Social Networking Experiences With One Device

LAS VEGAS, NV--(MARKET WIRE)--Jan 7, 2008 -- International CES - Jan. 7, 2008 - Cisco® (NasdaqGS:CSCO - News) today announced the latest additions to its 8500HDC Digital Video Recorder (DVR) Set-Top Series, demonstrating that set-tops have come a long way from their predecessors. The new 8500HDC DVR models offer a broader set of features and technical innovations enabling the delivery of next-generation visual networking experiences. The emerging consumer experience category of visual networking blends streaming digital video technology with social networking, which enables more choice, easier navigation of content from the provider network and the Internet, higher-quality viewing and faster, more personalized interaction.

U.S. consumers have become more connected during the past ten years -- due in large part to their use of more than 50 million set-tops, 100 million wireless local-area network (WLAN) routers and 1 billion mobile phones to date. With its latest consumer products, including set-tops, Cisco helps create connections between people and what they treasure most, offering consumers innovative, new ways to communicate with friends and family, discover entertainment content and access information in different locations via multiple devices.

The three new models in the 8500HDC DVR series(1) offer a range of capabilities such as sharing Internet services and content across multiple device platforms and the portability of personal photos and video content. The 8500HDC DVR Series provides the ability to support key next-generation features such as:

 
--  Whole Home Content: Sharing DVR or user-generated Internet-based video
    content across multiple set-tops or personal computers (PCs) in the home;

--  Richer Media Experience and Navigation: Advanced programming guides,
    enhanced video navigation options, and integrated search functions across
    multiple devices;

--  Internet and Premium Content Services: Extended high-definition
    sports, international content, user-generated video, and Internet content
    now accessible on the television (TV) or mobile phone;

--  Device Docking and Storage: Photos and personal video from the PC
    available for viewing on TV, music downloaded from the PC to home
    entertainment and mobile devices;

--  Interactive and Community/Social Applications: Content and experience
    sharing, as well as communicating with other people across devices on the
    same network; and

--  Enhanced Video Communications: Instant messaging across multiple
    devices, home monitoring services and caller identification (ID) services
    across the TV or PC.

Additional Features Enhance Visual Networking Experience:

The latest additions to the 8500HDC series offer 800 mips (million instructions per second) of application processing power; dual 400MHz processors for MPEG-4 advanced video compression decoding; 1 GHz tuning; and optional OpenCable(TM) features. Additionally, the 8552HDC DVR model set-top is one of the first in the industry to offer Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) whole-home connection. MoCA adds Ethernet-over-coax support, enabling the transport of digital video and entertainment through existing coaxial cable in the home to other consumer home network devices.

"Many years of research and hard work have resulted in our developing new capabilities to meet the needs of our service provider customers and consumers," said Bob McIntyre, chief technical officer, Cisco Service Provider Group. "The 8500HDC DVR is vastly improved and has new features that surpass the PC you bought two years ago. The new Cisco set-top boxes were built to enable innovation and will soon be the must-have device for every home entertainment system."

The 8500HDC DVR Set-top Series models will be on display at the International Consumer Electronics Show, Jan. 7-10, 2008 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, North Hall Room N246.

These new 8500HDC series models are now commercially available for our service provider customers.

(1) Model numbers include: The 8550HDC with analog & digital tuning, the 8540HDC with Digital-Only tuning, and the 8552HDC with optional MoCA support.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco (NasdaqGS:CSCO - News) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

Cisco, Cisco Systems, the Cisco logo, the Cisco Systems logo and Scientific Atlanta are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

For direct RSS Feeds of all Cisco news, please visit "News@Cisco" at the following link:

http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/rss.html