Pioneer Electronics which claims to be a leader in cable television digital set-top boxes (STBs) has announced that it has begun shipping its Voyager 3510HD digital STB to Time Warner Cable.

Engineered to meet the demand for high-definition television (HDTV) entertainment, the new STB is competitively priced with many rich features. Pioneer's Voyager 3510HD offers viewers the ability to enjoy maximum picture quality from analogue, digital and HDTV signals. With the Voyager 3510HD, cable customers will have the ability to view high-definition programmes in all 16 ATSC formats supported by the cable industry including 720p, 1080i, as well as 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios.

An official release informs that cable ops want to offer the most compelling HD tier to gain a distinct advantage over satellite. The Voyager 3510HD will ensure that cable operators can offer the most superior platform, at the most competitive price, guaranteeing true value for their customers.

The features that the Voyager 3510HD offers include:

Graphics Over HD Video -- Pioneer's 3510HD supports full graphics over HD capability with video scaling, allowing cable customers to enjoy uninterrupted HD content while viewing programme descriptions or utilising other capabilities of an interactive programme guide.

High Definition Decoding Capabilities -- The set top box decodes all 16 Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) high-definition digital formats supported by the cable industry including 480p, 720p and 1080i. It also outputs to a variety of devices including plasma, HDTV-ready TVs, and standard televisions.

Aspect Ratio Control -- This allows the user to determine the video format based on their TV and personal viewing preference for a variety of display options. Setting zoom, stretch or letterbox aspects can be done through a simple on-screen user interface.

Video Up and Down Conversion -- Customer configurable controls enable the Voyager 3510HD to output screen resolutions optimised for any display type. Incoming video resolutions are detected and up-converted or down-converted automatically based on the configured output.

The release states that Pioneer has a 25-year history as a leading hardware provider in the cable television industry. The company has deployed more than 10 million analogue and digital cable set-top boxes within the US, featuring the Voyager series of advanced digital cable products.