TVonics, a Welsh start up company is celebrating winning a significant order to supply set top boxes to DSG international, Europe's leading specialist electrical retailer.

TVonics has designed and developed a small, highly stylish state-of-the-art set top box decoder which enables conventional analogue televisions to receive digital television broadcasts such as the popular Freeview service in the UK.

The set-top box will be sold under the premium Ferguson brand and called FD1 PRISM, with the first shipment of the manufactured units expected to reach the retail shelves of Dixons and Currys stores in the UK by the end of September.

It is a highly significant first order for TVonics, a start-up company that moved into the Technium Digital@Sony business innovation and incubation centre based in Sony’s technology centre at Pencoed, South Wales just seven months ago.

In February, TVonics were at the design and development stage; by July they began a prototype production run of 100 units and this month they commenced mass production.TVonics has a talented team of highly skilled hardware and software design specialists who previously
designed digital television receivers for Sony. The company now sub contracts the manufacture of their own TVonics designed set top box to Sony’s’ Manufacturing facility at the Sony Technology Centre, Pencoed continuing the facilities long established role in the manufacture and supply of digital television receiver products for the UK and European markets.

It is estimated there are up to 80 million televisions and VCRs in the UK and that throughout Europe some 600million units will need to be converted or replaced with digital in the next ten years as analogue television broadcasts are progressively replaced by digital broadcasting throughout Europe.

Paul Fellows, Founder and CEO of TVonics said “Dixons is the UK’s specialist for new technology and Currys is the UK’s biggest chain of electrical superstores, so we are delighted to have secured this contract. The decoder we have designed is stylish and unique in the market and incorporates the latest technology to deliver a fast, responsive performance with good digital television reception quality.” Paul added that “With the recent announcement by the UK government that it intends to commence analogue television switch off in 2008 with the view to a complete transition to digital television transmission by 2012, we are very pleased to be able to offer to the British public, a British designed and manufactured
product with enables them to watch digital television channels on their existing analogue television sets.

TVonics Chief Operating Officer, Andy Carr commented that the production support provided by Sony Manufacturing has been exemplary and has enabled TVonics to expediently enter the high growth digital terrestrial television market place in record time.

Andrew Davies, Minister for Economic Development and Transport, said the partnership between TVonics and Sony illustrated the benefits of the Technium Digital@Sony. “Tenant companies are offered unrivalled access to Sony’s specialist manufacturing and testing equipment
as well as the expertise of their highly experienced engineering staff.”

“This has been an important element in enabling TVonics progressing into mass manufacturing in such a short time frame and securing such a prestigious order.

“The combination of hi tech skills and expertise in software and hardware design at TVonics, coupled with Sony’s manufacturing capability is proving to be a winning combination.”

TVonics specialises in the design and manufacture of Digital Set Top boxes. It also provides consultancy services to television, monitor and personal computer manufacturers seeking to enter the digital market. TVonics plans to provide the core technology to fully integrate digital television reception within flat panel LCD and plasma digital televisions, which will enable end-users to simultaneously make the transition from analog to digital reception and from conventional cathode ray tube to flat panel television.

TVonics has been supported through the Technium network and received mentoring and specialist support from Entrepreneur Action under the WDA’s new Business Starts programme.