Playcast Media, a new company providing complete gaming service solutions for Cable and IPTV operators, announced the launch of a large-scale Games-on-Demand pilot program with Israel’s cable network, Hot.  For the first time in pay-tv history viewers will be able to play their favorite video games directly from their existing cable television set-top box without a gaming console. The launch of the Playcast Games-on-Demand service concludes 4 years of development and positions Playcast Media as the only live and deployed service of its kind on cable television.

The Playcast Media Games-on-Demand pilot allows Hot Cable TV viewers to play modern, high-end video games on their existing set-top box, using a game pad or controller, without lags or latency.  Playcast’s system uses a proprietary new technology to deliver PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 quality games, on demand, to ordinary cable or telco set-top boxes via standard cable telephone lines. This field proven technology uses ultra high-speed processing to handle off-the-shelf games and distribute the game’s audio/ visual output as digital video.

The objective of this comprehensive trial, or pilot, is to beta test the Playcast Media system at full capacity on a live cable network, while getting important user feedback on the portal UI  (user interface) and the groundbreaking gaming experience. The Playcast Media Games-on-Demand service will be followed by a full operational rollout of the service in Israel at the end of the pilot period.

Playcast Media is a complete gaming service solution for Cable and IPTV operators, and brings next-generation IP owners to hundreds of millions of connected households, with the ease of already established billing customer care and support systems through the cable operators.

Playcast Media allows for seamless integration between TV and games, bringing new business opportunities for publishers, broadcasters and advertisers. In addition to the pilot lsunch in Israel, Playcast Media is engaged in advanced evaluation phases with the world’s leading Cable and IPTV operators, and expects to reach major markets in the US, Europe and Asia during 2009 and 2010.