Alumni Introduce Sezmi Pilot to Los Angeles Customers

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Buno Pati (left) and Phil Wiser.

Sezmi, a television start-up company founded by alumni Phil Wiser (ECE B.S. '90), former CTO of Sony America, and Buno Pati (ECE B.S. '86, M.S. '88, Ph.D. '92), founder of Numerical Technologies, will kick off a customer pilot in Los Angeles, delivering live feeds of 23 cable networks, 50 local TV channels, video-on-demand and Web video, using a combination of wireless broadcast spectrum and Internet delivery.

Sezmi offers a user-friendly interface that allows customers to browse programs in a variety of different ways, using a remote and box that is roughly the size of a DVD player. Customers will be able to access a wide variety of channels, and can also tune into web video from sites like YouTube. Sezmi also incorporates "TiVo"-style on-demand programming.

The cable networks participating in Sezmi's L.A. launch are: TBS, TNT, USA Network, Bravo, CNN, Headline News, Discovery Channel, Comedy Central, Planet Green, MSNBC, VH1, Cartoon Network, Oxygen, CNBC, MTV, Nickelodeon, TLC, Science Channel, Syfy, Animal Planet, truTV, Boomerang and TCM.

Wiser holds a summa cum laude bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Prior to serving as chairman and president of Sezmi, Wiser served as chief technology officer of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), where he led SCA’s overall digital media business and technology strategy. He forged the ground breaking deals with iTunes and pioneered the mobile music space during his tenure at Sony Music. Prior to joining Sony Music, Wiser co-founded Liquid Audio, Inc. and served on its board of directors and as chief technology officer. Wiser also served as a member of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department's Advisory Board at the University of Maryland.

Pati, co-founder and chief executive officer of Sezmi, holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a focus on wireless communications and signal processing. During his time at Maryland, Pati was advised by P.S. Krishnaprasad (ECE/ISR). Pati is an experienced entrepreneur with an established track record of building a number of early-stage companies into successful businesses. Prior to his current position at Sezmi, Pati founded Numerical Technologies and served as its president and chief executive officer, leading the company through its successful initial public offering to its acquisition by Synopsys. Before co-founding Numerical, Dr. Pati served as assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Harvard University. Dr. Pati also serves on several boards for the University of Maryland including the Board of Trustees, Board of Visitors for the Clark School of Engineering, and the President’s West Coast Advisory Council. Earlier this fall he was inducted into the A. James Clark School of Engineering's Innovation Hall of Fame for his work in phase-shift lithography.

Published November 17, 2009