Beijing – Beijing-based Xiaomi Inc. has selected the RealMedia Variable Bit rate (RMVB) codec from RealNetworks for Xiaomi Box Super, the company’s premier over-the-top (OTT) set-top-box, as well as Xiaomi’s Smart TV line Mi TV.

RMVB is a variable bit rate extension of the RealMedia multimedia digital container format and is one of the most popular codecs in China for real-time media streaming. Offering an excellent balance between file size and video quality, RMVB remains China’s preferred format for media content.

With its widespread installation in most media devices in China, the RMVB codec recently surpassed the one billion mark for shipments in the Chinese market. As the number of Internet users in China continues to grow exponentially, with an estimated 720 million people online by 2015, RMVB will experience even greater deployment and usage.

Xiaomi has refocused on the Chinese market with its latest releases — the Mi 3, the newest Mi-series smartphone, and Mi Pad, the company’s first tablet —as well as the new Mi Box and Mi TV. The new Mi Box which is a type of OTT Box and the line’s Xiaomi Box Super are available exclusively in China, while the Android-based Mi TV is marketed primarily in China.

“By pre-installing the RMVB codec in the Amlogic chipset platform for Xiaomi’s new Mi Box and the Mstar chipset platform for Mi TV, Xiaomi provides full support for the growing number of RMVB users in China. The codec allows Xiaomi to reach millions of loyal RMVB fans while adding dynamic capabilities to their products,” said Thierry Raymaekers, AVP, RealPlayer Group, China.

Integrating RMVB in the chipset level of the two product lines empowers hardware decoding and enables native RMVB-supported video playback, resulting in the versatility Chinese users care about. “RMVB has been a tremendous success in China,” said Chuan Wang, co-founder and VP, Xiaomi Inc., “and incorporating that technology into our products is essential for delivering the features and capabilities users in China want.”