Folks, Check this out:
-Microsoft announces television software platform
Just think - in a few years, we can look forward to having our Televisions lock up, perform ILLEGAL Operations, and endure 3 minute REBOOT times to get the TV back into working order.
Not to mention the yearly $89 updates to fix some of the software problems found during the prior year and to provide a host of new bugs!
Paul
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June 14, 1999 13:10
-MICROSOFT: Microsoft announces television software platform
M2 PRESSWIRE-14 June 1999-MICROSOFT: Microsoft announces television software platform (C)1994-99 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
* Microsoft TV Platform Adaptation Kit (TVPAK)
* More Than 30 Key Industry Leaders Announce Support for TVPAK
MONTREUX, Switzerland, and CHICAGO -- Microsoft Corp. today announced the product details of its client and server software for the television industry - the Microsoft TV Platform Adaptation Kit (Microsoft TVPAK) - and confirmed that it has released the software in different forms to key industry leaders. The client software, Microsoft TV, operates a range of television-centric appliances from Internet terminals and advanced set-top boxes to integrated televisions, while the server software, Microsoft TV Server, will be used by network operators to deploy and manage a rich, scalable, enhanced TV service. More than 30 industry-leading companies are already actively working with the software, which merges Internet and television technologies, to create new devices, services and content to enhance the entertainment value and usefulness of television for consumers.
By working closely with supporters since the original announcement of this platform at the Western Cable Show in December 1998, Microsoft has been able to design the Microsoft TVPAK to support innovative new forms of entertainment, communication, information and e-commerce via the television, while helping companies in the TV industry increase the effectiveness of their core business: television services.
"The Microsoft TV platform is the best choice for the television industry to prosper from the convergence of the Internet, digital services and traditional broadcasting," said Jon DeVaan, vice president of the Consumer and Commerce Group at Microsoft. "This Microsoft platform delivers to the television industry the control and flexibility it demands and the ability to deliver innovative new entertainment services and convenience to viewers."
About Microsoft TV
Microsoft TV provides a rich television and Web experience to consumers, utilizing the simplicity, technical excellence and elegance honed on the Microsoft WebTV Network(tm) service, while opening the technology and providing more options to more hardware providers, network operators and consumers worldwide. It uses an adaptation of the Windows CE operating system, yet allows the network operator to customize the user interface to online content. The software kit includes a Microsoft-designed electronic program guide (EPG) as an optional component with the most advanced interactive features available today. It allows broadcasters and producers delivering interactive programming and content to build on the video programming and Internet expertise they already have to create enhanced, new consumer content and services. More than 50 hardware manufacturers received Microsoft TV code to evaluate and begin development of compatible receivers.
Microsoft TV supports worldwide digital TV broadcast standards, including DVB, ATSC, and ARIB. It also supports commonly used Internet standards such as HTML, JavaScript and Dynamic HTML, as well as all interactive content authored in the Advanced Television Enhancement Forum (ATVEF) format.
About Microsoft TV Server
The Microsoft TV Server suite of components instantly gives network operators the tools to provision, manage and operate a large-scale, commercial-grade, enhanced TV service. It will further enhance the services and software deployed on Microsoft TV-based receivers. The server software is built on Windows 2000 Server, the Microsoft BackOffice family and WebTV technologies and is designed to integrate with a network operator's existing systems for billing, customer service, network management, video on demand, and other existing or specialized back-end applications. Microsoft TV Server offers a number of necessary and innovative features to improve the consumer's television experience and to make it easier to deploy services and operate a network. Microsoft TV Server software is scheduled to be available to network operators and others later this year, and is aimed at supporting large-scale commercial deployments in the first half of next year.
Industry Support
More than 30 companies have begun work with Microsoft using TVPAK, including network operators (cable, telecommunications, satellite, terrestrial), hardware manufacturers, independent hardware vendors, content developers, system integrators, network vendors and software developers. Like Microsoft, these leading companies think that as the television industry evolves, there is explosive potential to take advantage of broadband digital networks, the Internet and ever-decreasing costs for powerful hardware technology. Following is a list of the companies committed to working with Microsoft TVPAK software:
* Network operators. AT&T, United Pan-Europe Communications N.V. (UPC) and TVCabo
* Hardware manufacturers. General Instrument Corp., Scientific-Atlanta, Thomson Multimedia, StellarOne, Pace Micro Technology plc, Vestel USA Inc., Philips Electronics, Sagem, Siemens, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., Hitachi Ltd., Sharp Corp., Sony Electronics Inc. (for WebTV set-top boxes), Fujitsu Ltd., Tatung Co., The Acer Group, Trigem Computer Inc. and Samsung Electronics Company Ltd.
* Independent hardware vendors. NEC USA Inc., Intel Corp., Motorola, Advanced Micro Devices, Quantum Effect Design Inc., Integrated Device Technology Inc., Hitachi Semiconductor, iGS Technologies Inc., ATI Technologies Inc., Sigma Designs Inc., STMicroelectronics, C-Cube Microsystems, Cable Modem, Libit Signal Processing, Broadcom Corp. and 3COM Corp.
* Hardware system integrators. Rachis, BSQUARE Corp., ITE and MetaByte Inc.
* Infrastructure. Cable Data Inc. (billing and customer service), Portal Software Inc., NDS Ltd., NagraVision, General Instrument Corp., Scientific-Atlanta, and Philips (conditional access)
* Systems video on demand and entertainment services. SeaChange International Inc., DIVA Systems Corp. and Intertainer Inc.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft, WebTV Network, Windows, BackOffice and WebTV are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Jodie Cadieux/Nikkol Nagle, Waggener Edstrom for Microsoft Tel: +1 408 986 1140 e-mail: jodiec@wagged.com e-mail: nikkoln@wagged.com Nikki Phillips/Andrew Baiden, The RED Consultancy Tel: +44 (0)171 465 7770 e-mail: nicholap@redconsultancy.com e-mail: andrewb@redconsultancy.com
*M2 COMMUNICATIONS DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY FOR INFORMATION PROVIDED WITHIN M2 PRESSWIRE. DATA SUPPLIED BY NAMED PARTY/PARTIES.*
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