Speaking even more of Liberate -- It gets UPC
dailynews.yahoo.com
Saturday September 9 2:02 PM ET
UPC Picks Liberate TV Software Over Microsoft's
By Jana Sanchez
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Europe's largest cable TV operator UPC said on
Saturday it would use digital TV software from Liberate Technologies,
after software from its eight percent shareholder Microsoft was delayed.
United Pan-Europe Communications NV will begin installing software from California-based Liberate on
digital TV set-top boxes on its Vienna network, which has 480,000 customers.
Microsoft, the world's largest software company, played down the decision by UPC to award the deal to
a competitor, saying it never bid for the contract.
UPC had previously said it would turn to other software providers after delays in the delivery of
Microsoft software forced the cable operator to postpone the planned September launch of its digital
services in Amsterdam.
Microsoft has worked with UPC for almost two years to develop interactive TV for UPC's network and
has invested millions into cable companies in Europe and the United States including UPC, Britain's
Telewest and NTL.
It also bought interactive TV pioneer WebTV in order to develop its Windows platform for the nascent
digital interactive TV market.
Analysts expect digital TV to eventually become one of the most important ways that consumers access
content as it has the potential to be applied to almost all television sets in the developed world.
Digital TV software runs on a set-top box and gives users access to e-mail, e-commerce, web browsing,
video-on-demand and other interactive functions via their TV set.
UPC Chairman Mark Schneider told analysts in August that the Microsoft lost whatever preferential rights
it had as a shareholder by failing to deliver the software in time.
Schneider said he would force Microsoft to compete for a planned upgrade of software on its Amsterdam
network, scheduled for next year. UPC will begin its rollout in October using a set-top box with minimal
functionality.
Microsoft has said its software will be ready for the upgrade, but the delay has given its competitors a
way in.
``Liberate and Microsoft are the most logical choices when we migrate to full interactive capabilities in
Amsterdam,'' Bert Holtkamp of UPC said on Saturday.
``UPC has turned into a 'show me' company now. They want to make decisions based on results instead of
promises,'' Liberate Chief Executive Officer Mitchell Kertzman said.
Microsoft has been under fire since early August after at least two high-profile roll-outs of digital set top
boxes running its software have been put back because Microsoft said the software was not ready --
those of UPC and of AT&T in the United States.
``Long term we want Microsoft TV to be as widely deployed as possible on UPC's network, but that's
long term. The proof is in the pudding, not who wins in each city,'' Ed Graczyk, Microsoft director for
Microsoft TV platform group told Reuters.
Microsoft says it has orders for TV software for 15 million set-top boxes. To date, it has not deployed on
any network, other than in trials.
UPC is 51 percent owned by UnitedGlobalCom.
All the best,
Michael |
