[MSFT & CHY sign joint development/cooperation agreement.]
[MSFT invests $6 million in CHY.]
Wednesday November 29, 8:31 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Microsoft Corp.
Microsoft, Chyron Sign Joint Development, Cooperation
Agreement For Enhanced TV Technology
Joint Collaboration Aimed at Developing Content Creation and
Deployment Tools For the Microsoft TV Platform, Accelerating
Availability of Enhanced TV Services
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the 2000
Western Cable Show, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) and
New York-based Chyron Corp. (NYSE: CHY - news) announced the
signing of a joint development and cooperation agreement to
integrate Chyron's interactive television production and
streaming media products and services with Microsoft's
TV platform and Windows Media(TM) Technologies.
(Photo: newscom.com )
This agreement is intended to enable the large installed base
of Chyron character generators and graphics systems, as well
as new Chyron products, to be used for the production of
interactive TV programming. Chyron's products are widely used
by the television industry. Because it takes advantage of
production tools already in use, interactive TV programming
is expected to have minimal impact on the television
production workflow. The agreement also includes a plan for
the co-marketing and promotion of jointly developed
interactive TV products and services. In addition to the
joint development and cooperation agreement, Microsoft, as
part of this expanded relationship, has agreed to make a $6
million minority equity investment in Chyron.
Chyron is an industry leader in the development and delivery
of products and services in the mediacasting market, which
includes standard television broadcasting, high-definition
TV, interactive TV and any form of broadband delivery. The
Microsoft® TV platform is a comprehensive, standards-based,
client and server software solution that enables network
operators to deliver the enhanced TV experience and services
to viewers and subscribers. This development agreement will
help both companies accelerate the deployment of enhanced TV
services to consumers worldwide.
As part of the agreement announced today, Chyron will do
the following:
-- Optimize its Lyric creation and playback graphics
package for interactive TV content on the Microsoft TV
platform
-- Develop broadcast gateway tools for the real-time and
automated insertion of interactive TV data into the
broadcast stream
-- Develop previewing tools for use with Microsoft TV to
allow content creators to accurately preview
interactive TV content before that content is
recorded, aired or distributed
-- Optimize its streaming technologies and services for
Windows Media Technologies
In addition, Microsoft and Chyron will work together to help
shape the design of new-generation TV software and services
for the Microsoft .NET initiative and will help coordinate
Microsoft's work with television-standards bodies worldwide.
Microsoft .NET is an initiative that allows the creation of
truly distributed Web services that integrate and collaborate
with a range of complementary services for consumers and
businesses, making information available any time, any place
and on any device.
``Chyron shares Microsoft's vision of the ultimate success of
interactive TV and the vast opportunities for media
distribution over the Internet,'' said Roger Henderson, chief
executive officer of Chyron. ``The broadcast industry is
undergoing a revolution driven by interactive TV and the
delivery of streamed content over the Internet, and we are
committed to developing products and providing services for
this new mediacasting world. Already, Chyron has launched an
Interactive Division and a Streaming Services Division,
enabling us to span the technology continuum from the
Internet to broadcast. Nowhere do those two technologies
converge more completely than in the world of interactive TV.
We have formed a close working relationship with Microsoft
over the past two years in the process of developing
prototype products, and we look forward to continuing to work
together on bringing interactive TV products to market.''
``By teaming with such an established and successful member
of the television industry, we believe we can speed the
availability of enhanced TV services and ensure that network
operators and content developers get the right tools to
quickly, efficiently and effectively bring enhanced TV to
their viewers,'' said Alan Yates, vice president of sales and
marketing for Microsoft TV.
``Chyron has fantastic penetration in the TV market, and it
is a name people in the industry know and trust. Adding the
Chyron team's expertise and reputation to the Microsoft TV
platform only strengthens our ability to provide great
services to our partners and the entire industry.''
About the Microsoft TV Platform
The Microsoft TV platform is a comprehensive, standards-
based, client and server software solution that enables
network operators to enhance the TV experience for their
viewers and subscribers. The software platform creates
significant new economic opportunities for network operators
and the suppliers of programming, hardware and software in
the TV industry worldwide. Microsoft TV is backed by the
technical expertise, support and broad third-party developer
community that Microsoft is known for. The platform makes it
cost-effective for network operators to deploy new enhanced
TV services on first-generation digital set-top boxes as well
as the new generation of advanced set-top boxes and
entertainment appliances now emerging.
Microsoft TV products include Microsoft TV Basic Digital and
Microsoft TV Advanced software for set-top boxes and
Microsoft TV Server and Microsoft TV Access Channel Server
for providing enhanced TV services through the network
operators' head end. As an extension of the Microsoft TV
platform, Microsoft TV Technologies will provide broadcast-
rich services and functions within future generations of the
Microsoft Windows® operating system, paving the way for
enhanced TV services on personal computers and other
computing devices.
Microsoft TV has been designed to support worldwide digital
TV broadcast standards, including Digital Video Broadcasting
(DVB), Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) and
ARIB. It also supports commonly used Internet standards such
as HTML, JavaScript and Dynamic HTML, as well as all
interactive content authored according to the Advanced
Television Enhancement Forum (ATVEF) specification. More
information about Microsoft TV and Microsoft TV Technologies
can be found at microsoft.com .
About Chyron
Chyron Corp. is the world leader in the development and
delivery of products and services in the mediacasting market
-- an area which delivers media to consumers that includes
high-definition TV, standard-definition TV, interactive TV or
any form of broadband. The company provides broadcast
graphics, high-bandwidth and multimedia signals, streaming
media technology, and content management. Chyron is the only
global company with more than 30 years of expertise and
technology to provide the services and solutions for
streaming media, interactive television and enabling the
highest-quality experience to be delivered to consumers.
Chyron's existing customer base comprises nearly all TV
stations and TV networks throughout Europe and North America.
With offices in the United Kingdom, France, Hong Kong and the
United States, and an enviable client list that includes the
world's leading broadcasters, Chyron has been providing the
owners of content with value-added products and services for
more than 30 years.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in
software, services and Internet technologies for personal and
business computing. The company offers a wide range of
products and services designed to empower people through
great software -- any time, any place and on any device.
NOTE: Microsoft, Windows Media and Windows are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the
United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein
may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE: Microsoft Corp. |
