Again speaking of DiviCom, what ever happened to the $1 billion plus set-top box contract that Zenith and DiviCom had with Americast? See Zenith press release below:
Major Milestone: Zenith Delivers First of 3 Million Digital Set-Top
Boxes to Americast December 10, 1996, 7:20 PM EST
ANAHEIM, Calif., Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Zenith Electronics Corporation (NYSE: ZE) delivered the first of an expected 3 million digital set top boxes to Americast today, just three months after the programming venture selected Zenith as its digital set-top box supplier.
On the eve of the Western Cable Show, William G. Luehrs, president of
Zenith Network Systems, presented the first Zenith digital set-top to
Stephen A. Weiswasser, chief executive officer of Americast.
"This a major milestone," Luehrs said. "In 90 days to the day after
signing the contract, the first of these digital terminals roll off our production line." Initial quantities for Americast's technical
evaluation are scheduled for later this month.
Accepting the inaugural set-top box from Zenith, Weiswasser said, "We're extremely enthusiastic about delivering the next generation in home entertainment to the American people. The delivery of this set-top is both an important and symbolic first step in reaching that goal."
This accomplishment was made possible by Zenith's multi-million dollar
investment in state-of-the-art digital manufacturing technology and its partnership with DiviCom Inc., Luehrs said. Zenith and DiviCom, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of C-Cube Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq: CUBE), are collaborating to make the feature-rich Americast terminal a reality.
Zenith's digital terminals are based on open industry standards. The
flexible design uses interchangeable network interface modules for four different digital video networks: hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC), switched digital video (SD), direct broadcast satellite (DBS), and multi-channel, multi-point distribution system (MMDS).
Today's presentation of the first digital set-top box follows the non-
exclusive contract Americast awarded to Zenith in late August. As a
result of that deal, possibly worth more than $1 billion, Zenith is to
supply at least 3 million digital set-tops to subsidiaries of Ameritech Corporation, Bell-South Corporation, GTE Corporation, SBC Communications and Southern New England Telecommunications Corporations for the next generation of home entertainment services. The Walt Disney Company also is a partner in Americast.
Americast is a consortium of Ameritech Corporation, BellSouth
Corporation, SBC Communications, Southern New England Telecommunications Corporation and The Walt Disney Company created to develop and market the next generation in home entertainment. The Americast service is currently being introduced into selected markets across the United States. In addition to providing traditional entertainment services, Americast will offer innovative programming and develop such features as a proprietary program navigator, video on-demand, home shopping and a variety of interactive services. SOURCE Zenith Electronics Corporation.
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All I've heard from Zenith is that BellSouth is using some for a New Orleans intro. Any other news? |
