NCI Demonstrates Next Generation Set-Top Box
Powered By Intel's Pentium Processor
Pentium Design Delivers Speed and Performance on NCI's TV Navigator
Platform
LAS VEGAS, April 8 /PRNewswire/ -- At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
show today, Network Computer, Inc. (NCI) demonstrated the first set-top box powered by
an Intel Pentium microprocessor. Running NCI's TV Navigator, the Pentium processor-based
system exhibited one of the fastest environments for delivering Internet-enabled services and
applications to consumer's television sets. Today's announcement also adds a powerful,
proven and robust platform to the many chip architectures that NCI already supports.
With today's Pentium demonstration, consumers can expect faster performance from set-top
boxes for Enhanced TV(TM) applications that integrate the television and Internet experience.
Powered by a 166 MHZ Pentium processor, the set-top box demonstrated a variety of
Enhanced TV applications on NCI's TV Navigator platform including electronic picture mail,
electronic programming guides, news tickers, interactive chat and Web browsing. In the future,
the Pentium processor-based system can also enable a host of next generation applications
such as video on demand through MPEG, video conferencing, telephony and virtual modeling
through VRML.
Today's announcement also adds another prominent chip platform that NCI supports. NCI's
software technology is architecture agnostic and runs on a wide range of microprocessors
including Intel's 486, Pentium, PowerPC, MIPS, Sparc and ARM.
''We're excited to be the first Internet software company to support a Pentium based set-top
box,'' said David Roux, CEO of NCI. ''Together NCI and Intel are pushing the envelope for
speed and performance on set-top computers. Ultimately consumers will benefit with the
fastest systems that meet their demands for running the growing amount of content and services
from the Internet.''
''Today's demonstration is a major milestone for the set-top computer market,'' said Ganesh
Moorthy, General Manager of Intel's Appliance and Computing Division. ''Over the next
decade set-top computers have the potential to become a common device in every home.
Working with NCI we have demonstrated that these devices can always deliver an
environment that's both easy to use and provides a fast and robust system for computing in the
living room.''
NCI is an affiliate of Oracle Corp. [Nasdaq:ORCL - news] and Netscape and is the leading
provider of open software for easy to use Internet enhanced products. Founded in 1996, NCI
brings its technology to homes, schools and businesses through its strategic worldwide
alliances. NCI is based in Redwood Shores California, and can be reached at 650/631-4600.
NCI's Web site is nc.com. |
