Scientific-Atlanta strikes deal with Intertainer
news.com
By Stephanie Miles
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
December 2, 1998, 4:00 a.m. PT
A key component in Scientific-Atlanta's push to rev up its TV set-top computer
business includes a deal with Intertainer, the well-funded company that is
developing ways to meld the Internet and television experiences.
At the Western Cable Show today, the companies announced plans to deliver Intertainer's
"entertainment-on-demand," e-commerce, and targeted advertising services over SA's
Explorer 2000 TV set-top box, an Internet appliance also capable of controlling digital
video, communications, and home electronics appliances.
Once in place, cable subscribers will be able to use the Explorer 2000 box to access a
host of new movie, music, interactive TV, and shopping services.
Intertainer has an impressive list of backers.
To provide programming for its entertainment services, the company has agreements with
movie, music, and TV studios. It also has technology relationships with Sun Microsystems
and Informix, and service arrangements with online book seller barnesandnoble.com and
video-based software provider Comcast, Sony, Intel, NBC and US West, and analysts say
it will be a key player in the future of digital TV and set-top boxes.
Intertainer's services will be the first applications designed to operate on the Explorer 2000
platform using the PersonalJava language. Explorer 2000 supports many applications with
"PC-like capabilities," the company says. The box includes a built-in RISC processor, an
operating system from Sun, and scripting languages.
SA has received purchase orders or commitments for its digital network from 14 cable
operators in the United States and Canada, representing more than 16 million cable
subscribers.
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