Watch out for ducks from up north - we are on the information flyway!
From General Instruments home page:
gi.com
A press release and a description of the DCT-5000:
"
SHAW COMMUNICATIONS SELECTS GENERAL
INSTRUMENT FOR EXPANDED DIGITAL CABLE
LAUNCH TO 27 ADDITIONAL SYSTEMS
GI's interactive digital systems and set-top terminals enable Shaw
Communications to expand its digital offering and provide advanced
digital service to most of its 1.5 million subscribers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Horsham, Pa. (March 4, 1999) - General Instrument Corporation
(NYSE: GIC) announced today that Shaw Communications will use GI's
DCT-2000 and DCT-5000+ advanced interactive digital terminals to
continue the expansion of its digital cable service to an additional 27 systems (in Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British
Columbia). This additional deployment will enable most of Shaw's 1.5
million customers to enjoy the latest interactive digital services.
This expanded digital launch is part of Shaw's $100 million infrastructure investment, which also includes GI RF amplifiers, DigiCipher® compression systems, headend equipment and interactive digital consumer terminals. This investment enables Shaw to offer its customers enhanced and expanded services including digital-quality video and audio, approximately 200 channels, more ethnic programming options, 30-channel Digital Music Express, and a Digital Cable Navigator that allows viewers to watch one channel while simultaneously browsing others. These interactive digital consumer set-top terminals and systems also will allow Shaw to offer
advanced interactive services like Video-on-Demand, Internet access,
e-mail, IP Telephony, and e-commerce.
Shaw chose GI based on the success of its 1997 digital launch in the
Calgary and Ontario areas with GI's end-to-end digital solution, which
included GI's MPEG-2 encoders, related headend equipment, subscriber
management and billing systems interfaces and DCT-1000 interactive digital consumer terminals. "The DCT-1000 terminals we've installed to date and the DCT-2000 terminals, which will be installed going forward, are capable of highly efficient interactive applications such as Video-on-Demand and Internet access - and are compatible with the future DCT-5000+ and are all OpenCable compliant, which will be capable of more return-intensive interactivity such as games and IP telephony," said Randy Elliot, Shaw's Sr. Vice President of Technology.
Shaw has offered its customers the flexibility of retail purchase of the DCTs as well as the traditional lease model, thereby establishing a standard of customer acceptance mirroring its benchmark-setting level of cable modem penetration.
"We are happy to further our long-term relationship with GI. GI's digital platform has given us the flexibility to offer our customers the new and expanded digital services they demand, including Pay-Per-View, over 120 video channels, 65 audio channels, local & interactive programming," said Peter Bissonnette, Senior Vice President of Operations for Shaw. "Our goal is to provide subscribers with the widest range of high-quality programming in the most cost-effective manner possible. We believe we're meeting this goal using GI equipment."
"Shaw was one of the early adopters of digital cable systems, and we are pleased to continue our work with this industry leader," said Denton Kanouff, Vice President-Marketing of GI's Digital Network Systems business unit. "GI's advanced interactive digital platform offers Shaw the flexibility and choice it needs to offer the latest interactive digital services to its customers."
GI's dominant position in Canada, with over 125 video channels and 65
audio channels being delivered via satellite using GI's MPEG II technology, will make it easier for operators to provide their Canadian consumers with HDTV signals as these become available.
DCT-2000/5000+ Platform
The DCT-2000 represents the evolution of GI's current-generation
interactive digital set-top terminals (DCT-1000 & DCT-1200), offering
such enhancements as a higher speed microprocessor, greater memory
footprint, and improved graphics capabilities. Like the DCT-1000 and
1200, the DCT-2000 combines MPEG-2 digital video and Dolby® AC3
digital audio with real-time interactive capabilities to help bring cable service to an entirely new level. They enable operators to offer increased channel lineups with digital picture and sound, as well as introduce their customers to a host of interactive services, such as impulse e-mail, video-on-demand, television-based Internet access, community networking and more.
GI's advanced interactive digital terminal, the DCT-5000+, will deliver an unprecedented level of processing and graphics capabilities to the digital set-top terminal. Built around a high-powered RISC processor and a high-end 3D and 32-bit graphics platform, the DCT-5000+ represents the leading edge in next-generation digital cable terminals. This powerful processing and graphics capability will be supported by the unit's advanced digital networking capabilities. Offering a built-in DOCSIS-compliant cable modem for high-speed networking capability, the DCT-5000+'s unique triple tuner architecture will enable users to simultaneously watch TV and
surf the Internet or watch and talk using cable IP telephony functionality.
Shaw Communications Inc. is a diversified Canadian communications
company whose core business is providing cable television services to
approximately 1.5 million customers. It also has significant interests in radio broadcasting, television networks, and direct to home satellite television services, as well as providing telecommunications and paging services to individual and business customers.
General Instrument Corporation (NYSE: GIC) is a leading worldwide
provider of integrated and interactive broadband access solutions, teaming with its business partners to lead the convergence of the Internet, telecommunications and video entertainment industries. "
Ed Perry |
