To make my Q more understandable I'm posting an E-mail PR piece from GIC that describes their newest set top......
GENERAL INSTRUMENT ANNOUNCED ITS PLANS FOR THIRD-QUARTER LAUNCH
OF ITS DCT-5000+ DIGITAL INTERACTIVE TERMINAL
AT THE OS/APPLICATIONS ENVIRONMENT CONFERENCE
Conference also allowed GI to demonstrate the DCT-5000+'s advanced
networking capabilities for IP Telephony, high-speed services and network
games and unveil its new high-tech product design
HORSHAM, Pa. (May 4, 1999) - General Instrument Corporation (NYSE: GIC)
announced its plans to begin field deployment of its DCT-5000+ advanced
interactive digital set-top terminal beginning in the third quarter of 1999,
at its OS/Applications Environment Conference April 28th and 29th. GI also
demonstrated the DCT-5000+'s advanced networking capabilities, using pilot
production models, to the 40 representatives from leading North American
MSOs and key software suppliers in attendance. These capabilities include:
Internet Protocol (IP) telephony, high-speed data services, and network
games.
The DCT-5000+'s rich application environment provides flexibility in
selecting an operating system for deployment in an interactive network. The
operating systems and applications environments demonstrated at the
conference included products from leading software vendors such as
Microsoft, NCI, Sony, and Sun Microsystems, along with various Electronic
Interactive Program Guide vendors.
"The OS Conference helped our customers evaluate the available choices on
GI's open platform and prepare for DCT-5000+ deployment in the coming
months," said Denton Kanouff, Vice President of Digital Network Systems for
GI. "We recently completed the second pilot production run of the DCT-5000+
interactive digital terminal and are now working as the key strategic
partner with these and other leading MSOs to deploy new services, network
capabilities, and new software solutions to deliver value-added services on
this platform."
The DCT-5000+ builds upon GI's industry-leading interactive digital platform
to provide a new level of broadband networking services while maintaining
support for the traditional analog and digital video services. The
DCT-5000+ delivers PC-like functionality to the home video environment with
such features as built-in DOCSIS based cable modems, 167 MHz clock speed,
347 MIPS processing, advanced 32-bit 3D graphics, and optional internal IDE
hard drives. Its unique triple tuner architecture enables consumers to
simultaneously watch television, access the Internet, and talk on the
telephone using the system's IP telephony functionality.
At the conference, GI also unveiled the new design for the DCT-5000+
production unit, which was designed for simplicity and ease of use. The new
design was preferred over existing analog models and DBS set-tops by a
two-to-one margin during recent consumer testing and was described as
"high-tech" and "sleek."
Chris Bowick, Vice President of Technology Development for Cox
Communications, said, "We are excited about the tremendous capability of the
DCT-5000+ to deliver the vast array of interactive services that Cox is
planning in the near future. The number of software options available on
this powerful platform is truly impressive."
Randy Eliott, Senior Vice President at Shaw Communications, added, "The new
DCT-5000+ terminal is very high-tech looking, but the incredible power
inside the box is what excites us. Our customers will like the new
capabilities. Cable TV will never be the same again."
Would really like to see COM21 get some slots in boxes like these.
Does anyone know if COM21 competes for these slots? Has any wins?
Thanks in advance for any help on this, I'm not a COM21 expert.
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