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To: DiViT who wrote (44761)	9/14/1999 7:45:00 PM
From: John Rieman	Respond to of 50808

Sony Hitachi, and JVC will need help. To drive D-VHS to the masses, more companies will need to make them and the tapes, and make them cheap. ATI's $199 card. How cheap a D-VHS?????????????? jvc-victor.co.jp FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 1999 JVC and SONY Announce Joint Development of a D-VHS System for the Network Age Victor Company of Japan Ltd. (JVC) and Sony Corporation today announced that they are cooperating in the joint development of a D-VHS system which features an IEEE 1394 interface appropriate for the age of networking and digital broadcasts. The joint collaboration between the two firms is intended to improve the manageability of D-VHS and its connectors on digital interfaces, by combining JVC's technology and know-how on basic D-VHS systems with Sony's expertise regarding IEEE 1394 interface technologies. This allows the D-VHS video device to be connected to a set-top box to receive satellite broadcasts or digital terrestrial broadcasts, providing broad capabilities in recording, playback, and transferring of digital video images. D-VHS was developed by JVC as a next-generation VCR technology for the digital age. Sony's digital data transfer technology was incorporated into the joint development effort to standardize a digital video system for the "network age" and support a wide range of applications by adopting the IEEE1394 Interface. The cooperative agreement shows the intent of both firms to proceed with development, in order to commercialize and expand the capabilities of D-VHS as a next-generation VCR technology in the era of digital broadcasts and networking, and to further promote the format to consumers. <D-VHS Features> 1. Can record both the analog signal of today's broadcasts and the bit stream of digital broadcasts. 2. Can take advantage of tape media characteristics to provide large-capacity digital data storage (approx. 44 gigabytes). 3. Maintains compatibility with current VHS system, and can play any of the vast number of VHS video titles currently available around the world. 4. Can use currently available VHS technology, parts, and manufacturing facilities to hasten evolution and acceptance in the consumer market. 5. Adopts IEEE 1394 interface which is compatible with a wide range of digital multimedia devices. <IEEE 1394 Interface Features> 1. Digital interface connection through a single cable. 2. High-speed transmission of high-volume digitized audiovisual data. 3. Transmission of control signals in addition to ordinary data. 4. Versatility in connecting to various digital equipment, to enable running of coordinated applications. * The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) set the standard in 1995. In order to have the standard recognized by, and widely used among, more consumers, Sony suggested in April 1997 that the interface be called "i.LINK" and it be used as a logo as well. <Companies that have provided technical advice for the D-VHS format> Hitachi, Ltd. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Philips Electronic N.V./Grundig AG <Companies that support the D-VHS format> Hardware makers: Tape makers: Daewoo Electronics Co., Ltd. BASF Corporation Funai Electric Co., Ltd. Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. LG Electronics Inc. Hitachi Maxell, Ltd. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Konica Corporation Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Sumitomo 3M Limited Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. TDK Sharp Corporation Sony Corporation Thomson Consumer Electronics Toshiba Corporation (listed in an alphabetical order) # # #

To: DiViT who wrote (44761)	9/14/1999 8:43:00 PM
From: John Rieman	Respond to of 50808

MOT's Blackbird??????????????????????????? azcentral.com Digital TV set-top box from Motorola By Jon Sidener The Arizona Republic Sept. 14, 1999 AUSTIN - A new digital TV set-top box from Motorola and New Jersey-based Sarnoff Corp. will bring digital programming to existing televisions for $500 or less, the companies said Monday. Some of the components for the converters will be manufactured at Motorola's MOS-12 plant in Chandler and at the company's Mesa facility, said Bill Walker, Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector vice president. The companies said the devices are expected to go on sale by the end of next year. The set-top box announcement comes the same day reports surfaced that Motorola is negotiating to acquire General Instruments Inc., the largest supplier of set-top boxes to TeleCommunications Inc., which is owned by AT&T. At $500, the component would be a significant price break over existing digital televisions, which cost $4,000 or more. The devices will allow televisions to receive digital signals from both land-based stations and from DirecTV satellite. The announcement was one of several made by Motorola at Horizons, its annual briefing for the press and media. Motorola and Sarnoff developed the device under an agreement with El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV. The design will be available to television manufacturers. Sarnoff officials said they expect the price for the devices would go under $400 once production increased. The new receiver uses the Motorola MCT series of DTV chip sets, which include the technology announced last month to solve reception problems in dense urban areas. Some sets were having problems when signals bounced off buildings, sending a duplicate signal to the receivers. Motorola is producing engineering samples of the new chips in preparation for full production later this year. Motorola also said Monday that it will buy out Toshiba Semiconductor Corp.'s interest in a joint wafer manufacturing operation in Sendai, Japan. Terms were not disclosed.