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To: John Rieman who wrote (48676)	2/23/2000 2:02:00 AM
From: Cameron Lang	Respond to of 50808

No Star Wars on DVD in near future... starwars.com

To: John Rieman who wrote (48676)	2/23/2000 4:59:00 PM
From: BillyG	Respond to of 50808

ATI teams with Turkey's Vestel to develop Internet TV products semibiznews.com Semiconductor Business News (02/23/00, 01:27:52 PM EDT) TORONTO--Graphics chip supplier ATI Technologies Inc. here today announced a strategic partnership with Europe's second largest producer of televisions and computer monitors to develop a range of interactive TV products for the Internet. Under the partnership, Vestel Electronics in Turkey plans to use ATI's Set-top-Wonder technology and components to build Internet TVs and other systems for consumers worldwide. ATI will work with Silicon Valley-based Vestel USA--the two-year-old Internet appliance arm of Vestel--to create these products. The pact represents ATI's first design win for a television. The partnership combines Vestel strengths in manufacturing with ATI's expertise in semiconductors and set-top box platforms. The agreement sets the stage for "a variety of consumer electronics devices, including cable, satellite, and terrestrial set-top boxes, digital VCRs, and other devices requiring a high level of interactivity, graphics and video performance," said Cevat Kumbasar, chief technology officer at Vestel, which is based in Manisa, near the Aegean port of Izmir. The Vestel Internet TV will initially be available in Europe, and future versions will be distributed to other market worldwide, according to "ATI and Vestel share a common vision -- enabling everyone, everywhere to have affordable access to interactive TV," said Daniel Eiref, director of set-top marketing at ATI. ATI said its Set-top-Wonder platform enables consumer electronics manufacturers to develop analog and digital cable products as well as satellite and terrestrial set-top boxes. ATI said the customizable platform will be used to make a variety of products, including the Vestel Internet televisions and stand alone set-top boxes with DVD and advanced 3-D graphics.

To: John Rieman who wrote (48676)	2/24/2000 10:17:00 AM
From: BillyG	Respond to of 50808

Partial cable, DTV agreement reached eetimes.com By George Leopold EE Times (02/23/00, 6:39 p.m. EST) WASHINGTON—The cable industry and TV manufacturers have settled a lengthy dispute over digital TV-cable compatibility but must still resolve copy-protection issues or face a government review. The National Cable Television Association (NCTA), based here, and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA, Arlington, Va.) said Wednesday (Feb. 23) they have reached agreement on two of four issues holding up cable reception over digital TVs: technical standards for direct connection of digital TVs to cable systems and on-screen program guides. Unresolved are disputes over licensing terms for copy protection technology and labeling of TV sets without two-way digital connections to other consumer devices. The Federal Communications Commission, which has been pressing both sides for months to resolve the DTV-cable compatibility dispute, praised the partial agreement but warned that it would still consider proposed rules for technical standards. FCC Chairman William Kennard said the agreement resolves "the issues that were holding up DTV set production. Taking into account the lead-time required for TV set manufacturing, this will allow consumers to buy digital cable-ready sets by Christmas-time next year." Kennard said he will pull a proposal off the FCC's agenda on the technical standards and program guide but would recommend continued review of the copy protection and labeling issues. "We can't declare victory when the game's only at halftime," agreed FCC member Susan Ness. She also backed a regulatory review of the copy protection and labeling issues if the two industries fail to reach agreement soon. However, neither official mentioned a deadline for an industry deal on the outstanding DTV-cable issues. Copy-protection problem lingers Both industries pledged to resolve the remaining issues in time to avoid federal intervention, but observers said the two sides remain far apart. The copy-protection issue involves the licensing terms applied to copy-protection technology and the equipment used to implement it. The labeling issue will determine how consumers are notified about whether their digital TV set connects to other digital appliances, such as an advanced set-top box or a digital VCR. The two sides put the best face on the deal and vowed to continue talks on the remaining compatibility issues. "The cable and consumer electronics industries now have specifications that ensure that signals transmitted on cable will be easily viewed on digital sets," said NCTA President Robert Sachs. "With these agreements, many more consumers will soon be able to access the wonders of digital television through cable," added CEA head Gary Shapiro. "This is yet another giant step forward in the transition to DTV." The agreement on direct connection specifies signal levels and quality as well as video formats, the parties said. The agreement also provides for carriage of "Program and System Information Protocol" data on cable systems to support on-screen guide functions in digital receivers. The FCC has yet to act on a separate dispute about whether the cable industry must carry digital broadcasts. The cable industry opposes broadcasters' efforts to impose "must carry" rules for digital broadcasts as an unconstitutional "taking" of its property. Broadcasters argue that digital TV will not take off without mandatory cable carriage.