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Technology Stocks : IATV-ACTV Digital Convergence Software-HyperTV -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Champolion who wrote (4074)	5/24/1999 1:59:00 AM
From: Jim Mulis	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 13157

Dear Champ. Sorry, but I don't know all the answers. However, nobody else does either. My take on a few of your points. Your writing in quotes: "1. I believe AT&T/Liberty invested in other companies that plan to provide the same type of services ACTV is advertising. I was not talking about AT&T's investments in RNWK, @Home, TCI, etc." If by " the same type of services " you mean interactive services, I agree. Wink, Worldgate, etc. offer different levels of interactivity that can be used by cable operators depending on their objectives. IMO, the individualization of video is an app that stands above all the other companies' apps in the T/LMG.a group of investments. The HyperTV app is also unique, and as you said, the patents that protect these apps are quite valuable. It makes sense, however, for T/LMG.a to offer as many services through STB's as possible in order to entice cable operators to go to digital. ". You think they say nothing because they are smart. However, I don't think it works that way. When Microsoft wants to control an emerging market, they invest in or buy the company leading this new market. Then, they make sure everybody knows about their investment or purchase. It's a way to say: "No need to try, we are in that one too, and you would waste your time trying to outspeed us." I may have missed something here, but I believe Liberty did invest in ACTV. I also believe that this fact was reported in the all the different media. Is that what you meant? "3. A few weeks ago, ACTV announced they would base HyperTV on the Java TV API. I know Java from a professional standpoint, and I can tell you this API is not even 6-month old. To me, it seems to say that ACTV's advance in the field cannot be that large. Sure, they certainly have much more experience than most of their competitors, but the right people and the right tools matter most. Besides, if you visit the JavaSoft Web site, you will realize ACTV is never mentioned. On the other hand, OpenTV is mentioned repeatedly. Why?" I don't have enough backround in programming to comment on HyperTV's use of the Java TV API. Maybe someone else could educate me. However, if by your own admission the patent position that ACTV enjoys is so strong, what difference would it make as to what programming language is used? As far as Open TV being mentioned on the Java website, what's your point? Open TV is in use in Europe. It would be logical to mention them. When the ACTV Java-based apps roll out I assume ACTV will be mentioned also. I haven't seen mention of Open TV being one of the tenants in Liberty's National Digital Television Center though. ACTV is a tenant. That is far more significant IMO. "I would buy it there because of the patents. Not because they cover the whole field of applications, but because they cover a fair chunk of it." We agree on that point. Jim