By
efex
Microsoft
TV? No thanks...
The big companies of Set-top Boxes are starting to look elsewhere...to
vendors like Larry Ellisons' Liberate.
Why? Because they have a massive customer list (http://customers.liberate.com/index.html).
Liberate
has just sealed a contract from one of Europe's largest cable
operators, UPC, (http://press.liberate.com/archives/2000/090900_upc.html)
consisting of almost 500,000 users. UPC was going to use Microsoft
TV software, but because of delays, UPC went to Liberate.
AT&T, the largest operator of cable TV networks in the US,
might go that way as well (also waiting on Microsoft).
Now, Microsoft might say, "yeah, but Phillips has licensed
Microsoft TV software" (http://www.microsoft.com/tv/news/ne_philips_etv.asp).
However, Philips already had an agreement with Liberate (http://press.liberate.com/archives/2000/090800_ibc.html).
"As
part of their agreement, Liberate plans to license the Multimedia
Home Platform (MHP) software module developed by Philips
as an extension to the Liberate TV Navigator client software.
Philips is a current licensee of Liberate TV Navigator client
software"
That's a bit
of a laugh if you think about it. The worlds leading supplier
of Digital Set-Top Box ICs is STMicroelectronics (http://us.st.com/stonline/index.shtml)
and they have just signed a licensing
and development agreement to unite ST semiconductors and
**you've guessed it** Liberate digital TV software.
"Liberate
Technologies, a leading provider of software for the delivery
of enhanced television content, announced today it has signed
a definitive global agreement for development and licensing
with STMicroelectronics, the largest supplier of set-top
box silicon in the world."
At the end
of August, STMicroelectronics announced (http://us.st.com/stonline/press/news/year2000/p845p.htm)
that they had made a new Set-Top Box Chip, the STI5518 that
adds Dolby Digital, MP3 and Hard Disk Drive Support, to reinforce
the market leadership of its STi5500 (OMEGA) family of Set-Top
Boxes. Finally, earlier this month, DIVA and NAGRAVISION teamed
to offer their Integrated
VOD Encryption Solution.
"The
content is pre-encrypted during the MPEG digital encoding
process from the studio’s digital master. Once encrypted,
the content can be delivered safely to VOD servers located
in the operator head-end via terrestrial or satellite transport
systems. The content is stored on the video server and delivered
to set-top boxes in the encrypted format. The pre-encryption
solution leverages Nagravision’s existing Conditional Access
System, ensuring a reduced launch lead-time for pay TV operators."
At least for
the near future, it looks like trouble for Microsoft in the
TV arena. However, as they have shown repeatedly in the past,
you can never count Microsoft out
And then there
are those companies who announce things that totally catch
you by surprise. Rambus announced that RDRAM would be showing
up in Set-top boxes.
Rambus
Inc. today announced that leading Japanese consumer product
manufacturers have started shipping High Definition Televisions
(HDTV) and digital satellite broadcast Set-Top Boxes (STB)
in time for the broadcasting of the Sydney Olympic Games.
Using one to two RDRAM devices, for 1.6 GB/sec memory bandwidth,
the Rambus solution provides high-speed data transfer rates
together with the lowest granularity memory subsystem.
These are crazy,
but exciting, times we live in. With NVIDIA in console systems,
personal video recorders (i.e. Tivo) and Set-top boxes, the
lines of distinction between computers and information appliances
are quickly blurring.
Additional
resources:
http://www.visiontech-dml.com/n27.html
http://www.scientificatlanta.com/content/nws/Releases/000908-3.htm
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/001110/wa_cocom_g.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/001030/ca_conexan_2.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/001026/fl_pace_mi.html
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