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Microsoft
Announces Television Software Platform: Microsoft TV Platform
Adaptation Kit (TVPAK)
More Than 30 Key Industry Leaders Announce
Support for TVPAK MONTREUX, Switzerland, and CHICAGO - June 14,
1999 -Microsoft Corp. today announced the
product details of its client and server software for the television
industry - the Microsoft® TV Platform Adaptation Kit
(Microsoft TVPAK) - and confirmed that it has released the software in
different forms to key industry leaders. The client software,
Microsoft TV, operates a range of television-centric appliances from
Internet terminals and advanced set-top boxes to integrated
televisions, while the server software, Microsoft TV Server, will be
used by network operators to deploy and manage a rich, scalable,
enhanced TV service. More than 30 industry-leading companies are
already actively working with the software, which merges Internet and
television technologies, to create new devices, services and content
to enhance the entertainment value and usefulness of television for
consumers.
By working closely with supporters since the
original announcement of this platform at the Western Cable Show in
December 1998, Microsoft has been able to design the Microsoft TVPAK
to support innovative new forms of entertainment, communication,
information and e-commerce via the television, while helping companies
in the TV industry increase the effectiveness of their core business:
television services.
"The Microsoft TV platform is the best choice
for the television industry to prosper from the convergence of the
Internet, digital services and traditional broadcasting," said
Jon DeVaan, vice president of the Consumer and Commerce Group at
Microsoft. "This Microsoft platform delivers to the television
industry the control and flexibility it demands and the ability to
deliver innovative new entertainment services and convenience to
viewers."
About Microsoft TV
Microsoft TV provides a rich television and Web
experience to consumers, utilizing the simplicity, technical
excellence and elegance honed on the Microsoft WebTV Network™
service, while opening the technology and providing more options to
more hardware providers, network operators and consumers worldwide. It
uses an adaptation of the Windows® CE operating system,
yet allows the network operator to customize the user interface to
online content. The software kit includes a Microsoft-designed
electronic program guide (EPG) as an optional component with the most
advanced interactive features available today. It allows broadcasters
and producers delivering interactive programming and content to build
on the video programming and Internet expertise they already have to
create enhanced, new consumer content and services. More than 50
hardware manufacturers received Microsoft TV code to evaluate and
begin development of compatible receivers.
Microsoft TV supports worldwide digital TV broadcast
standards, including DVB, ATSC, and ARIB. It also supports commonly
used Internet standards such as HTML, JavaScript and Dynamic HTML, as
well as all interactive content authored in the Advanced Television
Enhancement Forum (ATVEF) format.
About Microsoft TV Server
The Microsoft TV Server suite of components
instantly gives network operators the tools to provision, manage and
operate a large-scale, commercial-grade, enhanced TV service. It will
further enhance the services and software deployed on Microsoft
TV-based receivers. The server software is built on Windows 2000
Server, the Microsoft BackOffice® family and WebTV®
technologies and is designed to integrate with a network operator's
existing systems for billing, customer service, network management,
video on demand, and other existing or specialized back-end
applications. Microsoft TV Server offers a number of necessary and
innovative features to improve the consumer's television experience
and to make it easier to deploy services and operate a network.
Microsoft TV Server software is scheduled to be available to network
operators and others later this year, and is aimed at supporting
large-scale commercial deployments in the first half of next year.
Industry Support
More than 30 companies have begun work with
Microsoft using TVPAK, including network operators (cable,
telecommunications, satellite, terrestrial), hardware manufacturers,
independent hardware vendors, content developers, system integrators,
network vendors and software developers. Like Microsoft, these leading
companies think that as the television industry evolves, there is
explosive potential to take advantage of broadband digital networks,
the Internet and ever-decreasing costs for powerful hardware
technology. Following is a list of the companies committed to working
with Microsoft TVPAK software:
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT")
is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The
company offers a wide range of products and services for business and
personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and
more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of
personal computing every day.
Microsoft, WebTV Network, Windows, BackOffice and
WebTV are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft
Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. For more information, press only:
Jodie Cadieux, Waggener Edstrom for Microsoft, (408)
986-1140, jodiec@wagged.com
Nikkol Nagle, Waggener Edstrom for Microsoft, (408)
986-1140, nikkoln@wagged.com
Microsoft TVPAK
Quote Sheet
June 1999
Multiple Service Operators
"We are pleased to be working with Microsoft
Corp. on what we think will be an exciting project that will bring
lots of value to our customers. We have ambitious plans for deploying
advanced digital set-tops and services in the showcase cities with the
Microsoft® TV Platform Adaptation Kit as the foundation to
host new compelling content, services and applications on our network
from the entertainment and Internet industries."
- Laurie Schwartz-Priddy
Executive Vice President
Advanced Technology
President and CEO
NDTC
AT&T
Press contact: Lee Munsell, AT&T, (303) 486-3814
"TVCabo is very pleased with the announcement
and development plans for the Microsoft TVPAK technology. We look
forward to continuing our work with the Microsoft team to understand
how TVPAK will allow for a faster and more powerful Digital ITV
deployment across our cable and satellite networks in the near
future."
- Graça Bau
President
TVCabo
Press contact: Pedro Mota Carmo, +351 1 7914820,
utvptpmc@tvcabo.mailpac.pt
"We selected Microsoft's TVPAK software
offering as our end-to-end platform in the 1999 rollout of our digital
services in The Netherlands and in Europe because of its impressive
functionality, modularity, scalability and ease of implementation. The
TVPAK solution enables UPC to continue its efforts to deploy Internet,
video and voice services over its unified network."
- Scott Bachman
Chief Technical Officer
United Pan-Europe Communications N.V. (UPC)
Press contact: Henrietta Hirst, +44 171 518 7980,
hhirst@upc.nl
Hardware Manufacturers
"Information appliances are the future product
direction for Acer. We have been developing different types of
information appliances such as the digital set-top box, Internet TV, a
Windows-based terminal, and screen phones. Microsoft TV and Windows CE
fit well into Acer's XC strategy to create an entire series of
information appliances for our customers. I believe there will be more
products coming in the near future."
- Rick Lei
Vice President
Computer Systems and Consumer Products Business Unit
The Acer Group
Press contact: Kevin Smith, +886-2-8691-2935,
kevinsmith@acer.com.tw
"Fujitsu Ltd. is pleased to support the
announcement of Microsoft TV today by Microsoft Corp. Moreover,
Fujitsu Ltd. is currently studying and evaluating the Microsoft TV
alpha release and is hoping to release Microsoft TVPAK-based service
in the near future."
- Toshimasa Takihama
Director
WebTV Service Department
Integration Service Division, Network and Contents
Business Group
Fujitsu Ltd.
Press contact: Toshimasa Takihama, Fujitsu Ltd.,
81-44-754-8577, takihama@mmp.fujitsu.co.jp
"Rich software solutions like Microsoft TV are
helping make advanced interactive services a reality. By offering
advanced software suites like Microsoft TV on our powerful DCT-5000+
and DVi5000+ interactive digital platforms, we offer broadband network
operators an unequaled solution for delivering advanced interactive
applications including high-speed Internet access, e-mail, games, IP
Telephony, video-on-demand and more. We and our customers, broadband
network systems operators, have over 800 interactive digital systems
deployed passing over 37 million households - far and away the largest
interactive digital platform in the world. We are happy to now offer
Microsoft TV as an option to all of our customers."
- David Robinson
Senior Vice President and General Manager
Digital Network Systems Business Unit
General Instrument Corp.
Press contact: Sharon Corbitt, (215) 323-1873,
scorbitt@gi.com
Investor contact: Dario Santana, (215) 323-1213,
dsantana@gi.com
"Hitachi has worked closely with Microsoft to
ensure that our SH processors are well supported by Microsoft TV.
Hitachi plans to roll out digital consumer devices based on this
platform. Support of software platforms such as Microsoft TV is an
integral part of our strategy to deliver a broad range of consumer
devices and chipsets to network operators, solution developers and
consumers."
- Phil Thomas
Vice President
Strategic Alliances
Hitachi Ltd.
Press contact: Jill Shanks, (650) 463-8625, jshanks@ca.webergroup.com
"Matsushita intends to promote the convergence
of TV and the Internet, and Microsoft TV is an important tool to
enable such convergence."
- Dr. Yoshitomi Nagaoka
Director and Member of the Board in Charge of AVC
Products Development Laboratory
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd.
Press contact: Jim Reilly, (201) 392-6067, ReillyJ@panasonic.com
"Pace is delighted to be working with Microsoft
as a key participant on the deployment of Microsoft TVPAK. We have
worked with broadcasters worldwide to develop digital television
systems and believe that the advanced set-top box, as the gateway for
interactive services, is set to explode. With our experience
supporting British Telecom and Deutsche Telekom in WebTV®
trials, and track record in digital cable, satellite and terrestrial,
we will now be able to offer clients an exciting new solution, built
on Microsoft TV and Pace technology, for digital television."
- Malcolm Miller
Chief Executive Officer
Pace Micro Technology plc
Press contact: Tammy Snook, (407) 667-9355,
tammysnook@hotmail.com
"Philips, already a market leader in digital
set-top boxes including Internet, cable and satellite devices, has
enjoyed a successful cooperation with both Microsoft and WebTV
Networks. We look forward to taking the relationship and the
technology one step further by extending our reach with this
application software into cable and satellite as well as Internet
television receivers. TVPAK also supports the Philips CryptoWorks
conditional access system. With the TVPAK platform, Microsoft is
delivering its rich expertise in software applications development to
a broad range of service operators. At the same time we are able to
offer service providers more choice than ever in the development of
highly customizable digital set-top solutions."
- Rob van Oostenbrugge
President, Philips Digital Video Systems
Philips Electronics
Press contacts: Marijke van Hooren, Phillips
Electronics, (408) 617-4608, marijke.van.hooren@philips.com or Marty
Gordon, Philips Electronics, +31 20 59 77 912, marty.gordon@na.km.philips.com
"SAGEM is happy to have adapted Microsoft
Windows® CE software to its mobile phones equipment. With
Microsoft TV, we will be able to meet further the innovative and
demanding needs in the field of digital TV devices."
Press contact: Philippe Cadoret, Director of
Communications, SAGEM SA, +33 1 40 70 69 65, philippe.cadoret@sagem.com
"Samsung will adopt Microsoft TV to build a
wide range of next generation digital cable, terrestrial and satellite
devices working with a number of chipset manufacturers and several CPU
vendors to address various customer demands."
- Dr. In Ryu
Vice President
Samsung Electronics Company Ltd.
Press contact: C.K. Lee, 82 2 7516793, cklee@swgate.sec.samsung.co.kr
"Scientific-Atlanta has delivered an
open-standards, IP network that enables us to offer our customers
choices in digital interactive software. Microsoft's commitment to
develop Microsoft TV and Microsoft TVPAK will provide our customers
with an option for launching applications to their subscribers. We are
working with Microsoft to design Scientific-Atlanta's Explorer 6000
set-top to support Microsoft TV as a choice for cable operators
deploying interactive TV applications."
- Michael P. Harney
Corporate Vice President and General Manager
Digital Subscriber Networks
Scientific-Atlanta
Press contact: Kerri Dimkie, (770) 236-6306,
kerri.dimke@sciatl.com
"Sharp Corp. believes that Microsoft TV will be
the best solution to create new digital information appliances, and we
could deploy new products quickly."
- Shintaro Hasimoto
Corporate Director
Sharp Corp.
Press contact: Takao Konishi, 81-743-65-4607,
konishi@cmn.mkhar.sharp.jp
"As one of the original WebTV licensees, Sony
has been providing set-top boxes developed with WebTV software. Sony
will incorporate Microsoft TVPAK into the WebTV platform to enhance
the capabilities of WebTV services in the United States."
- Gary Myer
President
Digital Media of America
Sony Electronics Inc. (for WebTV set-top boxes)
Press contact: Mack Araki, (408) 955-5673, arakim@ccmail.sel.sony.com
"As an early adopter of Microsoft technology
for TV-centric services, Stellar One is excited about leveraging its
unique position as the only switched broadband member of ATVEF to
accelerate the adoption of Microsoft's vision of personal television.
Historically, interactivity and the television has been based on a
broadcast model. The combination of Microsoft TV and Stellar One's
technology extends the power of interactive television to switched
broadband network owners as well."
- Gordon Lewandowski
Vice President
Business Development
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