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wasn't someone posting about digital radio recently:
Canadians catch first glimpse of Commercial Digital Radio
Receiver Technology at Broadcasting '97
Experience Canada's new radio as it will sound when broadcasters
launch permanent digital radio services in 1998
TORONTO, Ontario October 21, 1997 -- Digital Radio Research (DRRI) Inc. today provided Canadians their first glimpse of market-ready digital radio receiver technology, the first time in North America that broadcasters and radio listeners have been able to experience the CD-sound quality and interference-free reception of radio for the digital age. Today's unveiling, announced at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' Broadcasting '97 convention in Toronto sets the stage for the anticipated 1998 Canadian launch of permanent digital audio broadcasting (DAB) services.
"Broadcasters in Canada's major market centres are poised to begin transmitting permanent DAB signals," said Michael McEwen, President of DRRI and Senior Advisor to the President of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. "With the anticipated arrival of digital radio receivers on Canadian store shelves in 1998, the future viability of Canadian radio will be secured."
"Canada is one of the pioneering countries for DAB," said Duff Roman, Vice President, Industry Affairs, CHUM Limited and co-chair of the Canadian Association of Broadcaster's Digital Radio Roll-Out Committee. "Not only are Canadian broadcasters excited about the enhanced sound quality, value-added benefits, and revenue-generating potential of DAB, recent consumer research has confirmed strong interest from radio listeners in digital radio and a willingness to pay for DAB receivers and services."
Showcasing the latest in-car and in-home digital radio technology at Broadcasting '97 are Kenwood, Pioneer, Panasonic, Fujitsu Ten, Bosch/Blaupunkt, Grundig, Clarion and Phillips. In September, thirteen broadcasters unveiled commercial products at the official European launch of DAB in Berlin. By the end of this year, more than 100 million people in Europe will be within reach of DAB transmissions with tests continuing in Australia, India, China and Singapore.
"DAB is radio for the `digital' age," said Michel Tremblay, Executive vice president of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. "It is fully supported by Canada's public and private broadcasters, data service providers, transmission operators, consumer electronics manufacturers and national and international regulatory bodies."
In Toronto and Montreal, Canada's largest radio markets, private and public broadcasters anticipate beginning permanent DAB transmissions in 1998. Once multiplexes in Vancouver begin transmitting, DAB signals will soon reach 35 per cent of Canada's population.
In addition to presenting state-of-the-art digital radio receiver technology, DRRI is also presenting the Virtual Receiver, a multimedia demonstration of the value-added data benefits of digital radio, and the latest in Advanced Traveler Information Services (ATIS) using L-band digital radio. These technologies, developed with the support of DRRI, continue to reinforce Canada's lead role in developing new and innovative DAB-based technologies and services.
Digital Audio Broadcasting offers CD-quality sound, interference-free reception and value-added data services and is being implemented as a replacement for analog AM and FM radio. DAB provides a range of enhanced consumer services that will clearly establish radio on the information highway.
Digital Radio Research (DRRI) Inc., is a non-profit joint initiative of private and public broadcasters with the support of the Canadian government. Since 1993, DRRI has been leading Canada's research and testing of digital radio technology.
murgirl--very nice find, thanks; think global.
Reality bites! how many edig players do you find here:
http://www.zdnet.com/products/stories/reviews/0,4161,2870056,00.html
D.inkie-Actel, Infineon to co-develop Flash-based solutions
Posted : 13 Aug 2002
Actel Corp. and Infineon Technologies have partnered to develop Flash memory FPGA solutions for 0.13µm chip processes.
Building on Actel's Flash-based ProASIC FPGA family and Infineon's process technology and manufacturing expertise, the development program aims to extend the capability of Flash-based FPGA technology in both current and new ASIC alternative market segments, such as smart cards, automotive, industrial controls, and mobile communications applications.
Expanding on a previous agreement between the two companies, Actel gains access to a wafer manufacturing capacity for Flash FPGA products with Infineon's 0.13µm embedded Flash production process. Infineon, on the other hand, gains access to Actel's Flash-based FPGA architectures for next-generation product applications, such as chip card IC products.
"Over the last year, we have seen rapid adoption of our ProASIC and ProASIC Plus Flash-based FPGA offerings," said Dr. Esmat Hamdy, SVP, technology and operations at Actel. "With this agreement, we believe the combination of Actel and Infineon in this project will result in advanced reprogrammable solutions that meet the needs of customers designing next-generation ASIC alternative applications."
Wong--and steve volk said every man woman and child MUST buy a DataPlay player before the end of this year--any bets on whether that's going to happen...........
Wong--you are absolutely right; henry ford couldn't get me to buy a car; i said screw 'em; i don't care how much i have to pay in fines because my horse craps on the public street!! giddy up........................
e.DIGITAL UNVEILS NEW ULTRA-SLIM SILHOUETTETM
MP3 CD PLAYER
Sleek Design, Superior Sound Quality Using WOWTM Effect
by SRSTM and TruBassTM Make Player a Hit
(SAN DIEGO, CA - June 25, 2002) - Music lovers now can play their favorite music CDs on SilhouetteTM, e.Digital Corporation's (OTC: EDIG) stylish, ultra-slim, portable CD player that provides users with a three-dimensional listening experience. Silhouette is capable of playing prerecorded music CDs or CDs containing MP3 or Windows MediaTM format (WMA) files. Silhouette combines SRSTM and TruBassTM audio enhancement to produce the WOWTM Effect for treble enrichment and deep, rich bass enhancement.
OMAP__WOW Audio Enhancements For Handheld Product Apps
By Mark Long -- e-inSITE, 8/12/2002
Handheld product developers who are looking for a way to enhance the audio performance of portable audio players, mobile phones, and PDAs can now make use of new technologies on the OMAP platform from Texas Instruments that promise to deliver robust, panoramic sound images with enhanced bass as well as improved clarity of the high frequencies.
SRS Labs' WOW technology, which is now available on TI's new OMAP5910 device, is specifically targeted at devices with one speaker, two speakers, headphones or ear-buds. SRS Labs unveiled its latest WOW implementation at TI's Developer Conference in Houston last week, where the company demonstrated its audio enhancing capabilities on TI's OMAP1510 as well as on the TMS320C54x family of DSP.
SRS also showed off its Voice Intelligibility Processor (VIP), which has been designed to improve the intelligibility of voice in cell phone applications to enable calls in noisy environments. The technology reportedly can be applied to mobile phones, PDA devices, hands-free telematic devices in cars and other voice-related product markets. Both VIP and WOW are eXpressDSP compliant on the TMSC320C54x and C55x platforms from Texas Instruments as well as TI's OMAP platform.
In addition, SRS Labs a multichannel decoder technology called Circle Surround II that is capable of delivering up to 6.1 channels of audio from any mono, stereo and matrix surround encoded audio content. The technology, which was run during the conference on TI's TMSC320C67x platform, also incorporates patented techniques to improve the clarity of center channel dialog and provide bass enhancement, claims the company
By: D.inkie Sirius Shrinks Satellite Radio Down To Size
By Mark Long -- e-inSITE, 8/12/2002
Sirius Satellite Radio has announced its plans to introduce a second-generation digital satellite radio chipset in 4Q02 that will integrate all digital portions of the receiver circuitry-- excluding memory--into a single chip, with analog and mixed signal ICs rounding out the entire chipset offering. The forthcoming chipset will be implemented using Agere Systems' 0.13 micron, 6-Layer Metal technology.
The anticipated chipset improvements include a dramatic reduction in size that will enable car radio manufacturers to offer a fully integrated receiver in the dashboard, a 50 percent reduction in required power, and better thermal management. In addition, Sirius reports that the new design will allow the company to lower the total system cost by almost 50 percent.
DaimlerChrysler has announced its plans to offer Sirius radios in 17 models of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles beginning this fall and BMW will roll out Sirius radios as an accessory in its BMW 3 Series, 5
Series and X5 vehicles. In addition, Nissan will be offering Sirius radios as an option on six Infiniti and Nissan 2003 models
packers-- i assume this is the news that has driven the pps the last ccouple of days--
"and transfer tracks to portable devices"
Spoken-Word Provider MediaBay Sues Audiogalaxy File-Sharing Service
Cedar Knolls, N.J. -- MediaBay, a provider of spoken-word audio content,
announced on Tuesday that it has sued file-sharing service Audiogalaxy for
contributory and vicarious copyright infringement and unfair competition.
The suit was filed last month in the United States District Court for the
Southern District of New York. New Jersey-based MediaBay holds the rights
to distribute a library of classic radio shows and other spoken-word
content it claims was made available on the file-sharing network. In June,
Audiogalaxy settled a similar lawsuit brought by the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA) and music publishers, paid out undisclosed
damages and agreed to ask permission from copyright holders in the future
before making songs available on its service. "Audiogalaxy's file-sharing
system has enabled MediaBay's classic radio programs to be traded without
our permission and is an infringement of our rights and the rights of the
many talented individuals who created these timeless programs," said
MediaBay CEO Michael Herrick.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020813/nytu112_1.html
Wireless entertainment provider Versaly Games announced on
Tuesday an agreement with music industry artist Stanley Mouse, to
distribute his artwork for use as backgrounds and screensavers on mobile
phones. Mouse is perhaps most-noted for creating the skull-and-roses
"Bertha" logo for the Grateful Dead, in addition to album art and concert
posters for artists including the Beatles, Eric Clapton, Janis Joplin, Led
Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?
ShowShifter Home Media Center PVR Software And DivX(TM) Video Combine To Offer Total Home Entertainment Experience
Home Media Networks' ShowShifter Announced As The First Personal Video Recorder (PVR) Software To Bundle DivX(TM) Video Compression Technology
SAN DIEGO, CA and LONDON, ENGLAND--(INTERNET WIRE)--Aug 13, 2002 -- Home Media Networks Ltd, developer of network-capable home media center software, today announced a licensing and marketing agreement with DivXNetworks, Inc, the company that created the revolutionary, patent-pending DivX(TM) video compression technology. Under the agreement, Home Media Networks has licensed DivX video technology as the default video compression format for all versions of their ShowShifter Home Media Center software (including PVR functionality), and the two companies will work together to market the DivX-powered ShowShifter products to the global community of millions of DivX users.
The first ShowShifter products to integrate DivX technology are currently available for purchase through both companies web sites. ShowShifter Pro, a new product that integrates the premium DivX Pro video compression technology into ShowShifter Home Media Center software, can be purchased through www.divx.com/products and www.showshifter.com. Home Media Networks will provide existing ShowShifter users with the ability to upgrade to the ShowShifter Pro. Additionally, Home Media Networks plans to integrate DivX as the default video compression format in all other versions of ShowShifter software.
DivX(TM) video compression technology is a hugely popular video encoder / decoder thanks to the great reduction in encoded video file size with hardly any loss of picture quality. DivX technology has become the de facto standard for high-quality IP video, with over 60 million downloads and an average of over 2 million downloads per month. The most recent DivX codec, called a "revolutionary product" by Tom's Hardware Guide, currently ranks as the most downloaded multimedia application on CNET's Download.com.
Unlike traditional desktop video viewing software that forces the user to be at their PC in order to operate the software, ShowShifter features a unique FarView interface and is entirely controllable via remote control. This provides the PC user with the convenience of a home entertainment experience rather than the desktop experience. As well as playing back video files, ShowShifter lets the user watch, time-shift and record TV, browse an electronic program guide (and automatically schedule a 'record'), watch DVDs and listen to CDs and music files, all through a single interface, via remote control.
"We are delighted to be working with the most popular video compression technology on the market as our products compliment each other perfectly," said Home Media Networks CEO, John Croft. "On top of this, the huge popularity of DivX.com means that we can reach a core audience of technology and entertainment enthusiasts who previously might not have realized that a product as versatile as ShowShifter was available."
"We share Home Media Networks vision of the PC becoming the entertainment hub of the home and are ever so keen to work with companies at the forefront of this transition," explained Jordan Greenhall, co-founder and CEO of DivXNetworks, Inc. (www.divxnetworks.com). "It is our goal to license and integrate DivX technology into innovative products that offer real value to the millions of DivX users around the world, and ShowShifter certainly fits in that category. The combination of products like DivX Pro and ShowShifter will help empower consumers to take control of the entertainment experience in new and exciting ways."
Evaluation versions of English and international versions of ShowShifter and ShowShifter Pro can be downloaded from www.showshifter.com.
About DivXNetworks
DivXNetworks is a leading technology company that enables the rapid proliferation of video content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks by combining the lightweight, ubiquitous access of the Internet with DVD-quality video performance. The company's approach is built upon the success of the DivX(TM) codec, a leading standard for MPEG-4 video distribution with over 60 million users worldwide, and the DivX Open Video System(TM), a next-generation content delivery system that provides unsurpassed aggregation, promotion, and distribution of video content for mass markets. DivXNetworks is headquartered in San Diego, California, with a satellite office in Los Angeles. For more information about DivXNetworks, visit www.divxnetworks.com.
About Home Media Networks Ltd
Home Media Networks Ltd is a company focused on the fast growing digital entertainment sector, producing software that runs on standard PC platforms to allow the user to watch, record and pause TV, play DVDs, and listen to MP3 music files. Its solution, ShowShifter, allows the user to pause a TV show to be replayed later and can be controlled remotely using a standard infrared remote control. Through unique FarView technology interaction works equally well close up or at a distance from the screen. ShowShifter is a replacement for TV, VCR, DVD and CD players in a traditional household, thus introducing numerous cost savings for the consumer. Home Media Networks Ltd has offices in the UK in Edinburgh and Crawley.
ShowShifter can be downloaded from www.showshifter.com
DivXNetworks, a developer of video compression technology and
video-on-demand delivery systems, announced on Tuesday that software firm
Home Media Networks has licensed the DivX video codec for use in its
ShowShifter Home Media Center software. Edinburgh, U.K.-based Home Media
Networks' ShowShifter software allows users to pause and record live TV on
their PCs, as well as play DVDs and MP3s.
http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/020813/045395.html
http://www.showshifter.com
http://www.divxnetworks.com
Sirius Satellite Radio, a provider of satellite-delivered
digital radio programming, said on Tuesday that as of August 11, 2002, the
company claimed 6,510 subscribers for its 100-channel, $12.95 per month
service. New York-Sirius had 3,347 subscribers the day before its service
became available nationwide on July 1, 2002. Rival XM Satellite Radio
reported 136,718 subscribers to its service for the second quarter ended
June 30.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020813/nytu115_1.html
emit-- I noticed that as well; my guess would be some type of PDA/photo player:
http://www.legend-holdings.com/eng/product/content_tianji_pda.html
====================================================
February 26, 2002
Legend to announce PDA partnerships
Hong Kong media reported today that the mainlands largest PC maker, Legend Holdings, would announce a deal tomorrow with two companies that make personal digital assistants (PDAs) in a bid to diversify its computer business.
U.S.-based Handspring Inc., the world's No. 2 two handheld computer maker, may be one of the two companies, while the other is expected to be a domestic firm. However, Legend declined to reveal the details, Sina.com reported today.
Yang Yuanqing, president of Legend, will announce the new business initiative at a news conference in Beijing.
Legend has repeatedly said handheld devices will be a "major development area" of its strategy. The company has roughly a 30-percent share of Chinas PC market.
Legend estimated that PDA shipments in the Asia-Pacific region would growpercent a year through 2005. The company also said it hoped to develop handheld devices that combine data processing with wireless calling.
For more information on Chinas IT market, see the IT/Telecom section of ChinaOnlines eBookstore.
=====================================
LGJ--won't edigital DP products suffer from the same negative comments??
Seven Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Developing Radios Using Agere Systems Chip Set for Sirius Service
FOR RELEASE MONDAY JUNE 25, 2001
ALLENTOWN, Pa.- Agere Systems (NYSE: AGR.A), the world leader in communications semiconductors, today announced that seven consumer electronics manufacturers--Alpine, Clarion, Delphi Delco, JENSEN, Kenwood, Panasonic and Visteon--are developing radios that include Agere's chip set capable of receiving broadcasts from Sirius Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI).
Agere has shipped engineering samples of the chip set to all seven manufacturers. Production chip sets are expected to be shipped in early fall of this year. The satellite radios are designed to give the nation's more than 200 million vehicles access to Sirius' up to 100 channel audio entertainment service, which includes 50 channels of commercial-free music and 50 channels of news, sports, talk, comedy and children's programming.
"Agere's chip set is the culmination of the development and integration of innovative technologies that have been custom-designed for satellite radio," said Bob Rango, general manager of new business initiatives for Agere Systems. "Working closely with Sirius and radio manufacturers on this chip set was key to developing the critical feature and performance mix needed to make this new mobile audio application technically feasible and able to deliver digital quality radio to listeners."
The integrated chip set combines a unique set of technologies that enable mobile reception of satellite signals. These technologies include the dynamic combining of a coded orthogonal-frequency division multiplexed (COFDM) band for signals broadcast from ground antennas; and two time-division multiplexed quadrature phase shift keyed (TDM-QPSK) bands to reliably receive signals broadcast from three satellites.
Agere's chip set combines radio and intermediate frequency (RF/IF) demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), complex digital signal processing and control functions, and digital audio decoding--all in a single, complete integrated chip set, implementing three concurrent receivers. The chip set's wideband RF circuits allow receivers to demodulate a 12.5 Megahertz (MHz) spectrum in the S-band (2.3 GHz), consisting of two TDM satellite signals and a COFDM terrestrial signal. Each of these signals carries identical information and is demodulated with the full aggregate payload. This redundancy allows reliable reception through use of an innovative maximal ratio combiner (MRC), which proportionally combines the three signals for optimal quality. An innovative buffer management scheme addresses problems unique to satellite reception such as resolving Doppler and time delay.
The high sound quality of the new receivers is enabled by Perceptual Audio Coding (PAC), developed by Bell Labs, the research and development arm of Lucent Technologies, and commercialized by Agere Systems for this digital radio application. Named satellite PAC (sPAC)*, the technology processes and digitally compresses high fidelity stereo music (stereophonic audio) and monophonic audio transmission (such as talk radio) from 1.41 Mbits/s to bit rates as low as 24 Kbits/s. Data transmission modes are also supported for future telematics applications such as traffic advisories. The high compression of the sPAC technology enables up to 100 channels of programming to be transmitted simultaneously. In addition, a statistical multiplexer integral to sPAC ensures that each channel is transmitted in high quality by assigning the available bandwidth to channels with the greatest need.
Agere's chip set processes the aggregate multi-channel, encrypted, and error correction coded satellite and terrestrial signals to decode any one of 100 audio channels. Each channel is decoded with audio as well as program descriptive text, such as channel name, song title, and song artist. Receivers designed with the Agere chip set will be able to capture digital signals from satellites and terrestrial repeaters broadcasting Sirius' service. The Sirius transmission system uses three independent transmission signals, two from satellites at any given moment and one terrestrial. Each contains an audio bandwidth of approximately 5.0 Mbits/s. By transmitting with time, frequency, modulation, and space diversity, these independent transmission signals will help assure robust reception virtually anywhere, anytime in the continental U.S.
Agere Systems Inc., formerly the Microelectronics Group of Lucent Technologies, is the world leader in semiconductors for communications applications. Lucent has announced it intends to spin off Agere Systems as an independent company. Agere Systems offers integrated optoelectronics and integrated circuits solutions to help customers reduce the time and expense of developing new communications equipment. It also provides wireless computer networking solutions through its ORiNOCO product line. More information about Agere Systems is available from its Web site at www.agere.com.
emit--note the following excerpt however:
A few of the other algorithms
in Table 1 tweaking my intellectual
curiosity include opensource
perceptual coders
MPEGplus and Ogg Vorbis; vector-
quantization pioneer TwinVQ;
and Qdesign’s codec, which
employs parametric encoding
techniques and is used in
Apple’s QuickTime. I’ll probably
skip ePAC, though; Vedalabs
indicates that it’s fallen out of
favor in consumer electronics,
and iBiquity Digital’s compression
derives from the original
PAC algorithm (Reference A).
http://gzzj.com/sender/_data/74935.pdf
===========
the most current version as of 7/1/02 appears to be PAC v4
The Enhanced Perceptual Audio Coder (EPAC) -- Deepen Sinha, Lucent Technologies Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, USA
http://www.aes.org/events/103/tp1.html.
Deepen Sinha
Director, Audio Development
Deepen Sinha leads all PAC (Perceptual Audio Coder) related technical activities for iBiquity Digital. In this role, he directs a team of engineers who are developing enhancements to iBiquity Digital's customized PAC algorithm, and preparing it for commercialization and deployment in various systems. Since joining iBiquity Digital (formerly Lucent Digital Radio) in 1998, Sinha has been instrumental in developing the company's customized version of PAC for use in the digital audio broadcasting arena, which includes features such as bitstream partitioning for unequal error protection, adaptive error concealment, and multistreaming techniques such as multi-descriptive and embedded coding.
Prior to joining iBiquity Digital, Sinha worked at Lucent Bell Labs, between 1993 and 1998, conducting research in the area of Audio Signal Compression. This work formed the basis for the latest generation of Lucent's Perceptual Audio Coder (PAC).
Sinha has contributed to a number of technical publications as well as a total of 19 awarded or applied patents in the areas of audio coding and joint source-channel coding.
Deepen Sinha earned a B.Tech (Hons.) degree in Electronics & Electrical Communications Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India, in 1986, a M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University in 1989, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, in 1993. His Ph.D. dissertation made original contributions to the idea of wavelet based audio coding
murgirl-- my best understanding of the current codecs used by XM and Sirius are as follows:
XM--variation of AAC-
EXPERTS AGREE XM SATELLITE RADIO HAS SUPERIOR SOUND QUALITY
Sound & Vision Magazine & Renowned Audio Quality Expert Bob Ludwig Perform First Side-by-Side Tests of XM & its Competitor
Washington D.C., June 05, 2002 -- XM Satellite Radio was judged to have superior sound quality over its competitor in two recent side-by-side evaluations, one by Sound & Vision magazine, the world's largest audio-video enthusiast publication, and the other by internationally renowned audio quality expert and mastering engineer Bob Ludwig.
In May, Ludwig declared XM to have superior sound quality after an in-depth, side-by-side evaluation of the two satellite radio services conducted at his world-famous Gateway Mastering Studios. These finding were mirrored in the just-issued July/August issue of Sound & Vision - the world's largest audio-video enthusiast publication - which also declared XM the undisputed winner of its sound quality evaluation, after two days of road testing XM and its competitor in and around Denver, Colorado.
XM recently revealed that it achieves its superior sound by using CT-aacPlus audio encoding with Neural Audio optimization, which provides stellar sound quality remarkably close to Compact Disc.
CT-aacPlus is the combination of Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), a highly efficient global standard combining the work of the world's foremost experts on perceptual audio encoding -- AT&T, Dolby, Fraunhofer, and Sony - with Coding Technologies' revolutionary Spectral Band Replication technology.
"XM Sounds Better," Says Sound & Vision
After two days of road testing XM and its competitor in both in the city of Denver and in the surrounding mountains, Sound & Vision Magazine in its current July/August issue says flatly that XM has superior sound quality.
The evaluation was performed by Senior Contributing Editor Ken C. Pohlmann, who teaches audio engineering at the University of Miami, and Contributor Leslie Shapiro, a recording engineer.
"At this stage of the game, XM sounds better than Sirius," Pohlmann and Shapiro said. "The bottom line: Sirius sound quality was inferior to XM's - to a significant degree we thought."
The road tests of XM and Sirius- both of whose services are now commercially available - took place in vehicles outfitted by the companies. Sound & Vision listened to XM on a Pioneer GEX-903 receiver with a Blitzsafe Digital Interface; Sirius was heard over a Kenwood KTC-SR901 receiver.
The road test results were corroborated by Sound & Vision Technical Editor David Ranada, who conducted an additional comparison in the magazine's offices to ensure that the results were attributed to the satellite signals and not the car electronics.
Both XM and Sirius participated in and gave their full support to the tests.
". . . It's irrefutable that satellite radio is fantastic," Sound & Vision said.
XM Has the Best Sound in Satellite Radio, According to Audio Quality Expert Bob Ludwig
Premier audio quality expert and mastering engineer Bob Ludwig declared XM to have the best sound in satellite radio, based on a recent evaluation at his Gateway Mastering studios. Ludwig's tests were the first independent, third-party studio evaluations of the two competing audio codecs being used for satellite radio services.
Ludwig, who has mastered countless gold and platinum records for many of the world's top musical artists, including Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Madonna, k.d. lang, and Creed, performed comprehensive comparisons among the original CD sources and broadcasts of the songs on XM and on its competitor Sirius Satellite Radio, all under laboratory conditions in his sound studios.
Over 10 hours of testing XM and Sirius broadcasts, Ludwig compared a wide range of musical genres -- including rock, country, jazz, classical, and contemporary-- and artists, from the Pretenders to Def Leppard, Blue Highway, Shostakovich, and John Coltrane.
Ludwig said he consistently found the XM sound superior. Def Leppard's Bringin On The Heartbreak, XM was "much closer to the CD;" Jackson Browne's Running on Empty --"XM wins again; it was closer to the CD;" Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5, Op 47 - "XM was more musical."
"Overall, XM was more natural sounding and a much better music experience," Ludwig concluded.
===============================
Sirius-- variation of epac--PAC (developed by iBiquity Digital(formerly Lucent/Bell Labs):
Sirius Satellite Radio First to Introduce Next Generation of Sound-Enhancing Technology
Company Plans to Activate New System Prior to National Launch on July 1
NEW YORK, June 10, 2002 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sirius Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI - News), the premier satellite radio broadcaster, today announced that it will introduce a new, advanced audio enhancing technology in time for its nationwide service roll out on July 1.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991118/NYTH125 )
This new version of the PAC v4 Audio Codec, developed by iBiquity Digital, is derived from a series of unique technologies that include the latest generation of psychoacoustic modeling, based on a deeper understanding of hearing physiology.
"We are thrilled to be introducing this new technology in time for our national service launch," said Joseph P. Clayton, President and CEO of Sirius Satellite Radio. "Combined with our SPLEX statistical multiplexing capabilities and our in-depth programming, Sirius subscribers will now enjoy the highest levels of audio quality available in today's radio broadcasting environment."
"We've been working together with Sirius for several months now to develop this new software in time for their upcoming national launch," said Dr. Deepen Sinha of iBiquity. "The result is that Sirius listeners will experience brilliantly clear, rich sound quality that takes full advantage of the tonal ranges in the music offered."
According to iBiquity, this new version of PAC v4 Audio Codec is the most advanced audio compression software available on the market, and a significant advance over the previous generation of perceptual codecs. It responds rapidly to the dynamics of audio signals to provide an 'open sound-stage' effect, with a high dynamic range and stereo separation. It also uses a sophisticated model for encoding audio signal harmonics to achieve higher coding efficiency for complex signals.
In addition to the psychoacoustic modeling, the technology incorporates unique features such as an adaptive filtering capability and efficient multi- stage noiseless coding.
Designed by a research team led by Dr. Sinha, and formulated to work hand- in-hand with Sirius' SPLEX technology, this new version of PAC v4 provides optimum sound quality for all channels, while maintaining maximum bandwidth efficiency.
SPLEX is the sophisticated system, deployed by Sirius, which allocates bandwidth in real-time to music channels with more demanding sound, such as classical, jazz, and rock.
=============================================
the delphi doc. is from 2001; i suspect would now use this newer version
chetfinster 13 Aug 2002,
I sold my position on Friday, before the announcement. When there had been no information released concerning securing relative chump change financing of 1 million, I figured that that was a telling point.
I think I'm in the minority here in that I lost less than 2K. I could've stuck it out, but the management of the company wasn't sending out any positive signals about the future, and seems to be presently playing a gamblers hand here in trying to force investors out of the woodwork in an effort to keep the tech away from competitors.
I still believe in the technology, but my suspicions seem to be confirmed by another poster here in stating that On2 doesn't "own" the technology, they're just acting as a rep for the patent holder, so the company, in essence, has no assets besides sales. That's fine for the patent holder, not so fine for the stock holder.
In my opinion I think the company missed more than a few opportunities to promote the technology. I know I made an offer from the pharma company I work at that potentially would have allowed us to release some positive promotional statements out about this technology, but the initiative never went anywhere. May the overture was made too late in the game - I don't know.
I do know that this technology kicks the cr*p out of everything else, and it will be a shame to see Corona win simply because they "own" the market by default as they "own" the operating systems. MPEG4 was never the enemy. M$oft and Corona are the competition. Real would do themselves a favor by acknowledging this fact.
I could never understand why the marriage of Real and On2 never happened. It seems a natural. A delivery system with a very broad base and a codec that can improve the quality while reducing the necessary bandwidth. It was a VERY short honeymoon. I have to believe something happened behind the scenes to sour the relationship. Maybe it had something to do with AOL dumping Real in favor of the FREE On2 codec - who knows.
I still think this might work out, if for no other reason than to isolate the technology. I know if I had the money, and my game had anything to do with creating or delivering content over the internet or wireless, I'd make a move here. That's why I'll be surprised if financing doesn't happen (with a new partner) before the codec patent holder becomes a free agent.
I realize my money isn't where my mouth is right now, but I figure 2K on the minus give me the right to throw in my 2 cents.
Listen.com will provide a free one-month membership to its Rhapsody
service to purchasers of certain products from Jensen/Recoton,
Stereo-link, TERK and U.S. Robotics that connect to a PC and then transmit
audio either wirelessly or via USB connection to a home stereo.
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TERK AND XM SATELLITE RADIO HONORED WITH CEA's 2002 ...
... TERK AND XM SATELLITE RADIO HONORED WITH CEA's 2002 BEST OF INNOVATIONS AWARD TERK's
XM Glass-Mount Antenna Receives Highest Score in the Mobile Electronics ...
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sentinel--i know, i don't like to read my posts either but every once in a while...
Digital Radio Comes Back to Earth
FCC to evaluate IBOC standard
By Steven Fyffe -- Electronic News, 10/15/2001
Texas Instruments Inc. is thinking big.
"Today we have AM and FM radio," said Naresh Coppisetti, business manager for digital radio at TI. "Just like cell phones and cameras all that is going digital. The move from analog to digital transmission must happen. We know that. If you agree with that, then why not be involved early in the transition?
"More than 300 million radios are sold each year worldwide. It is the second or third largest volume market after cell phones," he said
...
TI is also exploring the possibilities of combining a portable digital radio with an MP3 player, Coppisetti said.
"A digital walkman would be very easy," he said. "MP3 decoding can be done on the same chip as the baseband. We think that the convergence of MP3 and DAB is going to be a powerful proposition for consumers. You have MP3 instead of a cassette, and you can record DAB music onto a flash card.
"TI is very uniquely positioned in this convergence because of the programmable nature of our baseband processor," he said.
Power consumption is the major technical hurdle to creating the all-in-one digital walkman, Coppisetti said. "Our target is to run the walkman on two AA batteries," he said.
Combined MP3, DAB walkman products should hit the market in the second half of next year, Coppisetti said
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=437720
Fujitsu Ten and iBiquity Digital Ink Technology Development and Marketing Deal
Agreement Furthers iBiquity Digital's OEM Relationships and Hastens Advent of AM and FM Digital Radio
Detroit, Convergence 2000, (October 16, 2000) – iBiquity Digital, the leading provider of digital AM and FM radio broadcast technology in the U.S., and Japan based Fujitsu Ten, a leading automotive receiver manufacturer, today announced they have signed a Joint Technology and Marketing Development Agreement.
======================================================
XM signed deals with key radio manufacturers Blaupunkt, Fujitsu Ten,
Hyundai Autonet and Bontec, which are the main suppliers of audio products ...
iBiquity Digital has licensed Command Audio's technology for use in digital radios.
XM Satellite Radio has licensed Command Audio's on-demand intercative media technology.
Command Audio's audio-on-demand service will be integrated into Motorola's iRadio, a revolutionary concept in in-vehicle information and entertainment. The latest addition to the company's telematics platforms, iRadio was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
COMMAND AUDIO GRANTED ANOTHER U.S. PATENT COVERING ON-DEMAND MEDIA
LATEST ADDITION TO STRONG PATENT PORTFOLIO CONFIRMS COMMAND AUDIO'S IMPORTANCE TO FAST GROWING PRODUCT CATEGORIES SUCH AS PVRS
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - December 14, 2001 - Command Audio, a pioneer in the field of on-demand interactive media, announced today that it has been issued a fifth patent (USPTO number 6,330,334) covering the audio aspects of consumer devices and services that store broadcast media for playback at the consumer's convenience. Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) and the "on-demand" services they enable are the best-known embodiments of this technology.
As a pioneer in on-demand media technology, Command Audio has developed a strong portfolio of intellectual property. Dating back to 1993, Command Audio has been granted nine U.S. patents for various inventions and technologies that make possible the advances that are revolutionizing the way people consume media.These patents predate the development of the PVR market and cover a wide range of broadcast transmission technologies, devices and systems that incorporate on-demand functionality, an essential component of PVRs. In addition to its U.S. patents, the Company has been issued foreign counterpart patents from the European and Japanese patent offices.
Don Bogue, chairman and CEO of Command Audio commented: "Command Audio's intellectual property portfolio forms a fundamental underlying component of a number of rapidly growing consumer audio and video products and services. We are confident that companies participating in these categories will be attracted to our licensing program."
AUTO J-BOX:
The Auto J-Box is an elegant and user-friendly synthesis of the latest in both digital music and wireless communication. Powered by e.Digital technology, it is designed to seamlessly integrate the HDD-based digital jukebox into an automobile environment, revolutionizing the world of car audio. Supporting both MP3 and Windows Media content, it is capable of real-time ripping in both encoding format eliminating the need for a computer interface. This is the first system to feature post-signal WriteBack capabilities allowing for music and/or information capture up to five minutes after its signal has been received where you can audition your music before you save it! WriteBack technology is capable of capturing content from CD’s, AM, FM, and XM radio, and almost any other source, record audio, video, and even driving directions. The Auto J-Box also communicates with computers though a USB interface and will feature wireless support by mid 2002 allowing hassle-free uploading of the new content from your computer as your car is parked in the driveway. The system features VoiceNav, allowing you to navigate your media content with the power of your voice, leaving your hands free to focus on driving.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=245427
Sentinel/cksla ... AUTO J-Box ...
I posted link on RB regarding photos of AUTO J-Box which basically confirm everything Wolf copied from his brochure ...
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=EDIG&read=917400
I asked RP If this was the unit that was demonstrated privately to OEMs at CES, and if it just might be a modified Treo which could be inserted and removed enabling fast downloads if it also came with USB-2 ... never got answer to this question. In any event, I think this could be very big in the auto aftermarket ... don`t believe there is anything like it out there, especially with VoiceNAV, WriteBack and wireless protocal features. Any thoughts ?
50+ [NEWe.LONG]
AUTO J-BOX Photos ...
compliments of Sunpoop/D.inkie ...
http://www.calweb.com/~doncheri/EDIG.htm
... more CES photos here ...
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=CLB00154&read=33704
By: wolfpackvoltare $$$$$
27 Feb 2002, 11:12 AM EST Msg. 917365 of 917405
(This msg. is a reply to 917356 by cksla.)
cksla: The information I received was for OEM's only and not part of the information passed out to the public. I will not reveal who gave it to me because I don't think e.Digital wanted this released at that time. I thought that this was very important news, and printed it anyway. I will take full responsibility for the Auto-J-box news I reported.
IBiquity Digital, a developer of digital AM/FM broadcast
technology, said on Tuesday that it has acquired an exclusive license to
broadcast on-demand interactive technology from Redwood City, Calif.-based
Command Audio Corporation. Maryland-based IBiquity said the technology
will let radio broadcasters provide consumers with content-on-demand from
program selection via electronic guide to scanning content to pausing or
saving for later listening.
http://www.ibiquity.com/news/news_commandaudio.html
http://www.commandaudio.com
=====================
e.Digital is scheduled to unveil a new automotive stereo product based on the company's MicroOS(TM) 2.0 technology. The compact HDD-based design is the core of a complete, integrated automotive infotainment system developed with Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten and licensed for sale under the Eclipse brand name. Known as the MP-3 Changer, the system uses e.Digital's VoiceNav speech recognition interface to simplify use and promote safe operation while driving. The MP-3 Changer also introduces the first ever (Patent Pending) Write Behind capability for post signal music/information capture.
ibiquity:
Information for contacting and acting on a specific ad will soon be displayed in conjunction with its broadcast in order to dramatically increase overall effectiveness. Over time, expect to see the development of new receivers that can capture this information for later recall as well as communicating buy orders directly to the advertiser, all at the touch of a button
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On January 9, 2001, Motorola announced that it will license Java technology and voice recognition software from IBM, for use in the Motorola Telematics iRadio™ system. The Motorola iRadio system is a complete solution that offers a packaged multimedia functionality, which can be accessed at home, in the car and on the individual mobile devices. The Java-based platform allows the product to access personalised, location-based services, real time traffic information, dynamic off-board navigation, music-on- demand, eCommerce options and email. With speech recognition and additional features, Motorola's iRadio system delivers information, communications and entertainment to the car without diverting the driver's attention.
=========================================
A fully scalable system, iRadio will provide drivers with a range of service levels, from basic to premium packages, much like ordering Cable TV. In addition, a personalized Web page will enable iRadio to be configured anywhere drivers and passengers have an Internet connection - at home, in the office or the car. For drivers with mobile devices including pagers and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), data such as address books, calendar functions, and favorite Web bookmarks can be synchronized on demand between iRadio and the device.
"There is also an e-commerce angle that will let people buy things from their car," said Mike Bordelon, vice president of Motorola's telematics computing group. "But to offer that and other features across that space we need one end-to-end solution, and that's where IBM comes in." IBM will provide many of the back-end computing systems and services that will enable iRadio and other concept devices to work. "There are a lot of things that happen in the device that are very much tied to the server," said Jon Prial, director of marketing for IBM's pervasive computing division. "We focus on all that from synchronization, database, messaging and voice technology--all technologies from IBM for enabling the devices."
==================================================
Most Eclipse radios come with an E-COM button that you push to talk with the unit, so all Eclipse models with this E-COM functions will have e.Digital inside, which is just about every Eclipse unit out there. Another feature that e.Digital has in the unit, was a WriteBack (patent pending from e.Digital) capabilities, where a five minute buffer will store music or information that you could retrieve. Let's say you hear a song from a satellite radio station, you would be able to record that song on your 10 gig storage Eclipse radio immediately.
Texas Instruments starts sampling U.S. digital radio baseband chip
Semiconductor Business News
(08/12/02 02:32 p.m. EST)
DALLAS, Texas -- Texas Instruments Inc. has started sampling a baseband chip to implement digital radio technology to the HD Radio standard, formerly known as In Band On Channel (IBOC). Samples are priced at $50 each with volume production scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2002. No volume pricing was given.
The DRI200 chip implements the IBOC digital AM and FM technology of iBiquity Digital Corp. that is intended to enable digital reception technology in home and car receivers for U.S. retail launch in 2003 and for automakers in 2004, Dallas-headquartered TI said.
An IBOC digital module, incorporating TI's chip with software to process the HD Radio baseband signal, is also available from iBiquity for radio manufacturers to deploy in new digital receiversTI's DRI200 chip, which is based on the TMS320C6000 digital signal processor architecture, incorporates digital channel, source and data decoding and demodulation functions, TI said.
The IDM and software radio approach that TI and iBiquity have taken allows manufacturers to enter the emerging digital radio market quickly and with little design risk," said O'Connell Benjamin, senior vice president and co- chief operating officer of iBiquity, in a statement.
Major broadcasters are expected to begin transmission of HD Radio signals starting in the fourth quarter of 2002 in six geographic areas: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Seattle.
FWIW--the e.digital connection notably to all this was that
DataPlay was listed as a partner on the world theatre website (which it no longer is for whatever reason):
Posted by: Danl
In reply to: None Date:4/9/2002 10:42:06 PM
Post #of 14463
Interesting about World-Theatre..
World-Theatre is a Dataplay Partner..
WORLD THEATRE INC. AND BMG NORTH AMERICA ANNOUNCE LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR DIGITAL MUSIC AND VIDEO DISTRIBUTION
New Interactive Music Television Network To Pioneer Digital Download Of Full Album and Video Content
NEW YORK, October 15, 2001 – Laying the foundation for its interactive music television network to be launched in 2002, World Theatre, Inc. today announced a license agreement with BMG North America, a unit of one of the world’s largest global music companies. The deal will give World Theatre video broadcasting and digital music distribution rights to music and video content from BMG’s U.S. labels, including: Arista, RCA Records, RCA Label Group – Nashville and RCA Victor. BMG’s marquee artists include Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Dave Matthews Band, Dido, Alan Jackson, Whitney Houston and Carlos Santana, among many others. BMG is one of several music companies that have granted licenses to World Theatre Inc.
Internet-Based Video-on-Demand Won't Arrive Until 2005
Stamford, Conn. -- Internet-based video-on-demand services, which let
consumers choose movies they want to watch and pay for them to be streamed
or downloaded to their computers, will not be a significant distribution
channel until 2005, according to a report released Thursday by
Connecticut-based analyst firm Gartner G2. The study points out that
today, only 10 percent of the U.S. has the broadband connection necessary
to deliver Internet video-on-demand, and only 2 percent of the 156 million
adult U.S. Internet users say they have purchased or downloaded a digital
movie or video. Gartner also predicts that even three years from now,
Internet-based video-on-demand delivered by companies such as Intertainer,
Movielink and Movies.com will account for only 2 percent of total movie
distribution revenue. The report did not, however, take into account the
growing number of cable and satellite-delivered video-on-demand services
being developed by the major operators in these areas.
http://www.gartnerg2.com/research/rpt-1201-0203.asp
edig and set-top boxes- [I really have not finished this, but here are some loosely connected items you might think about]
Doc42av $$$$$ 24 Jan 2002, 11:13 AM EST Msg. 888287 of 888342
Talked to RP yesterday. Everything he said we already know about(Dataplay, MTV, Auto, bundling, and all else from shareholder letter). The only new info dealt with set-top boxes. He said most of EDIG'S work with set-top boxes involves the software and the interface that will enable users to quickly download content to portable devices. So we have something else to look forward to! Anyway, things look awesome and what a Spring it should be. Cheers
===========================================
Set Tops Prep for Music on Demand
A recently announced deal between OpenTV and World Theatre could become one of the more compelling examples of how an interactive digital music service becomes a mainstream hit, offering high-quality music, sampling and the convenience that couch potatoes demand.
The two companies are setting up a system to transmit digital copies of music directly to satellite TV subscribers, who will be able to sample and buy hundreds of albums worth of music made available every day. The service, expected to launch late this year, will allow viewers to purchase individual songs and full-length CDs on a digital set-top box, which will also act as a storage device.
"This is not like an Internet play where I have a new album and a million people come to my site and melt it because I can't serve all of them," said Kelly Sparks, World Theatre's CEO. "This is a single transmission of a single promotion, and I push the whole album, promotional materials, a video, other clips, the lyrics and land it in everyone's set-top box, and it's ready for them to preview, sample, and buy the next day in millions of homes."
The second-generation set tops are designed to store content and connect with home stereos, PCs, and other devices. The boxes are equipped with hard drives, more powerful processors, support for 3-D graphics, and a triple-tuner architecture that will allow simultaneous video, data, and voice applications.
Subscribers also will be able to sample songs from each album, and then decide whether or not to purchase them. Once purchased, the music could be sent to a PC, CD burner, or stored on the hard drive and played through a home stereo.
Traditional cable companies also are getting involved in on-demand music, but Sparks expects the satellite providers to take the early lead in offering interactive services.
==================================================
World Theater is building an interactive television music service that will scale across various set-top boxes, president Kelly Sparks said.
We've designed and built service from ground up for delivery over cable and direct-broadcast satellite systems, he said.
At one level, the service will be a 24-hour channel dedicated to music videos, specials and series produced by the record labels. Although BMG is the only announced label so far, Sparks said we are in discussions with all the others.
===================================================
World Theatre, Inc. (WTI) is a media and technology company bringing exciting new home entertainment options to consumers. Since its inception, WTI has been developing groundbreaking technologies in Interactive TV, digital content distribution and interactive advertising. WTI is contracting with leading content companies to distribute and develop fully interactive based programming that allows the consumer to control how they experience quality entertainment.
Through its partnerships with leading media and technology firms, World Theatre will deliver digital interactive entertainment to consumers and reduce the time between promotion, purchase and delivery. Consumers will have immediate access to high quality digital entertainment and content providers will be able to develop direct relationships with their customers. As its first initiative, World Theatre is preparing to launch a 24 / 7 interactive television network focused entirely on music. Our network name and launch date will be announced as part of an upcoming press and media campaign.
World Theatre, Inc. is working in partnership with leading interactive television technology and middleware providers to deliver iTV cross-platform compatibility for its transactional entertainment platform. World Theatre's platform will support a wide range of digital television interactive capabilities enabling consumers to purchase and experience music in a whole new way. In addition, the platform integrates into existing cable and satellite broadcasting architectures, and delivers an unprecedented combination of entertainment and shopping convenience to consumers.
World Theatre, Inc. is a privately held corporation founded in 1999 to create technology-based solutions that speed the transition between the promotion and purchase of consumer products. World Theatre's iTV platform simultaneously supports a wide range of digital set-top box interactive capabilities, easily integrates into cable and satellite broadcasting architectures, and delivers an unprecedented combination of entertainment and shopping convenience to consumers. The company is readying the launch of an interactive music network for introduction in 2002. The new network will enhance the music experience by allowing consumers to instantaneously get information about their favorite artists and digitally download full albums directly to their homes. The company is headquartered in Raleigh, NC with offices in New York.
World Theatre--Patent applications for Video and Music Distribution Systems address broad concepts and specific implementations for transmission of movies and music through digital cable television, direct broadcast satellite and secure physical distribution using a TV remote control for customer selection and purchase of content.
========================================================
Partnering --World Theatre
Content
In order to bring the broadest content to our customers, World Theatre is contracting with all the major record labels, and is further developing relationships with other leading and independent content providers. By aggregating content from leading suppliers, WTI can offer a one-stop shopping experience for music, video and entertainment related merchandise.
Technology
The technology cornerstone of World Theatre is its substantial intellectual property. To make these ideas a commercial reality, WTI is working with leading software, hardware, components and communications companies. A selected list includes:
On2
Thomson
InfoDisc
SecureMedia
OpenTV
Optical Disc Corp.
Texas Instruments
Digital Video Arts
IBM
GE
BeyondZ
========================================================
NAMVET $$ World Theatre/on2/sony/rca?
23 Jul 2002, 09:15 PM EDT Msg. 18897 of 18927
When Doug (McIntyre-CEO of On2) was talking about World Theatre, he brought up Sony and RCA. Is that a coincidence, as he has used Sony in examples in the past. That coupled with the Spiderman ad on The Street.Com for one day,well he could be trying to tell us something or trying to sucker us in further. I tend to think we have something going with Sony.
=================================
World Theatre has assembled a management team that will be headed by music and entertainment industry veteran Robert Summer. Mr. Summer, former President of Sony Music International and RCA Records, will serve as World Theatre's Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Directors.
World Theatre's diverse management team has extensive experience in music, entertainment, and e-commerce.
Key team members include:
Chairman/CEO, Robert Summer - President, RCA Records , President, Sony Music International, and Chairman of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
EVP iTV Music Network, Rob Barnett - Former VP Programming at VH1, 12 years at MTV Networks in music, programming & production, and 10 years in radio programming.
for any of you who think this is OT; think again
speaking of subscription--Open TV News- Britney Does China???
BEIJING, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 5, 2002--OpenTV (NASDAQ and Euronext Amsterdam: OPTV), the world's leading interactive television company, today announced it now has agreements with eight local partners to port its interactive software to digital TV set-top boxes designed specifically for the Chinese market. The latest agreement with Shenzen-based Coship Electronics Company Limited, which currently controls a significant percentage of the satellite and cable receiver market in China, further strengthens OpenTV's technology leadership position in the 100 million-home television market.
Additional major local Chinese set-top box manufacturing partners include Beijing Beida Jadebird, Shanghai Guangdian (SVA), Beijing Nokia Citic, Sichuan Jiuzhou, Beijing Compunicate, Shanghai DigiVision and Beijing DSP.
OpenTV provides end-to-end interactive TV solutions, including set-top box middleware, content and professional services that are localized to meet specific market requirements. OpenTV's solutions provide support for Chinese characters and character entry to local set-top box manufacturers and all approved conditional access vendors throughout China. This support gives local partners an opportunity to quickly build expertise for new and innovative services being deployed to the local market. In fact, Coship and Jiuzhou recently supplied OpenTV-powered set-top boxes to enable CCTV's interactive TV service of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
"We believe that continued support from manufacturers, along with the combination of OpenTV's localized interactive TV solutions and its more than three years of commitment to the Chinese market, will further speed the deployment of advanced interactive television content and applications in China," said Jeff Brown, OpenTV managing director, Asia Pacific region. "We are excited to be working with partners who share our vision for high-quality, mass-media interactive TV services in China."
"OpenTV is a leading supplier of middleware solutions for cable network operators and its advanced technology enables us to integrate sophisticated functionality supporting China cable operators provide fruitful digital and interactive TV programs for subscribers," Luck Chen, the general manager of Shanghai Digivision Technology Co., Ltd., said of OpenTV, "Working with OpenTV has been a very easy and productive experience for DigiVision. Our experience has shown that OpenTV provides excellent support, sharing its iTV technology and international experience with our knowledge of local market needs to bring a compelling solution for China cable operators."
OpenTV's interactive television technologies, content, applications and services have been selected by many of the Asia Pacific region's leading industry participants, including: Austar in Australia, Jupiter Telecommunications Co., Ltd, in Japan, Beida Jadebird Huaguang, CBSat, CCTV, Henan Cable and Shanghai Cable in China, Sky Television in New Zealand, and consumer electronics manufacturers Sony Corporation and Matsushita. OpenTV has partnered with more than 18 manufacturers in Asia in Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. OpenTV's interactive television technologies work with at least four conditional access systems approved by SARFT in China and the company actively participates in the developments of digital interactive TV standards organized by SARFT in China. OpenTV is also a member of Japan Cable Laboratories, which supports development of digital cable TV technology standards in Japan, and is the only interactive TV company to provide a product that meets BML standards in Japan.