Sony to start digital broadcastservices

["Mark McCall" <mark@xxxxxxx>]

23 Oct 2000 11:10 GMT
Reuters

New set-top boxes will enable
viewersto store entertainment
programmingon memory devices
andwatch it later, or to access the
Internetvia TV
Four Japanese electronics giants said
onMonday they will create a joint
ventureto standardise technology for
interactivebroadcasting and storage-
typedatacasting.
Matsushita Electric Industrial and
Toshibawill be the leading
shareholdersin theplanned venture to
becapitalised at200m yen (about
£1.2m),each taking 25percent
stakes.Sony and Hitachi willeach own
10percent.
The remaining 30 percent will be
equallydivided by 10 firms including Fuji
TelevisionNetwork Inc , one of Japan's
fivenationwide commercial television
broadcasters.
Advanced TV set top boxes (STBs) will
bemanufactured based on the
standardisedtechnology. The new
STBswill enable viewers to store
entertainmentprogramming on
powerfulmemory devices and watch it
later,or to access the Internet via TV
sets.
With the STBs, TV sets can also be
usedas a terminal for e- commerce
transactions."This is the kind of
undertakingthat will lead to the
Japaneseversion of the information
superhighway," Toshiba president
TadashiOkamura told a news
conference."This will be Japan's first
comprehensivemedia platform,
coveringTVs, data transmission,
Internetand mobile phones. We
expectthis project to have an impact
onnext-generation platforms in the
US,Europe and in Asia."
In June, three of the four companies --
exceptHitachi -- first joined hands to
co-operate in creating a standard
formatfor digital TV set-top boxes.
In July, the group expanded that
alliance to include building a market for
interactive TV services following the
start in Japan this December of digital
satellite broadcasting. All five of Japan's
largest commercial broadcasting
companies plan to launch digital
satellite-TV services.
In July the three TV makers which
earlier agreed to create a standard
format for digital TV set-top boxes also
said they would join hands with Hitachi
in establishing an open e-business
platform or "e-platform", with the aim
of launching services next year.


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