From:	 Rhett Glauser <rhett@lineo.com>
To:	 lwn@lwn.net
Subject: Lineo participates in TV Linux Alliance and other announcements
Date:	 Tue, 12 Jun 2001 14:50:00

Lineo™, along with Sun, Motorola and Liberate, today took part in the
founding announcement of the TV Linux Alliance. The TV Linux Alliance
will integrate the Linux-based digital media expertise of 24 leading companies
in the DTV market.

Rhett Glauser
801-426-5001 ext 351
rhett@lineo.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDUSTRY LEADERS FORM TV LINUX ALLIANCE

ACTV, ATI Technologies, Broadcom Corporation, Concurrent Computer Corporation,
Conexant, Convergence Integrated Media, DIVA, Excite@Home, iSurfTV, Liberate
Technologies, Lineo, MontaVista, Motorola, nCUBE, OpenTV, Pace Micro
Technology, Qpass, ReplayTV, STMicroelectronics, Sun Microsystems, TiVo,
Trintech, TV Gateway and WorldGate align to bring Linux to digital cable
set-tops as a means to speed the development and deployment of robust
software solutions with lower development costs.

CHICAGO - NCTA Show - June 12, 2001 - Industry leaders today announced
the formation of the TV Linux Alliance, which will define a standards-based
Linux environment for the digital set-top box market. Twenty-four leading
technology suppliers to cable, satellite, and telecommunications operators
have allied to produce Linux standards designed to improve time-to-market
and product robustness in the advanced set-top box market. 

The alliance will define a standard application programming interface
(API) that will simplify the implementation of TV middleware and device
drivers for the Linux operating environment, allowing network operators
to select from a variety of vendors whose offerings are interoperable
with the common API. The alliance plans to capitalize on Linux designs
already underway among various founders and harmonize early work across
the industry to ensure that Linux is delivered to the digital set-top
under a common framework of evolving standards-based specifications. Linux
is a proven, stable, and robust open source operating system with a strong
developer community, making it an intelligent choice for network operators,
infrastructure providers, and hardware manufacturers.  

"The alliance will provide network operators with a standardized offering
from the Linux community for digital TV set-tops," said Yankee Group analyst
Adi Kishore. "A common solution built around a single framework will reduce
the integration issues that result in lengthy deployment time-frames for
advanced interactive applications, as well as middleware solutions and
set-top boxes."

This single, standard API will help suppliers bring technologies to market
more quickly, while competing on software implementations supporting a
common API.  As a result, the alliance expects this new standard to:
·	Provide a wider variety of set-top box software technologies delivering
a stable operating environment with decreased development costs.
·	Leverage open solutions and build upon the work of software developers
worldwide.
·	Shorten time to market for chipset and middleware vendors and ease
integration of advanced set-top applications.
·	Support implementation of industry television standards such as 
CableLabs' OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP), Digital Video Broadcast's
Multimedia Home Platform (DVB-MHP), and other middleware specifications.

Broadband operators will benefit from lower operating system and development
costs, more rapid device driver support for new hardware features, fewer
repeated tasks in porting middleware solutions, and easier porting of
additional new interactive applications - all of which can help them deliver
the latest advanced interactive services more quickly and less expensively.

Chipset manufacturers will benefit by the availability of a clear roadmap
for supplying Linux-based device driver support, and can expect shorter
time-to-market for their API-enabled hardware solutions. Middleware vendors
will benefit from more efficient and easier porting of middleware solutions
and integration of interactive applications. 

"The world of digital television is rapidly changing and the formation
of this alliance will ensure that network operators have access to a solid
offering set from the Linux community for digital TV set-tops," said Jerry
Krasner, executive director, Electronics Market Forecasters (www.electronic-for
ecast.com). "No single company has been able to own the digital TV market.
The talents and technologies of these companies rallying around a single
framework for a robust Linux solution should keep competition at the operating
system layer thriving while insuring that advanced interactive applications
and middleware providers along with set-top manufacturers can get solutions
to market more quickly." 

The new Linux specification developed by alliance members is expected
to be available later this year. Parties that are interested in tracking
the progress of the TV Linux Alliance or in accessing resulting specifications
should visit www.TVLinuxAlliance.org. A listing of all participating TV
Linux Alliance members and their press contacts can be found at
www.TVLinuxAlliance.org 

Press Contacts Only
Marty O'Loughlin				Blake Stowell
TV Linux Alliance				TV Linux Alliance
Tel:  650-701-4078				Tel: 801-426-5001 ext.321
moloughlin@tvlinuxalliance.org 			blake.stowell@tvlinuxalliance.org