--Says it is Close to Unveiling First Release of its IPTV Specifications
The Open IPTV Forum--an industry group that is attempting to bring
together telcos, consumer electronics manufacturers, and network
infrastructure providers, in order to develop specifications for an open,
end-to-end solution that will facilitate development and deployment of
interactive, personalized IPTV services (its founding members include
Ericsson, FT Group, Nokia Siemens, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung,
Sony and Telecom Italia)--says that it is close to unveiling the first
release of its specifications, and that it has significantly expanded its
membership. The new members are Access Company, BeeTV,
FastWeb, Digital Fountain, Intel, Intertrust Technologies, Motorola,
Opera Software, Thomson, Swisscom and ZyXEL. "These new
members represent a wide range of interest and broaden the input to the
Forum's activities both technically and geographically," Forum
chairman, Yun Chao Hu, said in a prepared statement. "They reinforce
the Forum's presence in the USA, with four new member companies
(Digital Fountain, Intel, InterTrust Technology Corporation and
Motorola) and establish the Forum's presence in Taiwan (ZyXel). Work
on the new specifications is progressing fast. The Forum has already
produced the first version of a Service and Platform Requirements
document and the first architecture specification. We are now working
round the clock to meet our target of publishing Release 1 in September
this year. Release 1 will solve the problem of fragmentation within the
market by standardizing an IPTV framework, enabling a
'plug-and-play' experience for the end-user and, by ensuring
interoperability, will make IPTV independent of the technology behind
it."
