General Instrument and Microware team up to develop interactive television solutions; Microware's DAVID operating system used across full line of General Instrument's new digital entertainment terminals

Business Wire, May 1, 1995

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 1995--General Instrument Corporation (NYSE:GIC) and Microware Systems Corporation today announced an agreement to license Microware's DAVID operating system for use in GI's line of interactive digital terminals for telephone and cable interactive networks.

The companies will demonstrate GI's digital set-top terminals integrating the DAVID operating system at National Cable Television Association's Cable '95 trade show May 7-10 in Dallas, Texas. The companies expect the product to be commercially available later this year.

"Working with GI really helps us solidify our position as a leading interactive TV solutions provider," said Ken Kaplan, CEO of Microware Systems. "GI's current leadership in broadband technology combined with its advanced digital technology makes the company a major player in the emerging interactive networks market. We are very pleased to be contributing to GI's digital strategy by supporting advanced system software for their set-top terminals."

GI's new digital entertainment terminals will provide MPEG-2 digital video decompression, interactive graphics and a broadband network interface.

"GI is providing our customers with a powerful, flexible, low-cost interactive TV solution with the added benefit of DAVID's open architecture, low memory requirements, and maturity," said Dan Moloney, vice president of GI's Addressable Systems business unit. "In addition, our customers -- the RBOCS and cable companies -- will benefit from the open architecture by allowing them to choose from multiple authoring tools, video servers and transmission systems which the DAVID-based digital terminal will support."

Microware's DAVID (Digital Audio/Video Interactive Decoder) will be fully integrated into GI's digital terminals, providing a gateway between the user and the services on an interactive network, and handling the flow of video, audio and other I/O to and from the home or workplace.

More on DAVID

DAVID is the standard operating system environment for interactive television decoders that can be used in telephone, cable TV and wireless networks. Created and licensed by Microware, DAVID is based on Microware's OS-9 Real-Time Operating System, which runs on Motorola 68XXX, PowerPC and Intel X86 microprocessors. The DAVID system supports both networked and local interactive applications, graphics and user interfaces.

Microware Systems Corporation

Microware is a "total solution" supplier of real-time software products and services, encompassing high performance real-time operating systems, development tools, custom engineering and training. Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, Microware was among the first microcomputer software houses to serve the real-time software market.

Microware supports over 750 OEM customers worldwide and has distributed more than five million copies of its OS-9 Real-Time Operating System. Its products are used in a broad range of multimedia applications and consumer electronic products including CD-i players, interactive TV decoders and cellular telephones.

General Instrument Corporation

General Instrument Corporation is a world leader in developing technology, systems and product solutions for the interactive delivery of video, voice and data.

CONTACT: Microware Systems Corporation

Deb Fry, 515/224-1929

or

Wilson McHenry Company

Amie Belongia Emmons, 415/638-3400

or

General Instrument Corporation

Karen Kane, 312/541-5011