NDS' XTV Personal TV To Be Enabled By STMicroelectronics Chipsets

Business Wire, April 12, 2000

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

NAB 2000

Sands Convention Center

Booth S4138

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 2000

NDS Group plc (Nasdaq:NNDS)(Easdaq:NNDS),a News Corporation company, and a leader in providing business solutions to content owners and TV channels through sophisticated interactive TV technology, demonstrates XTV(TM), NDS' Personal TV platform, using a new chip-set from STMicroelectronics.

Based on existing ICs from ST, the XTV demonstration (NDS Stand: S4138) shows that the sophisticated and easy-to-use XTV viewer experience can be delivered by today's silicon.

XTV frees operators and viewers from the constraints of a broadcast schedule. It keeps viewers loyal to the broadcasters' brand whilst enabling the broadcaster to protect and earn additional revenues from highly targeted advertising. XTV extends the television experience for broadcasters, advertisers, content owners and viewers by placing large amounts of digital storage in the set-top-box (STB) or digital TV set.

XTV delivers much more functionality than a TV set combined with a digital VCR. For example, 'Smart software' within the TV set seeks out and records a viewers favorite shows and the TV program's meta data (data about data) allows the software to intelligently gather, store and present information and entertainment just as a viewer requires. In addition, the combination of local storage and meta data enables exciting enhancements, such as interacting with content downloaded in advance to the set-top box or through content segmentation, allowing viewers to watch program highlights or click on the next news story.

"We believe that XTV will revolutionize the way that people watch and interact with television content. The backing of STMicroelectronics is another vote of confidence for our vision of television's future. I look forward to NDS, working with STMicroelectronics, bringing TV entertainment to XTV powered set-top boxes and integrated digital televisions, while providing new powerful business models for broadcasters and advertisers," says Jas Saini, Vice President Consumer Devices of NDS Group plc.

The demonstration is based on ST's STi5512 single-chip set-top box decoder. An STV0299 QPSK receiver is included for live satellite reception. The STi5512 integrates in a single chip a programmable transport demultiplexer block, an ST20 32-bit high-performance CPU, an audio/video MPEG-2 decoder, advanced display and graphics features, a digital TV encoder, and system peripherals.

"Flexibility in the transport demultiplexer is essential for XTV. This has always been our philosophy," said Philippe Lambinet, General Manager, Digital Video Division of STMicroelectronics. "Similarly, flexibility in our MPEG-2 video decoder means that no modification to the IC was required in order to support the higher functionality that makes XTV so attractive to broadcasters, consumers and advertisers."

The STi5512 complies with the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) specifications used by most digital TV broadcasters, therefore allowing manufacturers to make a common platform for re-use across different services. STi5512 integration options include the ICAM conditional access module used in NDS' VideoGuard(TM) advanced digital conditional access system.

Features of XTV, include:

-- An XTV enabled set-top box is controlled by the viewers'

remote control and delivers a richer viewer experience without

the consumer having to learn new skills. In default operation

XTV will be much easier to use than the present VCR. Smart

software learns the viewer's habits and records the programs

most likely to be requested, without the consumer even picking

up the remote control.

-- Meta data describing programming and scheduling inserted at

the head-end means that smart software selects and stores

programs the viewer is likely to want to watch.

-- Content meta data allows content enhancement giving the viewer

a richer experience than today -- such as highlights of sports

events, next story during news programs and allows

interactivity with content already stored on the set-top box.

-- Broadcasters can ensure that advertisers are not bypassed.

-- Advertising can be targeted much more accurately than with

traditional TV. Viewer specific information held in the

set-top box means that advertising contracts can stipulate

that adverts are played to specific demographic groups, at

what time the adverts are viewed and during what type of

programming the adverts are watched.

About NDS

NDS Group plc (Nasdaq:NNDS)(Easdaq:NNDS) is a leading supplier of open conditional access software and interactive systems for the secure delivery of entertainment and information to digital TVs, set-top boxes, personal computers and mobile devices. The company also develops e-security solutions for broadband Internet multicasting applications. NDS systems enable broadcasters, content providers and enterprises on the leading edge of the convergence of TV and the Internet to profit from digital TV and interactive services, including integrating and delivering Internet and TV content, data broadcasting and e-commerce transactions. A portfolio of services including consulting, systems design and integration, support and maintenance complements NDS' systems and technologies.