Business Services Industry

Insignia Solutions, Philips Team Up On Java Solutions For Nexperia Home Entertainment Engine in Advanced Set-Top Box Designs

Business Wire, Dec 4, 2000

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 2000

Insignia Solutions (Nasdaq:INSGY), the leading provider of accelerated Java(TM) solutions for Internet appliances and embedded devices, and Philips Semiconductors, a division of Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG), announced today an agreement to integrate Insignia's Jeode(TM) virtual machine technology on Philips Semiconductors' pnx8500 Nexperia(TM) Home Entertainment Engine. Jeode technology will enable complete Java functionality on advanced set-top box (STB) designs based on the pnx8500 Nexperia platform to enhance TV viewing with rich software functionality and Internet capabilities. The agreement is one in a series of partnerships that Philips Semiconductors is fostering to revolutionize the digital industry.

With the ability to combine digital video, audio, graphics and Internet content into highly interactive program material, set-top boxes based on Philips Semiconductors' new pnx8500 Nexperia(TM) Home Entertainment Engine will allow service providers to deliver a completely new tier of digital subscriber services to their customers. Much of the interactivity in these services will be controlled by Java 'applets' (highly compact programs written in the Java programming language that are downloaded to the set-top box via the service operator or an Internet connection), where they must run on a Java virtual machine.

"The pnx8500 Nexperia solution is a breakthrough achievement in defining the market for highly flexible, programmable STB systems," said Ron Workman, senior vice president of marketing with Insignia Solutions. "Philips Semiconductors has been a key Insignia customer for more than a year, and we are pleased to address their need for a fully Java-compatible virtual machine solution that delivers unparalleled accelerated performance and reliability in a small memory footprint."

"Advanced Java support from Insignia's Jeode technology is a key attribute of the highly programmable pnx8500, enabling complete Internet functionality with unprecedented capabilities for upgrading and evolving software and services remotely, without requiring a truck roll," said David Barringer, director of marketing for Philips Semiconductors' DVI business unit in Mountain View, Calif. "STB makers and service providers recognize how these pnx8500 characteristics are dramatically reshaping market dynamics, facilitating a perpetual stream of new and innovative services that track consumer demands."

For more information about Philips Semiconductors' pnx8500 Nexperia(TM) Home Entertainment Engines, visit http://www.semiconductors.com/nexperia/solutions/solutions/viper.html.> Jeode Platform

The Jeode platform is Insignia's accelerated software implementation of Sun Microsystems' PersonalJava(TM) and EmbeddedJava(TM) specifications tailored for Internet appliances and embedded devices. At the core of the Jeode platform is the first independently-developed "Sun Authorized Virtual Machine", the Jeode Embedded Virtual Machine (EVM), an accelerated runtime engine that delivers an optimal balance of performance and responsiveness in a smaller memory footprint. Using a proprietary technique called dynamic adaptive compilation, the Jeode EVM can execute Java technology-based applications on average six times faster than interpretive VMs in roughly the same amount of memory.

Key attributes include:

-- A full-featured software implementation compatible with Sun's PersonalJava
and EmbeddedJava specifications

-- Industry leading accelerated performance and efficient memory utilization

-- Configurability and tunability to meet the diverse needs of Internet
appliance and embedded device developers

-- A turn-key software solution already ported and tested on popular
RTOS/microprocessor combinations

-- World class support, training, consulting, customization and development
tools.

The Jeode platform is designed to run with a wide range of operating systems and target processors. It currently supports operating systems such as Windows CE (including the Pocket PC version), Windows NT Embedded, Windows NT, VxWorks, ITRON and Linux, and processors such as MIPS, ARM, Intel x86, PowerPC and Hitachi SH-3 and SH-4.

Philips Semiconductors

Philips Semiconductors, which has annual revenues of approximately $5 billion, designs and manufactures semiconductors and silicon systems platforms. Philips Semiconductors is spearheading the emerging field of systems on silicon solutions with the innovative Nexperia(TM) platform and VLSI Velocity(TM) tool set. The company's Sea-of-IP(TM) design methodology allows plug and play intellectual property blocks for easily customizable products. The company is a leader in communications, consumer, PC peripherals and automotive semiconductors, which are key applications for convergence in end-user products. Philips Semiconductors is headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and has operations throughout the world. For more information: www.philips.semiconductors.com.