NDS and HP Integrate HP MicrochaiVM Technology To Provide a Java Solution for Digital TV

Business Wire, Nov 5, 2001

Business/Technology Editors

LONDON--(BUSINESSWIRE)--Nov. 5, 2001

NDS Group plc--(NASDAQ/NASDAQ Europe: NNDS)

Integrated solution will extend the functionality and application support for NDS conditional access and interactive customers

Highlights:

- NDS conditional access (CA) and interactive customers will be able to
dynamically download Java(TM) applications on current generation digital
set-top boxes using HP MicrochaiVM software.

- First integration of HP MicrochaiVM technology with interactive TV solutions
for set-top boxes.

- Patented HP Chaifreezedry technology dramatically shrinks the size of Java
applications -- by up to a factor of ten.

NDS Group plc (NASDAQ/NASDAQ Europe: NNDS), a News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A) company and the leading provider of conditional access systems and interactive applications for digital TV, and Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HWP) today announced an agreement to integrate HP MicrochaiVM software with NDS's conditional access and interactive TV solutions. With NDS's Value @ TV(TM) interactive applications available in Java and running on HP MicrochaiVM software, consumers will benefit from an enhanced TV viewing experience. Consumers will gain flexibility in manipulating the format of content delivered to their TV screen (e.g., chart type and color of a stock quotation) and have access to popular Java applications (e.g., games) currently available on other devices - without upgrading their current set-top boxes.

"NDS has been looking at ways of integrating software onto our interactive solutions running on set-top boxes to enable customers to access a myriad of exciting and revenue generating Java applications. HP MicrochaiVM software allows us to do this by minimizing the application size, giving fast loading, low overheads and the ability to do this across many different platforms," said Dr. Jas Saini, Vice President Consumer Devices, NDS Group plc.

The integration of HP MicrochaiVM software with NDS's interactive TV solutions will allow network operators to deploy one Java application across multiple set-top box models and to leverage the pool of Java application developers and existing Java applications. HP MicrochaiVM software is designed to enable Java applications to be dynamically downloaded onto resource-constrained devices in bandwidth-restrained network environments. By using HP Chaifreezedry patented software algorithms, which is part of HP's MicrochaiVM environment, Java application memory requirements are reduced with no loss in application performance.

"Our relationship with NDS demonstrates HP's efforts in driving Java as an open platform for smart appliances such as personal information and digital entertainment devices," said William Woo, General Manager, HP Embedded Software Operation. "HP MicrochaiVM's industry-leading micro footprint, combined with HP Chaifreezedry application size reduction technology, maximizes the use of current and next-generation set-top boxes and bandwidth constrained networks."

HP MicrochaiVM and ChaiVM software are key components of the open and industry standards-based HP Chai Appliance Platform, which enables Java and Web-based service capabilities in intelligent appliances such as set-top boxes, smart handhelds, mobile phones, automotive telematics systems, and printers. HP MicrochaiVM software, the micro edition of HP ChaiVM software, is designed to comply with the published Java language specifications for the Connected Limited Device Configuration and related profiles of Java 2 Micro Edition. HP MicrochaiVM software, HP's smallest embedded Java, is ideal for low-powered processors where memory is at a premium and operating systems and graphic capabilities are varied. HP Chaifreezedry software shrinks the application footprint by up to one-tenth of its original size, thereby reducing download time and increasing bandwidth efficiency.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to all. HP had total revenue from continuing operations of $48.8 billion in its 2000 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.

About NDS

NDS Group plc is a leading supplier of open conditional access software and interactive systems for the secure delivery of entertainment and information to television set-top boxes, and personal computers. The company also develops secure datacasting solutions for the distribution of data and multimedia. See www.nds.com for more information.

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