Oracle Corporation, the world's leading supplier of software for
managing information, is enabling the Information Age with Oracle Media solutions.
This revolutionary suite of software products and services provides complete end-to-end
solutions for implementing, running, and managing interactive multimedia applications
-from interactive television systems, to corporate training, to CD-ROM titles, and more.
With the deployment of Interactive Television (ITV) networks, "set-top boxes" will become one of the primary interactive appliances in the home. These devices, which will sit on top of a TV and look much like a VCR, include graphics processors for digital decompression of audio and video, and powerful microprocessors to run inter-active multimedia television applications.
Through the Oracle Set-Top Alliance, Oracle seeks to help advance the adoption of industry standards and encourage open communication between the many vendors of these set-top devices.
FORUM FOR SET-TOP AND RELATED VENDORS
The Oracle Set-Top Alliance provides a forum to bring vendors of set-top devices and related technologies together with network providers, industry experts, content providers, and ITV application developers to discuss a wide range of technology, business, and standards issues.
By facilitating the open exchange of information, the Alliance encourages a high level of product integra-tion and cooperation among the many providers of set-top boxes. Meetings throughout the year feature presentations by Alliance members and other key industry players, including senior management for ITV deployments currently underway.
OPEN INDUSTRY STANDARDS
The Oracle Set-Top Alliance focuses on current industry efforts to develop, promote, and adopt standards critical to the success of the Informa-tion Highway.
By actively participating in a number of international standards bodies and industry trade associations-including the Digital Audio Visual Council (DAVIC), the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG), the Interactive Multimedia Association (IMA), and the Corporation for Open Systems (COS)-Oracle ensures that Set-Top Alliance members will always have access to the most current information on industry standards and legislation directions. In addition, Oracle encourages all Alliance mem-bers to actively participate in the standards effort.
"PLUG-AND-PLAY" INTEROPERABILITY
To address differing customer and market requirements, set-top devices will be comprised of differing functionalities and internal components. Widely accepted standards, though, will ensure that these varied devices will be able to com-municate in a "plug-and-play" manner on the networks that will deliver ITV services. As a result, both service providers and consumers will be able to freely choose set-top boxes without risking their investments.
INTEGRATION WITH ORACLE MEDIA SOLUTIONS
To help ensure seamless inte-gration between set-top boxes and Oracle Media solutions, the Alliance provides its members with a strong technical link to Oracle's development organization.
This technical cooperation is essential because two key Oracle components reside on the set-top box at runtime: Oracle Media Objects, an interactive multimedia author-ing tool, and Oracle Media Net, an open, high-level protocol which provides access to Oracle Media Server and other back-end services.
ORACLE SET-TOP INTEGRATION LAB
Oracle Media solutions are designed to be highly portable and open, so they support the widest variety of operating systems and set-top and other client devices.
To help Alliance members integrate their set-top products with Oracle Media solutions, Oracle created a set-top integration lab. The lab gives members access to a fully operational interactive tele-vision system, including media server hardware, Oracle Media Server software, various network topologies running Oracle Media Net, and back-channel protocols. The lab also provides porting and certification services for Oracle Media Objects and Oracle Media
Net.
ORACLE SET-TOP ALLIANCE MEMBERSHIP
The major manufacturers of set-top hardware and numerous vendors of related technology are members of the Alliance, including:
3DO Apple Computer, Inc.
Compression Labs, Inc.
DiviCom General Instrument Corporation
General Magic
GoldStar Co., Ltd.
Hewlett-Packard Company
Hyundai Electronics
Kaleida Labs, Inc.
Kyocera Corporation
Microware Systems Corporation
Mitsubishi Electronics
NEC
OnLine Media
Philips Consumer Electronics Company
Pioneer
Reliance Comm/Tec
Samsung Electronics
Scientific Atlanta, Inc.
Sega of America, Inc.
Sharp Electronics Corporation
Stellar One Corporation
The Oracle Set-Top Alliance is only one of Oracle's many important efforts to help pioneer an open systems approach to the Information Highway. To ensure support for the widest range of solutions, Oracle is also developing similar programs for vendors of server hardware, network software, and multimedia authoring tools.
ORACLE MEDIA SOLUTIONS-ENABLING THE INFORMATION AGE
Oracle Media solutions provide complete, end-to-end software and services for the Information Highway, from the back-end media server software to the front-end development tools for creating interactive, multimedia applications. The Oracle Media suite of software includes Oracle Media Server, Oracle Media Net, and Oracle Media Objects.
