Chicago - January 12, 1996 - Visual Information Service Corp. (VISCORP), an INTERACTIVE TV developer headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and AMIGA Technologies GmbH, headquartered in Bensheim, Germany, have finalized an international license agreement to adapt, utilize, license and distribute the AMIGA technology within VISCORP's interactive intelligent set-top TV appliance - Electronic Device (ED). The license authorizes VISCORP the right to use, re-license and distribute the AMIGA operating system and compatible parts of current versions of the technologies where the AMIGA products are used as, or as part of, interactive television devices.
In 1995, ESCOM AG acquired all Commodore and AMIGA licenses, patents and trademarks. Amiga is an acknowledged leader in the computer industry in the area of providing high-quality graphics for monitors and television broadcasts through their sophisticated chip sets. The combination of the AMIGA hardware/software technologies and intuitive operating system makes them a viable contender in the development of high-speed delivery for complex graphic programming. The AMIGA technology can import and adapt software to the set-top box with minimal changes.
By employing the sophisticated AMIGA chip set, VISCORP will have the ability to provide a complex set-top appliance with multitasking functions to integrate affordably the TV set, phone line, and network service providers. This ability has not yet been offered or available through existing systems" said Jerome Greenberg, VISCORP's chairman of the board. "By utilizing our unique set top appliance and incorporating the AMIGA technology, VISCORP is able to provide a complete practical solution for interactive TV-services, and now the ability to access the Internet through a standard TV set with pricing that makes sense for the average TV viewer".
The integration of the AMIGA system with the VISCORP set-top appliance will allow access to the Internet, on-line services and voice "chat" programs through the TV set. As planned, ED will access any on-line services and any address on the Internet's superhighway. Access can be though a TV remote, a computer keyboard, a touch-sensitive pen or the microphone in the ED. Additional plans will enable consumers to play games (e.g., individually, against a networked opponent), or enable home shopping, electronic banking, and enable a subscriber to gain access to information services through a TV set.
<H2><B>About VISCORP</B>
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VISCORP develops and markets a brand of cost effective set-top appliances for the home, business, government and educational users of interactive TV devices. VISCORP's set-top device integrates the television and telephone line to access on-line services, interactive applications and direct Internet service through the TV set. Through blending of the existing VISCORP set-top TV appliance and the AMIGA technology, VISCORP will be able to provide a gateway for every household to enter into the age of interactive services at a cost-effective price and user friendly environment.
