ConnectTV
I was just on Ebay looking at set top boxes and saw this.
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We are liquidating a national Multimedia integration company which built and designed video conferencing systems, multimedia presentation rooms. There will be millions of dollars of electronics, servers, plasma televisions, computer systems, servers, video cams, projectors and more. This liquidation sale will take roughly 2 months and virtually all of the merchandise was either brand new and factory sealed or pulled from a working demo environment (unless otherwise noted).
Activy is an Advanced SetTopBox for digital services. We have copied the following information from the internet but are not fully knowledgeable about this product and suggest that you download the PDF file by clicking HERE.This unit is a US model.
.Fujitsu Siemens Computers and Stellar One, Fujitsu Siemens Computers' middleware provider and value added reseller, have demonstrated a broadband set-top device running ConnectTV on the Windows XP Embedded operating system at the Microsoft Embedded Developers Conference. 'Fujitsu Siemens and Stellar One have used Windows XP Embedded's rich multimedia functionality, such as Internet Explorer 6.0 and Windows Media Technologies, to create their new home entertainment center,' said Jim Allchin, group vice president of Platforms at Microsoft Corp. 'ConnectTV 3000/ACTIVY 300 is an example of the type of next-generation smart device that can be built with Windows XP Embedded to provide users with a truly interactive TV experience.' The Fujitsu Siemens Computers' ACTIVY 300 Media Center when combined with Stellar One's ConnectTV middleware is branded and sold as ConnectTV 3000 in the US and the rest of world excluding Europe where it is branded as the ACTIVY 300. ACTIVY is a home entertainment center for people who want more versatility. The ACTIVY 300 is a home gateway designed to receive virtually all kinds of digital information: video on demand, pay-per-view, data/IP distribution and videoconferencing.
ACTIVY combines:
Set-Top Box, the receiver and decoder for digital TV and digital radio
Web box for Internet, online banking, MP3, and email
Satellite receiver
Digital video recorder equipped with hard disk
DVD and CD player.
ACTIVY 300 is the open platform for hybrid broadband B2B solutions. This modular system design can be used for a variety of applications and business models. ACTIVY 300 can handle various kinds of digital content delivered over DVB or IP networks: Video on Demand, Pay per View, Data/IP distribution and streaming, to name but a few. The ACTIVY 300 platform is open for 3rd party service development for the converging broadcasting, computing technology and telecommunications markets. The PC based technology enables adaptation to customer's requirements and the integration of customer specific content and applications.
ACTIVY is based on standard PC technology and combines the worlds of IT and broadcast. ACTIVY is an open platform wich enables providers to deliver digital services to end users. The offered applications are specifically designed for the living room environment. The graphics have been developed to use the TV screen as the display, digital audio out standards deliver highest quality sound. The system is operated by a remote control - a tool that is familiar to every TV user. PCI slots allow the integration of different network interface cards, optional components like DVB, CI, DVD or hards disk drive make ACTIVY 300 suitable for a variety of DVD, IP and hybrid projects. Major advantages of PC technology: _
Manageability Compatibility Scalability Connectivity Customizing of Hardware and Software
ACTIVY supports analog and digital audio standards, such as Digital Theatre System (DTS) and Dolby Digital (5.1 / AC-3) which can also be down-mixed to two channel stereo. The audio out interfaces can be connected to a TV via SCART or RCA. Alternatively, ACTIVY can be connected to a stereo using coaxial S/PDIF as the digital audio connector. The integrated graphics chip, with flicker reduction, has been specifically designed for a TV screen, optimizing the resolution to display digital TV programs received over DVB and IP networks, DVD, e-mails and Internet pages clearly and smoothly. ACTIVY supports both PAL and NTSC TV-standard. The European TV-standard (PAL) has a resolution of 720 x 576 pixels and can also show TV and movies in 16:9 ratio. Connection to the TV set is through a SCART cable (Euroconnector), this European standard gives the best viewing quality on a TV screen as it displays colors in RGB. For NTSC TV-Standard, the connection to the TV can be made using S-VHS or Composite video. NTSC has a resolution of 640x480 pixels.
The MPEG decoder chip is integrated in the ACTIVY Hardware, this allows a high quality / high bit rate for audio and video streams without loading the processor. The chip presently supports MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 streams deriving from DVD, DVB and IP. New and upcoming standards like MPEG-4 and MPEG-7 will also be supported by standard Software solutions. The compatibility to many video servers, as well as supporting present and future Internet video and audio streaming standards is another feature of the open architecture of ACTIVY.
The MPEG decoder chip is integrated in the ACTIVY Hardware, this allows a high quality / high bit rate for audio and video streams without loading the processor. The chip presently supports MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 streams deriving from DVD, DVB and IP. New and upcoming standards like MPEG-4 and MPEG-7 will also be supported by standard Software solutions. The compatibility to many video servers, as well as supporting present and future Internet video and audio streaming standards is another feature of the open architecture of ACTIVY.
You can control ACTIVY by three different remote controls or by an infrared keyboard. When using the remote controls, writing e-mails or typing URLs can be done by a small keyboard integrated in the larger remote controls. The infrared receiver is located in the front panel. If ACTIVY should be stored in a closed cupboard, an additional infrared receiver can be placed on top of the cupboard. The integrated SmartCard reader can be used for parental control, for billing transactions or for other security applications. Two Common Interface slots allow Conditional Access Modules for Pay-TV decryption. An optional LCD for displaying status information is available.
The Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) card turns the ACTIVY 300 into a universal digital TV receiver. DVB delivers brilliant picture and sound quality, transferring data via either cable, satellite and in future terrestrial. Another benefit: DVB communicates digital data at high speed, which vastly accelerates data transfer and Internet applications. With the optional Conditional Interface Modul you are able to access Pay TV and encoded TV content.
<Begin>
We are liquidating a national Multimedia integration company which built and designed video conferencing systems, multimedia presentation rooms. There will be millions of dollars of electronics, servers, plasma televisions, computer systems, servers, video cams, projectors and more. This liquidation sale will take roughly 2 months and virtually all of the merchandise was either brand new and factory sealed or pulled from a working demo environment (unless otherwise noted).
Activy is an Advanced SetTopBox for digital services. We have copied the following information from the internet but are not fully knowledgeable about this product and suggest that you download the PDF file by clicking HERE.This unit is a US model.
.Fujitsu Siemens Computers and Stellar One, Fujitsu Siemens Computers' middleware provider and value added reseller, have demonstrated a broadband set-top device running ConnectTV on the Windows XP Embedded operating system at the Microsoft Embedded Developers Conference. 'Fujitsu Siemens and Stellar One have used Windows XP Embedded's rich multimedia functionality, such as Internet Explorer 6.0 and Windows Media Technologies, to create their new home entertainment center,' said Jim Allchin, group vice president of Platforms at Microsoft Corp. 'ConnectTV 3000/ACTIVY 300 is an example of the type of next-generation smart device that can be built with Windows XP Embedded to provide users with a truly interactive TV experience.' The Fujitsu Siemens Computers' ACTIVY 300 Media Center when combined with Stellar One's ConnectTV middleware is branded and sold as ConnectTV 3000 in the US and the rest of world excluding Europe where it is branded as the ACTIVY 300. ACTIVY is a home entertainment center for people who want more versatility. The ACTIVY 300 is a home gateway designed to receive virtually all kinds of digital information: video on demand, pay-per-view, data/IP distribution and videoconferencing.
ACTIVY combines:
Set-Top Box, the receiver and decoder for digital TV and digital radio
Web box for Internet, online banking, MP3, and email
Satellite receiver
Digital video recorder equipped with hard disk
DVD and CD player.
ACTIVY 300 is the open platform for hybrid broadband B2B solutions. This modular system design can be used for a variety of applications and business models. ACTIVY 300 can handle various kinds of digital content delivered over DVB or IP networks: Video on Demand, Pay per View, Data/IP distribution and streaming, to name but a few. The ACTIVY 300 platform is open for 3rd party service development for the converging broadcasting, computing technology and telecommunications markets. The PC based technology enables adaptation to customer's requirements and the integration of customer specific content and applications.
ACTIVY is based on standard PC technology and combines the worlds of IT and broadcast. ACTIVY is an open platform wich enables providers to deliver digital services to end users. The offered applications are specifically designed for the living room environment. The graphics have been developed to use the TV screen as the display, digital audio out standards deliver highest quality sound. The system is operated by a remote control - a tool that is familiar to every TV user. PCI slots allow the integration of different network interface cards, optional components like DVB, CI, DVD or hards disk drive make ACTIVY 300 suitable for a variety of DVD, IP and hybrid projects. Major advantages of PC technology: _
Manageability Compatibility Scalability Connectivity Customizing of Hardware and Software
ACTIVY supports analog and digital audio standards, such as Digital Theatre System (DTS) and Dolby Digital (5.1 / AC-3) which can also be down-mixed to two channel stereo. The audio out interfaces can be connected to a TV via SCART or RCA. Alternatively, ACTIVY can be connected to a stereo using coaxial S/PDIF as the digital audio connector. The integrated graphics chip, with flicker reduction, has been specifically designed for a TV screen, optimizing the resolution to display digital TV programs received over DVB and IP networks, DVD, e-mails and Internet pages clearly and smoothly. ACTIVY supports both PAL and NTSC TV-standard. The European TV-standard (PAL) has a resolution of 720 x 576 pixels and can also show TV and movies in 16:9 ratio. Connection to the TV set is through a SCART cable (Euroconnector), this European standard gives the best viewing quality on a TV screen as it displays colors in RGB. For NTSC TV-Standard, the connection to the TV can be made using S-VHS or Composite video. NTSC has a resolution of 640x480 pixels.
The MPEG decoder chip is integrated in the ACTIVY Hardware, this allows a high quality / high bit rate for audio and video streams without loading the processor. The chip presently supports MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 streams deriving from DVD, DVB and IP. New and upcoming standards like MPEG-4 and MPEG-7 will also be supported by standard Software solutions. The compatibility to many video servers, as well as supporting present and future Internet video and audio streaming standards is another feature of the open architecture of ACTIVY.
The MPEG decoder chip is integrated in the ACTIVY Hardware, this allows a high quality / high bit rate for audio and video streams without loading the processor. The chip presently supports MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 streams deriving from DVD, DVB and IP. New and upcoming standards like MPEG-4 and MPEG-7 will also be supported by standard Software solutions. The compatibility to many video servers, as well as supporting present and future Internet video and audio streaming standards is another feature of the open architecture of ACTIVY.
You can control ACTIVY by three different remote controls or by an infrared keyboard. When using the remote controls, writing e-mails or typing URLs can be done by a small keyboard integrated in the larger remote controls. The infrared receiver is located in the front panel. If ACTIVY should be stored in a closed cupboard, an additional infrared receiver can be placed on top of the cupboard. The integrated SmartCard reader can be used for parental control, for billing transactions or for other security applications. Two Common Interface slots allow Conditional Access Modules for Pay-TV decryption. An optional LCD for displaying status information is available.
The Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) card turns the ACTIVY 300 into a universal digital TV receiver. DVB delivers brilliant picture and sound quality, transferring data via either cable, satellite and in future terrestrial. Another benefit: DVB communicates digital data at high speed, which vastly accelerates data transfer and Internet applications. With the optional Conditional Interface Modul you are able to access Pay TV and encoded TV content.
Comments
Originally posted by BeigeUser
Can you explain your point in four sentences or less? I don't understand what you are trying to say.
Sure, here is a company that went out of business with a clearly distinguishable product. It has everything Apple would need to get into the Set Top Box market again. Their last attempt did produce a product, but it never really got off the ground. They could take this and run with it.
4 Sentences as requested.
Originally posted by onlooker
Microsoft took what apple had and ran with it, and it got them no where. It was called the WebTV.
Actually, Microsoft bought WebTV from a former Apple employee. Microsoft had a product called Microsoft UltimateTV who's direct competition was Tivo and Replay TV. They then rolled these customers into their MSN TV product which is the latest incarnation of their WebTV service.
Even with all the different options initially released in the market for interacting with the TV, the set top box looks like the winner at this point. It's independent of the TV and the computer, it can include the DVR, Channel Guide and dual regular or HDTV tuners.
All the set top box needs at this point is the Internet Access component. Since most of these boxes are built on Linux, this is not difficult.
The set top box is beating the MSN TV, Tivo, Replay and Windows Media Center options for combining the TV and Computer.
When and if Apple makes a move with the set top box, they have the potential to bring a new level of experience to combining the power of computing with the content of television.
Originally posted by geobe
Actually, Microsoft bought WebTV from a former Apple employee. Microsoft had a product called Microsoft UltimateTV who's direct competition was Tivo and Replay TV. They then rolled these customers into their MSN TV product which is the latest incarnation of their WebTV service.
Even with all the different options initially released in the market for interacting with the TV, the set top box looks like the winner at this point. It's independent of the TV and the computer, it can include the DVR, Channel Guide and dual regular or HDTV tuners.
All the set top box needs at this point is the Internet Access component. Since most of these boxes are built on Linux, this is not difficult.
The set top box is beating the MSN TV, Tivo, Replay and Windows Media Center options for combining the TV and Computer.
When and if Apple makes a move with the set top box, they have the potential to bring a new level of experience to combining the power of computing with the content of television.
You seem to forget that the primary use for Web TV was to surf the World Wide Web. Microsoft even released a Web TV browser for the Mac and Windows, both of which are still available for download. As best as I can determine, there is no significant difference between MSN TV and Web TV. By that, I mean that MSN TV is primarily about surfing the web on a TV set and does not include watching television programs through the service.
If you have been watching developments in television, the set-top box is on the way out. Television sets are supposed to include a CableCARD slot. Your cable provider will no longer rent a set top box to you. They will provide a CableCARD instead. Some TV set vendors are selling CableCARD equipped sets now. They have a legal mandate to do so by July 1, 2004. The cable companies have a similar mandate.
When and if Apple makes a move with the set top box, they have the potential to bring a new level of experience to combining the power of computing with the content of television.
Based on the quality of commercial television in the US, this is not a compelling argument.
Every attempt to combine TV and computing (in the browsing/surfing sense, not in the personal video recorder (TiVO) sense) has been a huge money pit for companies entering the market. There just aren't that many potential customers who find online banking, e-mail, and weather updates on their televisions to be compelling reasons to buy a new set-top technology and forego the advantages of existing (PC) technology (e.g., portability, storage, privacy, service provider selection, software variety, etc.).
Historical note: WebTV was originally a project called MagicTV, developed as a joint engineering effort between General Magic (an Apple spinoff) and Sony. Sony decided there wasn't a market for the technology (which included the user interface, hooks to content, and the capability to make information look good on a conventional TV screen), so the project was killed. Several General Magic engineers left and formed their own company (WebTV), conveniently taking the source code with them. Later they did pay General Magic a small amount for the code to avoid legal consequences, but the genesis of their company was pretty sleazy.
So basically, WebTV has failed twice, once with Sony and once with Microsoft.