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For media enquiries, please contact:Adam Cargill Simon Poulter, For industry and Consortium membership enquiries, please contact:Philip van Houtte |
The Open Group appointed by Multimedia Home Platform Test Consortium to develop MHP conformance test suiteSan Francisco, 28 March, 2002 ... A key contract for the continuous development of conformance testing software and tools for the Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) has been awarded to The Open Group, the San Francisco, Calif.-based experts in technology enterprise interoperability. Financial details of the contract will not be disclosed. The Open Group will be responsible for developing additional MHP conformance tests and extending the automated test environment on behalf of the MHP Test Consortium, a body initially comprising Philips, Nokia, Panasonic, Sony, Canal+ Technologies, Alticast and Germany's Institut für Rundfunktechnik (IRT). The MHP Test Consortium, formed with the full support of the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) organisation, specifies and develops a very significant contribution to the necessary test suite that will ensure conformity and interoperability amongst all DVB-MHP devices being developed by manufacturers. The MHP test suite will enable products such as digital interactive TV set-top boxes to be MHP-certified, and therefore carry the MHP logo. The final MHP Test Suite – which will be made available via the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) will comprise significantly more than 10000 individual software tests checking receiver compliance with the DVB MHP 1.0 standard. In addition, the consortium has created a fully Automated Test Environment (ATE) to support the conformance proving process of MHP solutions. Philip van Houtte, Chairman of the MHP Test Consortium, says: "The Open Group will be a valuable asset to the development and successful market introduction of set-top boxes and integrated digital television sets based on the MHP open standard. MHP is based on the principle of interoperability amongst hardware and applications, and so it is essential to provide a robust and proven test environment to ensure that MHP works with all device, software and connectivity solutions." "The MHP Test Consortium partners are setting the pace in the field of interactive digital television," said Allen Brown, President and CEO of The Open Group. "Choosing The Open Group to develop their test software is a key strategy in ensuring the product interoperability that is vital for rapid growth in this sector. Our aim is always to deliver value to the customer and the team we have in place is skilled and experienced in delivering high quality products to cost and time requirements. We look forward to a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship with all the key players in this field." About PhilipsRoyal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of EUR 32.3 billion in 2001. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products. Its 189,000 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, components, semiconductors, and medical systems. Philips is quoted on the NYSE (symbol: PHG), London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other stock exchanges. News from Philips is located at www.news.philips.com About NokiaNokia is the world leader in mobile communications. Backed by its experience, innovation, user-friendliness and secure solutions, the company has become the leading supplier of mobile phones and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed and IP networks. By adding mobility to the Internet Nokia creates new opportunities for companies and further enriches the daily lives of people. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on six major exchanges. About Panasonic and MatsushitaBest known for its Panasonic brand products, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of digital electronics for the home, office and in between. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded sales of $63.7 billion last year. In Europe, Matsushita Electric employs some 15,000 people across the region. Panasonic European Laboratories, based in Langen, near Frankfurt, Germany, conducts advanced research into audio, video and multimedia technologies, and is a founding member of DVB and a member of the DVB Steering Board. Panasonic OWL, based in Edinburgh, UK, is carrying out research and development into middleware technologies for consumer electronics. For more information about our European operations, visit our web site: www.matsushita-Europe.com About SonySony manufactures audio, video, communications and information technology products for the global consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, game and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to become a leading personal broadband entertainment company in the 21st century. In Europe Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of EUR 14.90 billion (yen 1,473,780 million) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001, based on an average market exchange rate for the same period of yen 98.9 to the EUR. Sony Europe, headquartered at the Sony Center am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, is responsible for the company's European electronics business and registered consolidated sales of EUR 10.37 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001. For more information on Sony Europe, please visit www.sony-europe.com About Canal+ TechnologiesA subsidiary of Canal+ Group, the TV & Film Division of Vivendi Universal, Canal+Technologies is a leading international provider of digital and interactive TV software solutions with more than 12.5 million set-top boxes powered by its software. Over 20 digital operators and broadcasters worldwide have deployed its interactive TV middleware Mediahighway, and conditional access system, Mediaguard. Today, more than 50 applications are being used by WINfirst in the U.S., CanalSatellite in France, ITV Digital in the U.K., Astro Measat and ZeeTV in Asia, and Orbit in the Middle-East to deliver true interactive applications that are changing the perception of what the consumers can expect of TV. Sun Microsystems, Sony, Thomson multimedia, and Sogecable are equity and strategic partners in Canal+Technologies. For more information: visit www.canalplus-technologies.com About AlticastAlticast is a pioneer in the field of interactive digital TV, providing end-to-end services and software solutions for the creation, delivery, and reception of interactive television content based on DVB-MHP and OCAP open standards for digital broadcasting. Alticast is "first-to-market" with commercially deployed DVB-MHP products for Terrestrial, Cable, and Satellite operators. Alticast's business areas include iTV end-to-end services, content management, transaction fulfillment, and technology licensing. Alticast software solutions include interactive services automation systems, digital receiver middleware, authoring tools, and iTV testing systems. A privately owned company, Alticast has R&D facilities in Seoul, South Korea and a marketing center in Austin, Texas, USA, with offices in Beijing, China and Frankfurt, Germany. For more information on Alticast products and services, visit Alticast at http://www.alticast.com/. About IRTIRT, the Broadcast Technology Institute, was founded as a private company in 1956 as the central research and development establishment for the public broadcasting organisations in Germany (ARD, joined by the ZDF in 1964, and DLR in 1993), in Austria (ORF, 1990 ), and in Switzerland (SRG/SSR, 1989). The main focus of IRT's work is the improvement of existing and the development of new -particularly digital- systems and their standardisation. IRT works mainly for its associates and increasingly also for third parties through the business areas "Collaborative Research" and "R&D Services". About The Open GroupThe Open Group, a vendor-neutral and technology-neutral consortium, is committed to delivering greater business efficiency by bringing together buyers and suppliers of information technology to lower the time, cost and risks associated with integrating new technology across the enterprise. The Open Group's mission is to offer all organizations concerned with open information infrastructures a forum where they can share knowledge, integrate open initiatives, and certify approved products and processes in a manner in which they continue to trust our impartiality. More information on our organization can be found at http://www.opengroup.org Editorial note: Product and company names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks and are owned by the companies mentioned. |
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