Power TV Forms to Compete with Microsoft in Interactive Television Operating System

Strategic Insights -

Scientific-Atlanta, a leading producer of cable television equipment, has formed a subsidiary called Power TV to develop an operating system for interactive television. The company aims to create a "best of breed" open solution that would allow other makers of home communications terminals, known as set-top boxes, to license its operating system. Power TV intends to compete directly with Microsoft's widely reported interactive TV operating system, which analysts fear may be too resource-intensive and slow to market. Key players such as Oracle Corporation, Sybase Inc., and Scala Inc. have begun to create versions of their programs to run with the Power TV operating system.

Key Takeaways:

  • Power TV is a subsidiary of Scientific-Atlanta, formed to develop an operating system for interactive television.
  • The operating system will be designed to manage the movement of media from the source of programming to the set-top box and the television.
  • It will be a small operating system that operates in real-time and performs multiple tasks simultaneously.
  • The software will be expandable across microprocessors of differing capabilities.
  • Power TV plans to license its operating system to other makers of home communications terminals, also known as set-top boxes.
  • The company aims to create a best-of-breed open solution for the industry.
  • Power TV's software tool kits and support for application developers will be available in early 1995.
  • The operating system will run on the Power PC or the older Motorola 68000 chip.
  • Power TV has formed alliances with companies such as Time Warner Inc., Silicon Graphics Inc., and Toshiba in pursuit of the interactive television market.
  • In May, Scientific-Atlantic, Apple Computer Inc., and the International Business Machines Corporation formed a team to develop a design for a set-top device using the Power PC chip.

Statistics:

  • By 1995, Power TV aims to have its software toolkits and support for application developers available.
  • The Power TV operating system is designed to be a small, real-time operating system that performs multiple tasks simultaneously.
  • The company plans to license its operating system to other makers of home communications terminals, or set-top boxes.
  • Scientific-Atlanta is a leading producer of cable television equipment, based in Norcross, Ga.
  • Power TV is based in Cupertino, Calif., and will provide a direct competitor to Microsoft's interactive TV operating system.

Sources:

  • Scientific-Atlanta Inc.
  • Power TV
  • The Oracle Corporation
  • Sybase Inc.
  • Scala Inc.
  • Mark Stahlman, president of New Media Associates