PHILIPS TO LAUNCH A RANGE OF INITIATIVES

PHILIPS are to launch a range of initiatives to drive the introduction and adoption of interactive digital television services based on the Multimedia Home Platform, the DVB-backed open public standard for interactive TV.
With the first DVB-MHP broadcast services due to launch in Europe in Spring 2002, Philips are taking a number of technology, marketing and education steps aimed at building momentum and market adoption for the standard.
The first example is the availability of Philips’ Software Development Kit (SDK), a set-top box-based reference environment for companies developing new applications for MHP-based interactive TV services. The DVB-MHP-enabled set-top box will enable developers to create, test and validate MHP applications, providing an opportunity to run those applications within the physical constraints of a real-world MHP receiver.
In addition to the SDK, Philips are also introducing their Companion TV partnership program to provide both technological and commercial application assistance to broadcasters, service providers and network operators to deploy MHP-based services. Companion TV will allow Philips and its partners to jointly develop full interoperability between interactive TV applications and Philips’ MHP middleware implementation. Philips will also support its partners by ensuring continuous compliance of the applications with the latest implementation of the MHP standard.
Philips will also launch a series of MHP training programs and workshops to provide broadcasters, developers and other MHP solution providers with guidance, education and support in the development of MHP services and applications. These programs, to be conducted in individual countries where the DVB-MHP broadcast services are scheduled to launch, will be developed in close co-operation with Sun Microsystems. Sun, like Philips, is highly active in MHP. Java TV technology was selected by the DVB as the foundation of the DVB-MHP specification and MHP software development. (CD)