Companies to combine strengths in interactive TV and Internet-browsing technologies
Paris, France; Oslo, Norway – Oct. 9, 2001
CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES, a leading international provider of digital and interactive TV software solutions, and OPERA SOFTWARE, announced today that they have signed agreements to foster the development of Web-browsing capabilities for TV.
Based in Oslo, Norway, OPERA SOFTWARE is a leading Internet browser company that has succeeded in taking the lead in the embedded market through partnerships with companies such as IBM, AMD, Symbian, and Ericsson. The Opera browser is the fastest, smallest, most flexible browser available for Internet devices due to its efficient, cross-platform code.
Under terms of the agreements, CANAL+TECHNOLOGIES will integrate OPERA SOFTWARE’s innovativeInternet browsing technology into its MEDIAHIGHWAY Java-based middleware in the next generation of advanced digital set-top boxes. This solution will be provided to CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES’ customers wishing to offer open Internet access to their subscribers. CANAL+TECHNOLOGIES and OPERA SOFTWARE will work together to comply with MHP version 1.1,the next level of the leading ITV open standard MHP, through the implementation of the DVB-HTML presentation engine.
The agreements make true convergence one step closer to reality in digital set-top boxes as digital TV subscribers will be able to seamlessly access Internet from their TV set. Close to 115 million DSTB worldwide are already equipped with MEDIAHIGHWAY.
Said Francois Carayol, CANAL+TECHNOLOGIES’ Chairman and CEO: “We are delighted to be joining forces with OPERA SOFTWARE, a leader in its field. Today’s agreement follows our strategy to offer more choice to our customers by partnering with the best. Digital operators seeking advanced solutions to add value to their offering will benefit greatly from the combined experience and innovative spirit of our two companies.”
Said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO of OPERA SOFTWARE: “Interactive digital TV represents the most promising part of the Internet device market. In entering this market OPERA SOFTWARE has found a strong and influential partner in CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES. CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES has a strategic long-term perspective, combined with cutting edge technology. The Opera browser combined with CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES set-top box solution will offer consumers the absolute best Internet experience.”
To display non-Western characters, future releases of Opera must include Unicode support. Opera has already released a version with Unicode support on the Opera 5.2.1 for QNX, and Unicode is scheduled to be included on all future releases of the Opera browser.
Opera is also available for Mac OS, Linux, EPOC, Solaris, QNX, BeOS and OS/2.
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About Canal+ Technologies
A subsidiary of the CANAL+ Group, the TV and Film division of Vivendi Universal, CANAL+TECHNOLOGIES is an international provider of digital and interactive TV software solutions. Over 20 digital operators and broadcasters have already deployed the interactive TV middleware MEDIAHIGHWAY and the conditional access system MEDIAGUARD, including CANALSATELLITE in France, CANAL DIGITAL in the Netherlands, ITV Digital in the United Kingdom, WINfirst in the United States, Astro Measat and ZeeTV in Asia. Its software runs in close to 11.5 million digital set-top boxes in digital cable, satellite and terrestrial environments. Sun Microsystems, Sony, Thomson multimedia and Sogecable also own shares of CANAL+TECHNOLOGIES.
For more information: www.canalplus-technologies.com
About Opera Software
Opera Software ASA is an industry leader in the development of Web browsers for the desktop and device markets. The Opera browser has received international recognition from end-users and the industry press for being faster, smaller and more standards-compliant than other browsers. Opera Software ASA is a privately held company headquartered in Oslo, Norway. Learn more about Opera at www.opera.com.
Contacts
Canal+ Technologies
Marie-Vincente Pasdeloup
CANAL+TECHNOLOGIES
Tel: +33 1 71 71 56 32
E-mail: mvpasdel@canal-plus.fr