-
NEC, Lucent Agree To Cooperate On Embedded
DRAMs
892.2 Story of the Issue
892.3 Fab
892.4 DCC
892.5 Network
892.6 Applications
892.7 Software
892.8 Home Entertainment
892.9 Out-of-Home Entertainment
892.10 Companies
892.11 Fab 
UMC Group Creates 0.25- and 0.18-micron Design Support Program
892.12 Companies
892.13 Deals
Parametric Technology Receives Orders For Software and Services
892.14 Interactive Television
892.15 API
892.16 Set-Top
892.17 EDA --------------------------------------
***NEC, Lucent Agree To Cooperate On Embedded DRAMs
(September 10)Reuters reports that NEC Corp and Lucent Technologies agreed to
develop a new semiconductor business called system LSIs (large
scale integration) that combines multiple functions on a chip
including embedded DRAM.An NEC spokesman said NEC would manufacture ASIC chips designed
by Lucent using NEC technology. He said the new chip resulting
from the cooperation will have a broad application, including
communications systems and digital information home appliances,
and were likely to go on sale in June or July next year.Major Japanese chip makers, reeling from a serious DRAM slump,
are shifting their focus to other businesses, including system
LSIs, which they hope will improve profit margins.Demand for system LSI products is expected to grow rapidly over
the next few years as digital televisions, mobile phones and a
new generation of sophisticated, more compact household
electronic products hit the market.Japanese chip companies are also rushing to tie up to strengthen
the system LSI business.Sanyo Electric Co Ltd said in July that it would use
International Business Machines Corp's semiconductor technology
to expand its business in system LSI chips for digital consumer
and network appliances.Oki Electric Industry Co Ltd said in April that Cadence Design
Systems Inc had agreed to provide it with advice on the
development of system LSI chips. Oki said earlier that it planned
to reduce the weight of memory chips in its total semiconductor
production to about one- third from the current half, while
raising the weight of LSI and logic IC (integrated circuit) chips
to two-thirds.***ATI to be Listed on Stock Exchange
(October 2)ATI Technologies Inc. announced that it has filed documentation
with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on Form
40-F to register its class of common shares under the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The filing has
been undertaken in order to facilitate participation by the
Company's U.S. employees in the Company's share incentive
program.***VLSI Velocity Rapid Silicon Prototyping Initiative Cuts
System-on-a-Chip Design Cycles in Half
(September 14)VLSI Technology disclosed details of the Velocity Rapid Silicon
Prototyping initiative. This is intended as a custom integrated
circuit design style developed by VLSI to narrow the "Design
Productivity Gap," cited by many as a key challenge facing the
semiconductor industry.Based on internal studies and field trials with beta customers,
VLSI believes the Velocity design style can reduce system-on-a-
chip product development time by more than half in suitable
applications, enabling VLSI customers to deliver end products to
market significantly faster than under prevailing methods.Custom system-on-a-chip ICs created through the Velocity design
style will enable customers to integrate more features, and lower
the costs, of new generations of high-volume wireless
communications, consumer electronics and data communications end
products.Using Velocity Rapid Silicon Prototyping, product developers can
quickly create a board-level system that acts as a real-world
prototype of the final chip. Velocity development systems pre-
integrate a wide variety of chip functions in the form of
silicon-based building blocks, enabling product developers to
pick only those functions needed in the end product.Developers can also add additional functionality into Velocity
system prototypes via an intellectual property gateway included
with the system. Velocity systems include connections for
peripherals such as LCD displays, memory, modems, as well as
extensive testing and debugging facilities to ensure end-product
quality and field reliability.Once developers complete Velocity system-on-a-benchtop design
work, VLSI can convert the prototype system into a single, highly
integrated chip containing all functions required by an
application.Chip development through the Velocity design style is faster not
only because functions are pre-integrated and verified, but also
because it supports concurrent hardware and software development.
The Velocity system prototype acts as a reference model of the
final product, enabling software developers to create and debug
application code at the same time hardware development proceeds.The ability to run software on a real-world model of the final
application also increases confidence in the quality and
reliability of the overall end-product. Current technology leaves
engineering teams handling the uncertainty and delays inherent in
software-based simulations of application behavior.VLSI's first Velocity design system, the RSP7, is currently in
beta test with a well-known computer systems company, which is
using it to develop an embedded subsystem controller for a line
of data processing peripheral products.The RSP7 includes an ARM7TDMI embedded processor; two on-chip
buses; a field programmable gate array (FPGA) for customer IP
input; connections for flash, SRAM and DRAM memory; three
expansion slots; three PCI slots; power connections; and test
equipment connectors. VLSI will begin full customer shipment of
the RSP7 system by the end of the third quarter of 1998.VLSI will introduce additional Velocity design systems. Current
plans call for a series of technology-defined systems including
RSP7pci, which adds an on-chip PCI bus; RSP9, which incorporates
the ARM9 embedded processor; and RSP9dsp, which will combine the
ARM9 processor with an OakDSPcore digital signal processor.Market-defined versions will include design systems for the data
security, wireless telephone and consumer digital entertainment
(digital TV, set-top box, DVD, etc.) markets. Each design system
will be periodically refreshed and expanded with additional
intellectual property.***Discreet Logic Certifies IBM IntelliStation MPro for New Media
Product Line
(September 11)Discreet Logic announced that it has certified the IBM
IntelliStation MPro for use with edit, paint, effect and light,
the company's Windows NT-based new-media products.The IBM IntelliStation MPro utilizes the Intel 440 BX chip set,
which includes 100 MHz bus speed that provides performance and
throughput capabilities for Windows NT.***Intel Sees 'Bluetooth' Commercialized In 2000
(September 25)Reuters reports that Intel says it expects the first commercial
applications using the planned 'Bluetooth' wireless
communications system to be launched in 2000. An initiative to
create the 'Bluetooth' solution -- enabling wireless data
transfer between electronic devices at short ranges -- was
launched in May by Intel, Nokia, Ericsson, IBM and Toshiba.
Ericsson has said the solution should be available in the second
half of next year. But Intel chief executive Craig Barrett said
in an interview with Reuters he did not expect it to be
commercialized until 2000.***U.S. Immigration Tries High-tech Tags at Borders
(September 16)In an effort to speed up the immigration process for
international travelers, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization
Service is offering a biometric system for frequent fliers. The
program is call INSPASS and employs a kiosk that scans and
matches the geometric dimensions of a traveler's hands, verifies
their identity, and performs standard background checks. The
whole process takes 16 to 60 seconds.U.S. and Canadian citizens flying overseas on business at least
three times a year are eligible for the free INSPASS program.
People from Bermuda and 25 other countries that have visa-waiver
agreements with the United States are also eligible.Users fill out a one-page form and pass a background check and
then are issued a Port Pass card with their picture and a 12-
number ID on it. The traveler inserts the card in the kiosk,
which reads the ID number and links to a centralized database run
by U.S. Customs. A geometric template is called up from the
database and the traveler must put his right hand on a reflective
surface, the ID 3D Handkey, made by Recognition Systems.The Handkey uses a video camera to take an image of the hand and
fingers, and the data is converted using compression algorithms.
If it matches the template of the hand stored in the database,
the traveler passes through immigration.So far, 71,000 people in 6 airports have signed up for the
system. The kiosks are currently in use at airports in Newark,
Miami, Kennedy in New York, Pearson in Toronto, and Vancouver,
British Columbia. The INS plans to expand the program to 4
additional airports in Washington, San Francisco, Seattle and
Honolulu, by the end of the year.The kiosks were integrated by EDS, which has had a $300 million
contract with the INS for automation support and software
development since 1994. This summer, the INS awarded a new 5-year information-technology contract worth $750 million to EDS and 4 other companies.***Adobe GraphicStudio Launched
(September 14)Adobe launched Adobe GraphicStudio, a suite of programs that
includes Photoshop, Illustrator, and PageMaker.Resellers can immediately place orders for Adobe GraphicStudio
for a limited time. Adobe GraphicStudio will ship in October
1998, and will be discontinued on March 1, 1999. It is expected
to sell at an estimated street price of $999***Sega Selects The Duck Corporation's TrueMotion
(September 28)The Duck Corporation announced that Sega Enterprises has licensed
The Duck Corporation's TrueMotion video compression technology
for inclusion in Dreamcast. With TrueMotion, Dreamcast will
provide gamers with theater-quality video sequences.Dreamcast also offers developers a choice of operating systems.
One is an optimized version of the Microsoft Windows CE operating
system with DirectX services. The other is a set of application
programming interfaces provided by Sega. Both options were
customized for advanced gaming applications and offer
efficiencies in game development.892.9 Out-of-Home Entertainment
***IMAX signs two Multi-Theatre Agreements
(October 1)Imax announced the signing of two theatre agreements for a total
of eight IMAX 3D theatres in Europe. The contracts include a
five-theatre deal with I.T. International of Israel and a three-
theatre deal with Transturk Holdings A.S. of Turkey. These
contracts will bring the first IMAX theatres to four new European
countries -- Poland, Turkey, Hungary and The Czech Republic.The five-theatre deal with I.T. International will locate IMAX
Theatres in Prague, Czech Republic; Warsaw, Poland; Budapest,
Hungary and two as of yet unidentified locations in Poland. The
first theatre under the deal is expected to open in 2000. I.T.
International currently operates 92 screens in 21 cinemas
throughout Israel and two multiplexes with 17 screens in Hungary
(operating under the name of Cinema City). I.T. International
intends to develop, by the end of 2000, approximately 40
additional screens in Israel and approximately 150 additional
screens in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic out of which 40
are currently under construction.The three-theatre deal with Transturk Holdings A.S. includes
theatre locations in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey. The first
theatre under the deal is expected to open in Ankara in 1999.
Transturk, a conglomerate which controls over 50 companies,
recently partnered with Canada's Cineplex Odeon Corporation to
bring as many as 12 multiplexes to the Turkish market over the
next three years.***Acorn Drops out of PC Development
(September 23)The Scotsman reports that ACORN, the last British personal
computer manufacturer, has changed direction and effectively
admitted defeat at the hands of its larger rivals. The Cambridge
company said last week that it would stop developing its range of
PCs to concentrate on software for digital television set-top
boxes and other devices.There will be 75 redundancies out of 175 staff at the company's
HQ, with 15 people being transferred to other jobs. The existing
range of computers with the Acorn brand will continue to be sold
"as long as they remain profitable" said the chief executive,
Stan Boland. Described as a "fundamental restructuring
programme", last week's announcement will cost the company about
GBP 1 million.Its next-generation Acorn computer, the Phoebe Risc 2 PC, which
was intended for launch this year and had an expected development
budget of GBP 2 million, has been shelved.Acorn's flagship Risc PC uses an extremely fast, expensive
processor known as a StrongARM, designed by the Acorn off-shoot
company Advanced Risc Machines. When demand for this and other
hardware products fades, they will not be replaced.Acorn came to prominence as the maker of the BBC-B computer,
which was used in thousands of classrooms. Many schools continue
to use Acorn's machines and although the company will continue to
support the existing range it seems likely that the brand will
eventually disappear.Sales of Risc-based PCs and other Acorn products have fallen by
two-thirds in the first half of this year. The plan is to move
now from being a product supplier to being a technology provider.
Last week's announcement came after a two-month strategic review,
which was signalled on Boland's appointment as chief executive in
June.Acorn produces set-top box technologies and has been involved in
a number of trials around the world, which are creating new
opportunities for growth. "The projected return on the Risc 2
project was pretty marginal and we would have had to invest more
to get it. Given that we have a limited number of investment
dollars we decided to focus on digital television," said Boland.He thought that 75 per cent of homes would have digital set-top
box decoders or TV sets by 2006. In future, the company will
specialise in creating software and microprocessor designs for
these markets, which will then be licensed to manufacturers.***TSMC Selects Extricity Software
(September 28)Extricity Software, (formerly CrossRoute Software), announced
that TSMC has selected Extricity's flagship product, Extricity
Alliance, as the cornerstone of a business-to-business process
integration initiative between the company and its customers.The initiative is expected to enable TSMC to reduce product
delivery cycle time. The first TSMC customer to implement
Alliance realized a 25% improvement in their lead times. This
efficiency improvement is important in today's competitive, time-
sensitive electronics marketplace. TSMC expects this program to
make it more competitive.Extricity Alliance delivers on the goal of supply chain
optimization by allowing companies to automate shared business
processes between companies and customer throughout entire value
chains, often referred to as today's "extended enterprise." With
Extricity Alliance, TSMC will enhance its customers' visibility
and control over the exchange of a wide range of critical
information. As a result, the company expects to dramatically
improve the efficiency and responsiveness of providing time-
critical delivery and technical information to its customers.Extricity Alliance will enable TSMC create, deploy and maintain
critical shared business processes, as well as integrate the
different enterprise application suites existing within its
worldwide community of independent businesses. Alliance will help
TSMC automate business processes that were previously conducted
manually, resulting in reduced lead times.In the first phase of implementation, TSMC will make Alliance
available to its high-volume customers, leading to subsequent
phases that will convert its customers to the Alliance system as
a means of doing business together.Extricity Software creates and manages mission-critical business
processes -- vendor managed inventory, collaborative planning and
engineering, and channel assembly -- between companies and breaks
down the barriers of diversity by integrating all of the
disparate enterprise applications that often exist between
organizations. Using Extricity Alliance, communities of
businesses can work together with the efficiency of a single
organization to produce world-class products and services.***UMC Group Creates 0.25- and 0.18-micron Design Support Program
(September 14)UMC Group said it has finalized agreements with leading library
and intellectual property (IP) vendors to offer a comprehensive
package of no-cost 0.25- and 0.18-micron design kits and
libraries in the foundry industry.Artisan Components and Mentor Graphics will distribute and
support complete physical libraries free-of-charge to UMC Group
foundry customers, giving both the front-end timing simulation
and back-end physicals necessary to perform a tape-out. In
addition, Silicon Access, and Virtual Silicon have agreed to
support UMC Group customers with no-cost front-end 0.25 micron
design kits. Front-end design kits enable a customer to size a
design and determine basic timing data.The Hsinchu-based foundry also will provide verified system-on-
chip IP from Mentor Graphics, and other vendors. UMC Group's
strategy is to provide its customers with the libraries and low-
risk IP from a wide range of vendors to increase accessibility of
design services and cut time to market for customers.UMC Group is also offering its unique "Silicon Shuttle" test chip
program, which facilitates IP checkout for customers and third-
party IP partners by allowing them to verify their IP in a test
chip.Its "Silicon Shuttle" test-chip program allows IP vendors and
fabless design firms to prove their products in silicon at low or
no cost, with a typical turn-around time of 30 days. In addition
to Mentor Graphics, UMC Group is also manufacturing products from
or otherwise cooperating with a wide range of IP vendors,
including Analog Circuit Technologies, Dolphin Integration,
Enabling Technology, LEDA Systems, Lexra, Pivotal Technologies,
Portability, Rambus, RocketChips, SiPCore, and SSL.The new 0.25-micron and 0.18-micron design offerings discussed
above are expected to be available by Q4 1998.***Employee Stock Options Analysis at Microsoft and Cisco Systems
(September 28)Bill Parish of Parish & Company Portfolio Advisors of Portland,
Oregon released a study regarding employee stock options at two
leading technology companies, Microsoft and Cisco Systems, based
upon their most recent 10K filings with the SEC. The exercise of
these options is a source of cash for both firms and did provide
the cash necessary to finance approximately 20 percent of annual
operating expenses at both firms for fiscal year 1997.The objective of this study is to clarify two areas. The first is
to quantify the outstanding obligation made to employees, even
though not all the options are currently exercisable. A second
goal is to summarize the impact of options already exercised and
no longer outstanding on externally published financial
statements using fiscal year end 1997 as an example.Determining this impact can be confusing since all companies
maintain two sets of financial statements. These are the internal
"tax books" and the externally published financial statements.
The SEC 10K filing does, however, include information necessary
to make this calculation without making assumptions.Per the 10K SEC filing for the year ended June 30, 1997,
Microsoft recognized a compensation based business expense
related to the exercise of employee stock options of $2.274
billion on its tax books, for which it received a cash tax
benefit of $796 million. Cisco Systems recognized a similar
compensation expense of $782 million on its tax books, for which
it received a cash tax benefit of $274 million. Current
accounting rules do not require this compensation expense to be
reflected on external financial statements. If it were, it would
represent 66 and 75 percent of net income respectively. This
information can be obtained by taking the "tax benefit from
employee stock plans" line on the 10K cash flow statement and
dividing it by the corporate income tax rate of 35 percent. Only
the cash received amount is required to be disclosed and
reflected on the external financial statements. This amount
appears as a separate line item on the cash flow statement.Many investors, including Warren Buffet, are encouraging the
Financial Accounting Standards Board, FASB, to rethink this
policy. It does seem inconsistent to be taking a compensation
based business expense deduction on the tax books and not
recognizing a corresponding expense on the financial statements.The second primary impact regarding employee stock options
involves the remaining obligation, shares granted and
outstanding. Current FASB rules require only supplemental
footnote disclosure of future obligations and also allow for a
wide range of economic assumptions in determining this amount.Microsoft, according to its most recent 10K SEC filing for the
period ending 6/30/97, has granted 239 million shares to
employees at an average cost to the employees of $31.40. Based
upon their stock price reflect a liability on the balance sheet.
Parish & Company estimates this obligation to be $17.5 billion or
almost 400 percent of annual net income. Parish & Company also
calculates that, for every $5 rise in Microsoft's stock price,
this obligation will increase by $1.2 billion, roughly one-fourth
of net income for the year ended June 30, 1998. If the
compensation based business expense for options that were
exercised and recorded on the tax books was reflected on the
external financial statements, this would further lower net
income and increase this obligation as a percent of net income.When exercised, employee stock options do provide two sources of
cash for Microsoft. Per the 10K SEC filing, for the year ended
6/97 the company received $597 million from employees based upon
45 million shares being exercised at an average cost to employees
of $13.27 per share. The company also realized the tax reduction
benefit of $796M as a result of claiming compensation related
business expense of $2.274 billion on its tax books. Therefore,
for the year ended 6/97 Microsoft received total cash of $1.393
billion as a result of employees exercising stock options. This
cash flow in turn funded 22 percent of the annual operating
expenses of $6.228 billion.Cisco Systems has granted 134 million shares at an average cost
to employees of $24.46 a share per their most recent 10K report
filed with the SEC. This outstanding unbooked compensation
obligation, using a stock price of $66 per share on 9/25/98 and
an average exercise price of $33 per share is $4.4 billion. This
represents approximately 230 percent of their annual net income
of $1.9 billion for the most recent year end. In addition, for
every $5 increase in their stock price, Parish & Company
calculates that this obligation will grow $670 million,
approximately one third of net income.Per the 10K SEC filing for the year ended 7/97 Cisco received
$223 million from employees based upon 17.5 million shares being
exercised at an average cost to employees of $12.76 per share.
This, combined with the $274 million Cisco realized by claiming
compensation based business expense of $782 on its tax books,
indicates that Cisco received total cash as a result of the
exercise of employee stock options of $497 million for the year
ending 7/97. In Cisco's case, this cash flow from the exercise of
employee stock options financed 19 percent of the cash required
to fund the total operating expenses of $2.571 billion.Parish & Company estimates that the combined future obligation
outstanding to employees for these two leading is approximately
$21.9 billion. For comparison purposes, combined annual revenues
are $23 billion, combined annual net income $6.4 billion and the
market value of their stock $372 billion based upon stock values
on 9/25/98.Employee stock options have become a popular tool for
compensating key employees and are now widely used in the
technology industry. Most interesting about this analysis is that
employees exercising options are able to generate approximately
20 percent of the cash required to fund annual operating expenses
for both Cisco Systems and Microsoft. As in most technology
companies, the majority of these expenses are salary and
benefits.Bill Parish of Parish & Company Portfolio Advisors is an
independent Fee Based Investment Advisor to Individuals, Trusts
and Retirement Plans based in Portland, Oregon. The firm produces
objective financial analysis based upon accounting facts, manages
individual and trust investment portfolios and advises companies
on how to improve their retirement plans by providing independent
oversight utilizing an employee based benchmark system. No fees
are accepted from investment companies, either directly or
indirectly. Bill Parish can be contacted through the following
web site.***Universal Studios Recreation Group Acquires Wet 'n Wild
(October 1)Universal Studios Recreation Group has acquired Wet 'n Wild. The
acquisition of the privately-held Wet 'n Wild Inc. marks
Universal's entry into the water park industry. Wet 'n Wild
Orlando, which is the highest attended water park in the U.S.
with over one million visitors annually, provides Universal with
a strategically located facility adjacent to its new Universal
Studios Escape resort set to open in Summer 1999.It also provides the Universal Studios Recreation Group with its
first Latin America presence, via Wet 'n Wild's franchise
locations in Brazil and Mexico. The company's other U.S. park is
in Las Vegas.Currently under construction and opening in Summer 1999 is the
Universal Studios Escape resort, where in addition to Universal
Studios Florida, there will be a second gate attraction, "Islands
of Adventure," CityWalk and premier hotels. Universal's Islands
Of Adventure, will be home to five dedicated themed islands and
the most extraordinary technologically advanced theme park
experience ever created.Universal Studios Japan, modeled after the Universal Studios
Florida theme park, is scheduled to open in 2001. The Universal
Studios Experience Beijing, an indoor location-based
entertainment project and the first retail/amusement presence in
China by a major Hollywood studio, opened earlier this month.A European recreation strategy was launched by Universal Studios
Recreation Group in June, with the acquisition of a significant
interest in Port Aventura, Spain's largest theme park.***Parametric Technology Receives Orders For Software And
Services
(October 1)Parametric Technology announced that it has received a $1.2
million order for software and services from IndustrieHansa GmbH
of Munich, Germany, a $2.8 million order from Lennox Industries
of Richardson, Texas. and a $3.9 million follow-on order for
software and services from Lockheed Martin of Denver, Colo.IndustrieHansa GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Voest-Alpine
Technologie AG of Austria, is a leading engineering services
provider. With this order, the company expands its use of
Pro/ENGINEER and begins implementation of Windchill enterprise
information management software.Lennox Industries, Inc., a subsidiary of Lennox International, is
a manufacturer of residential and commercial heating and air
conditioning equipment and related products. All divisions of
Lennox Industries Inc will standardize on Pro/ENGINEER Solutions
for all design-through-manufacturing processes, including product
data managementLockheed Martin Astronautics is one of the operating elements of
Lockheed Martin's Space and Strategic Missiles Sector
headquartered in Bethesda, Md. The Astronautics division designs,
develops, tests, and manufactures a variety of advanced
technology systems for space and defense. Chief products include
planetary spacecraft and other space systems, space launch
systems, and ground systems. With this order, Astronautics will
expand its use of PTC product development software including
Pro/ENGINEER Solutions, Pro/MECHANICA, and a suite of CADDS 5.
Lockheed Martin Astronautics will also begin use of PTC's
Pro/Ficiency Evaluator, a new internet-based user skills
assessment tool that provides a mechanism to assess the true
abilities of Pro/ENGINEER users. Pro/Ficiency Evaluator enables
users and managers to understand how to improve their
Pro/ENGINEER skill set and maximize the company's return on its
software and training investment.Parametric Technology's enterprise information management
solutions include the Web-centric, Java-based information
management technology of Windchill, including Windchill
Information Modeler, Windchill Foundation, Enterprise Document
Manager, and Enterprise Configuration Manager.http://www.industriehansa.de.
http://www.davelennox.com/indexres.html
http://www.service.com/cm/lockheed***Time Warner Selects SeaChange MediaCluster Video Server system
to test VOD
(September 30)Time Warner Cable has chosen SeaChange International as the first
video server vendor for its Pegasus video-on- demand (VOD) test.
According to their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Time Warner
will test the SeaChange MediaCluster video server and interactive
television software in its first site to deliver VOD to cable
viewers at an undisclosed system. Further terms of the MOU have
not been disclosed.Working in conjunction with Scientific Atlanta's Explorer 2000
digital set-top boxes, SeaChange video server systems will
provide Time Warner viewers with the ability to personally select
movies and other programming. VCR functionality enables viewers
to watch what they want, when they want it, with rewind, pause
and fast-forward capabilities.SeaChange's unique approach to video server technology reduces
storage requirements while guaranteeing the availability of video
to television viewers in large populations.Founded in 1993, SeaChange International, Inc., of Maynard,
Mass., develops video server systems and software to manage,
store and distribute digital video for television operators and
telecommunications companies. The Company's turnkey systems
automate the distribution of short- and long-form MPEG video
streams including advertisements, movies, news updates and other
video programming requiring precise, accurate and continuous
execution. SeaChange's products are installed in hundreds of
geographic markets and serve approximately 15,000 television
channels worldwide.http://www.pathfinder.com/corp/twcable/index.html
http://www.schange.com/***Sun Goes Beta With Java 3D Programming Tool
(September 22)Newsbytes reports that Sun Microsystems has made the beta version
of its Java three-dimensional (3-D) application programming
interface (API) available for free download and evaluation.The tool is based on open standards for developers who want to
create 3-D content across multiple platforms without, as Sun put
it, "enduring the steep learning curve of other 3D APIs." The
tool is designed to free programmers from complex coding
procedures normally needed to specify scene displays.The Java 3-D API is network-centric and scene graph-based. Java
programmers can use it to add 3-D content to applets and
applications.In addition, the network-centric Java platform lets developers
use the 3-D programming tool for high-end 3D visualizations over
the network, an important use in collaborative work environments.
The API's built-in geometry compression reduces network
bottlenecks by letting users download very large 3D models for
remote viewing and manipulation.Sun does not recommend using the Java 3D API to build mission-
critical applications as yet, since it is beta technology. There
may be further changes.However, the new beta does incorporate the features most
requested by developers who worked with the alpha version, said
Sun. The download is on the Sun Internet site.***Network Computer Beats Microsoft for Set-top Deal
(September 16)Network Computer Inc. announced that it was chosen to provide
television set-top box software to Belgium's telephone company,
Belgacom, for its new CyberTV service. The service will go on
sale in January 1999 to Belgacom's 4.7 million customers.Network Computer's TV Navigator and Custom Connect Server
software will allow Belgacom to create, customize, and manage
their new CyberTV service. The boxes, produced by Acer Inc., will
use smart cards to let customers manage their financial accounts,
pay bills and transfer funds.CyberTV will be connected to both the televisions set and the
telephone line. It will provide normal TV programs, Internet
content, and access to Enhanced TV which includes televised and
interactive online services such as TV Chat or vote and TV
program guides.Internet access is offered via an analog 56.6K modem, ISDN modem,
or ADSL. The CyberTV terminal comes with a set-top box, remote
control, and a wireless keyboard.http://www.belgacom.com
http://www.oracle.co.jp/nc/index.html***Simpod Modeling Solution Available for NEC 64-Bit VR5464 RISC
Microprocessor
(September 10)Simpod announced the availability of simulation modeling
capability for NEC's latest 64-bit MIPS RISC microprocessor, the
VR5464.Simpod has validated the processor against the full design
release test suite using NEC engineering device samples. Embedded
system and system on chip (SOC) designers can now use Simpod's
DeskPOD family of high-performance modeling systems along with
the NEC processor for fast functional, cycle-accurate simulation,
intellectual property (IP) validation and integration, and
hardware/software co-verification.The DeskPOD platform enables designers to mix their own hardware
description language (HDL) code with actual NEC silicon to
rapidly model, debug, and prototype their combined hardware and
software systems before manufacturing chips.NEC's VR5400 family is a powerful processor designed specifically
for embedded applications. For example, the NEC VR5464 processor
delivers performance greater than 500 Dhrystone MIPS (million of
instructions per second) at 250 MHz achieved through use of 0.25
micron process technology and advanced design features including
a dual-issue superscalar architecture, multimedia extensions,
floating-point capability, a 64KB on-chip cache and a 64-bit data
bus.Packaged in a desktop form, the DeskPOD family supports up to 570
fully programmable I/O signals to connect between the digital
sub-system and the simulation development environment. DeskPOD
API can support HDL-based simulators (Verilog and VHDL) as well
as embedded software development tools. Multiple DeskPOD systems
can be incorporated in a single simulation model, providing a
scalable modeling resource for complex system design and
verification.The Simpod modeling system satisfies a variety of design and
verification requirements while easily co-existing with the
user's current development environment. DeskPOD provides the
hardware engineer with quick time-to-modeling and the potential
for significant performance improvements over RTL simulation.Concurrent with the hardware design and verification effort,
software engineers can run DeskPOD through a "C" API to verify
embedded firmware or driver code intended for use in the target
system. In this fashion, the software engineer gains access to
the actual system blocks much sooner in the co-development
schedule, allowing early validation of the code versus the system
specification. Additionally, the DeskPOD socket can be connected
to another subsystem by use of a cable, allowing the code to be
tested in-circuit.DeskPOD prices begin at $25,000 with delivery within 30 days from
receipt of order. Model availability will concur with engineering
samples of NEC's VR5464 processor.--------------------------------------
Copyright 1998 4th WAVE, Inc.
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