MontaVista Software disclosed today that Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (Panasonic) has incorporated MontaVista's embedded Linux operating system as the embedded software platform in a new broadband TV tuner, called Broadnow, which was recently introduced in Japan.

The Broadnow TV tuner is said to be the first in a new Matsushita family of broadband-connected TV products that offer consumers access to high-quality video, music, and other content over broadband networks such as fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and ADSL, with advanced features such as remotely controlling video recording via email.

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Essentially an advanced TV set-top box, the Broadnow TV tuner can be connected to a broadband router, hub, or TV broadcasting antenna. In addition to being able to receive TV broadcasts from the Internet, the device contains a “traditional” analog tuner for receiving conventional RF TV broadcasts. Use of electronic program guides along with an internal hard drive results in TiVo-like time-shift recording and viewing and other personal video recorder (PVR) capabilities.

Rear panel showing broadband, audio, video, and digital connections

Users can navigate to and select broadband broadcasting program guides from the “On TV Japan BB” service for video content, or “iM Radio” service for radio programs. Additionally, Broadnow can be connected to the broadband Internet 24 hours a day, allowing users to select and record TV programs remotely through their mobile phones, using a function called “preprogrammed recording by e-mail”.

Broadnow's embedded computer is based on a National Semiconductor Geode SC1201 single-chip “set-top box processor”, along with a National's Geode CS1301 multimedia co-processor. The SC1201 is an x86 architecture system-on-chip device that integrates a Geode GX1 processor, a TV video processor (with TV, TFT and CRT outputs), a video input port, video output ports, core logic, and a super-I/O block.

As mentioned above, the embedded operating system is based on MontaVista Linux. Additionally, the Access NetFront browser is used for web browsing.

The new Broadnow TV tuner is currently available exclusively in the Japanese market, through PanaSense a web-based shopping site run by Matsushita Network Marketing Co., Ltd.

MontaVista Software will be displaying the Broadnow TV tuner next week at its booth at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Francisco.

A babelfish translation of marketing information about the Broadnow TV tuner is available here.

 
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