Tokyo and Sunnyvale, CA — (press release excerpt) — MontaVista Software announced today that Advanced Communications Co. Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) has based the software platform of their next generation MPEG-4 TV set-top box on MontaVista Linux. The ECCLE5000 features an MPEG decoder that enables home TVs to replay MPEG-1/2/4 high quality video streams distributed via the Internet or cable.

MPEG-4 is an emerging digital compression standard for interactive audio and video streaming multimedia. Because its MPEG decoder supports MPEG-4, the ECCLE5000 can provide high quality images while minimizing bandwidth requirements and reducing costs. The ECCLE5000 enables advanced interactive multimedia applications such as video on demand (VoD) and digital media over IP for the consumer, corporate, and hospitality markets.

The ECCLE5000 is based on a 333MHz National Semiconductor Geode GX1 (x86) system-on-chip processor with 64MB SDRAM and 32MB of Flash memory. Input/output ports include 10/100Base-T Ethernet, AC97 audio output, video out, dual-USB, and a pair of PCMCIA Type I/II slots. The device also has a built-in 2.5-inch hard drive. In addition to running MontaVista Linux, the ECCLE5000's GUI software environment is based on a combination of Qt/Embedded, Microwindows, and a Gecko-based browser. Various Internet and Web functions are supported, including TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP, TELNET, PPP, etc. On the multimedia side, the unit handles MPEG-1/2/4 and DIVX formats.

The ECCLE5000 STB's embedded computer board

“This new set-top box supports next-generation video decks that can be used for streaming systems, e-learning and fixed-point monitoring systems,” said Advanced Communications CEO Yukihiro Yamada. “Because stability and reliability of operation are very important for STBs, we chose MontaVista Linux, with which we realized faster data processing and higher stability than with other development platforms. Moreover, with MontaVista Linux, we were able to shorten our expected time-to-market by 20 percent compared to using our original library. We are planning to use MontaVista Linux for our future product development as well.”

Inno Micro, a value-added reseller for Advanced Communications, will exhibit the ECCLE5000 in MontaVista's booth at the Embedded Technology (ET) show, November 20-22, 2002, in Yokohama, Japan.

 
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