Tokyo — MontaVista Software announced today that Sony's new CoCoon Channel Server, an Internet-connected Personal Video Recorder (PVR), uses MontaVista Linux Professional Edition 2.1 as its embedded operating system.

Information about Sony's new CoCoon PVR, a TiVo-like device with an Internet interface, first surfaced several months ago. TiVo, which pioneered the PVR market, is also powered by an Embedded Linux operating system (custom-developed by TiVo's engineers).

Linux-based Sony CoCoon PVR

The new Sony PVR reportedly is based on a 350MHz MIPS embedded processor and boasts an internal 160GB hard drive which can provide 100 hours of programming (expandable to 320GB), and is initially being introduced only to the Japanese market.

Rear view showing connections

Venture Development Corporation (VDC) projects consumer electronics to be the fastest growing market segment for Linux, growing at an annual rate of 49.0% and reaching $149.6 million in shipments by 2006. VDC further projects in 2006 consumer electronics will be the largest segment of the embedded Linux market, with 43.2 percent of total revenue of $346 million.

Note: Further details on CoCoon are available on Sony's website (in Japanese).

 
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