Des Moines, Iowa-based Microware Systems Corp, the company whose David Digital Audio/Video Interactive Decoder operating system is at the heart of many set-top boxes, will do a version of the operating system for Motorola Inc’s PowerPC 602. David is configured to operate and control set-top box functions and the use of the PowerPC 602 would provide a complete PowerPC system for set-top manufacturers developing products for interactive television. Microware supports more than 750 OEM customers worldwide and has distributed more than 5m copies of its OS-9 real-time operating system. And at the National Cable Television Association annual meeting in Dallas it announced yet more takers for David. Novell Inc, Sybase Inc, IBM Corp, Concurrent Computer Corp, Scala Inc, Stellar One Corp and ACT/Technico have all signed up to use the embedded environment. Novell will develop compatibility between David and its Novell Embedded Systems Technology, NEST, and will implement NetWare and NEST on David. Sybase will support David with its Gain Interplay application run-time software environment, designed to give developers a system for presenting interactive television applications on personal computers and set-top boxes. IBM will establish a David development laboratory for the creation of interactive applications and media targeted for David set-top boxes. Concurrent Computer has implemented the David UpLink server communications protocol software on its Maxion/IMS interactive multimedia server and the Stellar One 1000 set-top decoder, giving David developers what it reckons is a powerful video server option. Scala is converting its multimedia authoring and multimedia networking software to David interactive television set-top decoders enabling David developers to use these tools to develop interactive television applications. ACT/Technico has a David-compatible MPEG2 media server for programme development as well as an alliance with General Instrument Corp, which has just licensed David for use in its line of interactive digital terminals for telephone and cable interactive networks, to develop a David/MPEG2 server and development system.
