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Motorola Teams with AgileTV™ to
Provide Voice Recognition Capabilities to Digital Set-Top
Platforms
HORSHAM, Pa. – 29 April
2004 – Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced a powerful new way for
subscribers to control their digital video and audio entertainment experience
using voice commands. Agile TV™’s “plug-and-play”
voice-recognition technology enables broadband operators to offer subscribers a
cutting edge navigation solution – without complicated set-up or the need
for training. Operators can integrate Agile’s voice recognition solution
with Motorola’s broadly deployed DCT2000 digital set-top platform.
The Motorola and AgileTV solution enables
consumers to control their digital set-top using just spoken commands.
Subscribers can “talk” to their TV through a remote control with an
integrated microphone, allowing for easy navigation of digital programming, the
interactive program guide and on-demand services using phrases such as
“Find The Sopranos”, “Scan Sitcoms” or “Find
Movies with Julia Roberts.” The solution requires only a small receiver
that attaches to the cable set-top to receive signals from the enhanced remote.
The technology, which recognizes over 100,000
phrases and deciphers multiple languages, has been field tested in an alpha
deployment on Motorola DCT2000 digital set-tops with USA Media’s cable
subscribers for 15 months.
“The USA Media
subscribers that tested AgileTV’s voice service gave it very high marks.
It allowed them to easily find channels and programs they never knew existed.
With a simple add-on device and the new, voice enabled remote we could use the
Motorola equipment already installed in our customers’ homes. It greatly
enhances the value of digital, should help the industry reduce churn and gives
us a unique product advantage over satellite.” said Jim Faircloth, COO of
USA Media.
“Working with Motorola, we
can deliver a highly accurate voice recognition service that is simple to use,
requires no training, and no new cable set-top. The Motorola and AgileTV
solution makes it easier for consumers to access the latest digital cable
services such as on-demand, and solves the navigation challenge resulting from
the vast amount of programming now being offered,” said David Hanson,
Senior Vice President, AgileTV.
“Operators have been asking for voice
functionality, and by working with AgileTV, Motorola can now provide a service
that is easy for operators to deploy. Not only can voice activation create a
more feature-rich platform for consumers, it can create new revenue
opportunities by making video-on-demand and other content easier to
access,” said Carl
McGrath, Motorola corporate vice president and general
manager, digital core gateways.
"I have been
following AgileTV's development of a voice service for over three years. Insight
invested in the company because their technology will help subscribers solve
digital's navigational problem and it effectively uses cable's two-way broadband
capability. The service can enable cable to have a true advantage over our
satellite competition," said Michael Willner, CEO of Insight
Communications.
Motorola and AgileTV will demonstrate the voice
navigation service to attendees at the NCTA 2004 trade show (2-5 May, New
Orleans, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center) at the company’s booth #3323.
About
AgileTV™
AgileTV™ Corporation
(AgileTV) is the innovator and premier provider of advanced voice recognition
services developed specifically for the cable television industry.
AgileTV’s cutting-edge technology delivers the easiest way for viewers to
quickly find and enjoy the ever increasing amount of programming on digital
cable. Through intuitive voice commands, subscribers can navigate effortlessly
within cable’s vast selection of viewing choices including television
programming, integrated guides and on-demand listings. Founded in February
2000, AgileTV is a privately held company headquartered in Menlo Park,
California in the heart of the Silicon
Valley.
About Motorola Broadband
Communications Sector
The Motorola Broadband
Communications Sector provides a scalable, integrated end-to-end system for the
delivery of broadband services that keeps consumers informed, entertained and
connected. Its technology enables network operators and retailers to create and
execute on new business opportunities by providing innovative products and
services to the home. Customer-responsive design and manufacturing expertise
further contribute to the company’s position as the world's leading
supplier of digital cable set-tops and cable modems. For more information about
the Motorola Broadband Communications Sector, visit
www.motorola.com/broadband.
About
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a global
leader in wireless, broadband and automotive communications technologies that
help make life smarter, safer, simpler, synchronized and fun. Sales in 2003 were
$27.1 billion. Motorola creates innovative technological solutions that benefit
people at home, at work and on the move. The company also is a progressive
corporate citizen dedicated to operating ethically, protecting the environment
and supporting the communities in which it does business. For more information,
please visit www.motorola.com.
#
# #
Media Contacts:
Motorola
Angie
Britt
+1-215-323-1885
angie.britt@motorola.com
AgileTV
David
Hanson
+1-650-859-6086
dhanson@agile.tv
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are
registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. All other product or
service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc.
2004
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