Sony Licenses OpenTV’s Device Mosaic

Interactive television software firm OpenTV has clinched
a licensing deal to put its Device Mosaic HTML browser on products
manufactured by Sony Corp.

Mountain View, Calif.-based OpenTV said the Device Mosaic browser, which is
used to deliver content to set top boxes, would let Sony to develop products
that allows the use of advanced HTML content and applications and an array
of data and commerce tools available on the Web.

Device Mosaic, made specifically for non-PC devices, also supports current
interactive TV applications, such as EPGs, play-along programming, VOD,
chat, email and traditional web browsing.

The licensing deal is an extension of a previous pact between Sony and
Spyglass Inc., which was acquir
ed by OpenTV in July 2000.

For Sony, the deal helps reduce the cost of making consumer electronic
products that support enhanced HTML capabilities. “In addition to set-top
boxes and broadband technology-based products, (we) can now utilize Device
Mosaic in a wider range of its consumer electronic products by leveraging
its expertise in digital household appliances,” said James Ackerman, CEO of
OpenTV.

Device Mosaic already has a home within nine million TV set-top box
deployments worldwide and has been licensed to companies like TiVo,
Motorola, Power TV
and Telecruz.

OpenTV’s technology powers more than 23 million set-top boxes worldwide. It
provides middleware, web browser software, content applications and content
creation tools.