October 10, 1996
General Instrument Communications Europe is to host the first European demonstration of WorldGate's TV On-Line (TVOL), a new Television-Internet access application at ECC'96 October 15-17.
GI Corporation and WorldGate Communications, Inc. have signed an agreement for WorldGate to develop TVOL to run on GI's analogue and digital set-top terminals.
TVOL will provide cable subscribers access to the World Wide Web via their TV screens at a much higher speed than traditional Internet access via telephone modem. A low-cost wireless keyboard will allow them to receive all traditional Internet features including e-mail. TVOL also includes "Channel Hyperlinking", a feature that enables subscribers to instantly access web sites, newsgroups and other Internet options.
"We are excited to be part of this ground-breaking project." said Tony White, GI Communications Europe's Vice President and Managing Director. "Broad consumer access to the information superhighway is now possible via coaxial cable connections. It is no longer a question of whether consumers are computer literate or not. Cable operators and subscribers can choose and select any type of high-speed Internet access for the TV via TVOL and GI's set-top boxes, or for the PC with GI's SURFboard cable modems."
CFT 2200 analogue set-top terminals, GI's advanced analogue offering, provide subscribers with near- video-on demand (NVOD), interactive programme guides, virtual channels, Web browsing capabilities, and other interactive applications.
General Instrument Corporation is a world leader in developing technology, systems and product solutions for the interactive delivery of video, voice and data, as well as in manufacturing and distributing discrete semiconductors.
WorldGate Communications, a Trevose, PA-based company, provides TV On-Line (TVOL), a cable service that enables universal low cost Internet access for consumer through the cable system, without the need for a PC, modem, or any additional in-home equipment.