Americast selects Zenith digital set-top boxes for its americast home entertainment service.LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 22, 1996--Americast, the programming venture of Ameritech Corp., BellSouth Corp., GTE GTE General Telephone & Electronics GTE Génie Thermique et Énergie (French) GTE Gas Turbine Engine GTE Global Tropospheric Experiment GTE Geothermal Energy GTE Gas Turbine Efficiency plc (Sweden & USA) Corp., SBC (1) (SBC Communications Inc., San Antonio, TX, www.sbc.com) A large, national telecommunications company that grew from a multitude of local and regional companies, including Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell and Nevada Bell, into a single, unified brand by 2002. Communications and The Walt Disney Noun 1. Walt Disney - United States film maker who pioneered animated cartoons and created such characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; founded Disneyland (1901-1966) Disney, Walter Elias Disney Co., has signed a non-exclusive contract for the purchase of subsidiaries of Ameritech, BellSouth, GTE and SBC of at least 3 million digital set-top boxes from Zenith Electronics Corp. for its americast home entertainment service. Valued at more than $1 billion, the contract to purchase the Zenith set-tops underscores the commitment of Americast and its partners to move forward aggressively to deliver innovative home entertainment to consumers, according to Stephen A. Weiswasser, Americast chief executive officer. "Our partners have chosen a very versatile set of platforms that will give them flexibility in their offer of a broad range of services to the American people," Weiswasser commented. "These boxes not only match that diversity, but also will give us the opportunity to begin offering the next generation in home entertainment as early as 1997." William G. Luehrs, president of the Zenith Network Systems Division, said that, with the Zenith boxes, Americast will be able to deploy four kinds of video networks -- "wireless cable" (MMDS (Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service or Microwave Multipoint Distribution Service) A digital wireless transmission system that works in the 2.2-2.4 GHz range. ), hybrid fiber-coax, switched digital video See switched video. (fiber to the curb Fiber to the curb (FTTC), also called fibre to the kerb (FTTK),[1] is a telecommunications system based on fiber-optic cables run to a platform that serves several customers. ) and direct broadcast satellite. "Americast is the first home entertainment company currently requiring multiple delivery media from essentially the same box design. It brings a unique vision of the digital future, making this a very significant venture for Zenith and for the entire industry," Luehrs said. "By using interchangeable network interface modules, we're able to address various business and content-delivery models with a single, very cost-effective digital set-top design." The digital set-top boxes are planned for production beginning in the first half of 1997. Zenith Electronics, based in Glenview, Ill., has been a leader in electronics for more than 75 years. Zenith's core business -- Consumer Electronics and Network Systems -- is at the center of the company's digital strategy, which includes interactive television, Internet TVs, digital video disc See DVD. Digital Video Disc - Digital Versatile Disc players, digital and wireless cable, cable modems and HDTV (High Definition TV) A set of digital television (DTV) standards that offer the highest resolution and sharpest picture. Although some HDTV sets are available in standard (rather square) screen sizes, the overwhelming majority of sets are wide screen, which eliminates systems. Americast is the consortium of Ameritech, BellSouth, GTE, SBC Communications and The Walt Disney Co. created to develop and market the next generation in home entertainment. Southern New England Telecommunications Southern New England Telecommunications Corporation started operations in 1986 as the holding company for The Southern New England Telephone Company. Prior to 1986, The Southern New England Telephone Company had been a minority holding of AT&T until February 1986, when AT&T Corp. has signed a letter of intent under which the company would join the Americast venture as a partner. The americast service is currently being introduced into selected markets across the United States. In addition to providing traditional entertainment services, Americast will offer innovative programming and develop such features as a proprietary program navigator, video-on-demand, home shopping and a variety of interactive services. CONTACT: Americast, Los Angeles Jody Miller, 310/234-1414 or Hill and Knowlton Petro Kacur/Tim Scerba, 213/966-5753/5726 or Zenith John Taylor, 847/391-8181 |
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