Matsushita Develops PiE-OS V2.0 Operating System For Digital TV

Global Platform For DTV And High Definition DTV

12-May-00

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., best known by its Panasonic brand, announced the development of its PiE-OS V2.0 as a digital television (DTV) operating system. The PiE-OS operating system is designed specifically for DTV use and provides the reliability and ease of use that consumers associate with consumer electronics. It supports all of the world's DTV broadcasting formats, including high definition digital formats. The availability of PiE-OS V2.0 is expected to accelerate the development of digital TV-related products. The PiE-OS V2.0 operating system provides a balance between the increasingly sophisticated functionality that customers desire from digital television products and the requirement that an operating system for an easy-to-use home appliance product be both compact and highly reliable. The PiE-OS is equipped with a real-time processing kernel enhanced for DTV, and includes the various libraries needed for DTV. It has proved to be highly reliable over three years of use in Matsushita DTV products, including set-top boxes for DIRECTVÆ Japan and the BSkyB service in the U.K. The PiE-OS is a key element in the ""Global DTV Platform"" approach, which Matsushita Electric is using to accelerate the development of Panasonic DTV products worldwide. ""The PiE-OS, is based on our long experience with TV product development and, together with Matsushita's DTV system LSI chipset, completes a DTV global platform,"" said Mr. Yoshiaki Kushiki, Director of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. ""With PiE-OS, it is possible to develop highly reliable DTV products for the whole world. We will expand its usage not only to DTV products but also to other digital A/V products such as DVD-Video recorders."" The PiE-OS operating system provides specific functions required to support DTV-related products, including DTV receivers and network terminals with built-in DTV functionality. Based on proven technologies, the PiE-OS Kernel is equipped with multiple DTV extensions such as a dual scheduling mechanism that simultaneously processes real-time tasks like audio/video playback and non-real-time tasks like the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) and data broadcasting displays. PiE-OS has a rich set of DTV libraries such as those necessary to process and display U.S., European and Japanese standard high definition and standard definition video and audio formats, as well as those to control program selection, receive data broadcast services, and display rich graphics. Benefiting from Matsushita Electric's history and expertise in TV technology, it allows the manufacturer to implement many features that promote ease of use, with an emphasis on a DTV window system that facilitates the development of interactive software that can be accessed by a TV remote control. PiE-OS also has libraries that support networking features for both Internet connectivity and the IEEE 1394 standard. The basic Internet protocols such as TCP/IP and PPP, together with application protocols like POP3 and HTTP, are implemented to support Internet connectivity. The IEEE 1394 library has two-layer APIs to support both AV protocols and HAVi functionality. PiE-OS will be supported by Matsushita Electric's global R&D development structure that includes development centers in the U.S., Europe and Japan. The company will first utilize PiE-OS v2.0 on its DTV receivers for the Japanese BS digital broadcasting system, which will start in December 2000. Matsushita Electric plans to market a DTV solution that consists of PiE-OS and Matsushita's DTV system LSI chip sets. Matsushita will also use PiE-OS for other digital A/V equipment including DVD-Video recorders. About Matsushita Electric/Panasonic Best known by its Panasonic brand name, Osaka, Japan-based Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) is a worldwide leader in the development of technologies and the production of electronic and electric products for consumer, business and industrial use. Additional information on Panasonic and Matsushita Electric is available at www.panasonic.com.

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