Cablesoft
Encyclopedia
Cablesoft was an early attempt to define an interactive television
standard. The partners in the new company were Microsoft
, Tele-Communications and Time Warner
. In fact, much of the effort appeared to be on Microsoft's part, and the two cable companies were essentially launch partners. In the end the company was never formed, and the effort disappeared without a trace.
The Cablesoft effort was first announced in the May 1994 and at the time consisted primarily of the Microsoft Media Server (codenamed Tiger during development) and a custom version of the Windows NT
operating system known as NTAS, which was essentially a series of fine-tuning efforts to drive ATM
switches. The basic model appeared to be to use a PC-like set-top box
that would communicate with PC's running NTAS at the cable company's head end
s, using Tiger to cue up and deliver content.
.
Interactive television
Interactive television describes a number of techniques that allow viewers to interact with television content as they view it.- Definitions :...
standard. The partners in the new company were Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, Tele-Communications and Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
. In fact, much of the effort appeared to be on Microsoft's part, and the two cable companies were essentially launch partners. In the end the company was never formed, and the effort disappeared without a trace.
The Cablesoft effort was first announced in the May 1994 and at the time consisted primarily of the Microsoft Media Server (codenamed Tiger during development) and a custom version of the Windows NT
Windows NT
Windows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. It was a powerful high-level-language-based, processor-independent, multiprocessing, multiuser operating system with features comparable to Unix. It was intended to complement...
operating system known as NTAS, which was essentially a series of fine-tuning efforts to drive ATM
Asynchronous Transfer Mode
Asynchronous Transfer Mode is a standard switching technique designed to unify telecommunication and computer networks. It uses asynchronous time-division multiplexing, and it encodes data into small, fixed-sized cells. This differs from approaches such as the Internet Protocol or Ethernet that...
switches. The basic model appeared to be to use a PC-like set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
that would communicate with PC's running NTAS at the cable company's head end
Head end
Head end may refer to:* A cable television headend, a master facility for receiving television signals for processing and distribution over a cable television system* gateway...
s, using Tiger to cue up and deliver content.
Note
An apparently unrelated company, CableSoft, also delivered on-demand content starting around 1995. The company was headquartered in Burlington, MassachusettsBurlington, Massachusetts
Burlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,498 at the 2010 census.- History :It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, however this has never been confirmed....
.