Sun unveils new systems for interactive TV market

LOS ANGELES, Nov 27 Reuters reported that Sun Microsystems on Tuesday unveiled a new line of computer products aimed at cable television and interactive TV providers which are looking to build and deploy interactive services and video on demand.

The line, called the Sun Media Appliance Platform, consists of a set of three Sun systems. Sun is working with interactive TV experts like AGENCY.COM, Kasenna, N2 Broadband, Strategy & Technology and VideoPropulsion, to tailor the Sun Media Appliance line to meet the needs of cable TV operators.

``The growing broadband market requires an open, multi-vendor solution for iTV and Video-on-Demand,'' Shahram Moradpour, director of Market Development at Sun Microsystems Inc., said in a statement.

Sun said three Media Appliance platform's three designs are aimed at developers, broadcasters and media-on-demand providers.

The three configurations will share common technology, enabling developers to build and deploy solutions with increased scalability, Sun said.

The announcement was made at The Western Show in Anaheim, California, near Los Angeles, where cable TV operators, content providers and other companies are meeting in what is one of the largest cable TV trade shows of the year.

Sun is a leading provider of corporate-wide computer hardware and software systems, and for years the cable TV industry has been grappling with technology standards that make interactive TV services work on new digital cable TV systems.