NXTV and VIA Form Technology Alliance to Deliver In-Room
Interactive Digital Entertainment and Information Services to the Upscale Hotel
Market
Small silent PCs based on VIA Eden(tm) Platform power
high-speed broadband multimedia and Internet applications in luxury hotel rooms
Taipei, Taiwan, 18 July 2002 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a
leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform
solutions, today announced that it has entered into a strategic alliance with
NXTV, Inc., a provider of next-generation broadband services to hospitality and
resident markets.
NXTV, Inc. will adopt the VIA Eden(tm) Platform in their
Broadband Intertainment System(tm) that provides guests with digital
movies-on-demand, high-speed TV and laptop Internet access, interactive video
games, a branded hotel portal and digital satellite TV programming via DirecTV.
NXTV has deployed its products at a number of upscale and award winning hotels
in Los Angeles including the Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel, the St Regis Monarch
Beach Resort & Spa, the Hotel Bel-Air and the Four Seasons Beverly Hills Hotel.
"Technology is becoming an increasingly significant part
of the travel experience," said American Hotel & Lodging Association President
and CEO Joseph A. McInerney, CHA. "More and more travelers are basing their
lodging choices on the availability of in-room high-speed Internet access,
digital movies-on-demand, and video games. Lodging properties use this
technology to increase their competitiveness while meeting the needs and wishes
of the traveler."
The VIA Eden Platform-based PCs, combined with NXTV's
broadband delivery system, give hotel guests instantaneous connectivity to their
e-mail and the Internet along with a wealth of rich entertainment and
information sources right in their own rooms. The fanless x86-based systems are
highly reliable with no moving parts, and are fully compatible with Microsoft®
Windows® operating systems, powering the latest and most advanced multimedia
applications in an elegant housing without set-up or configuration hassles.
"The success of our Broadband Intertainment System is
spurred on by its small footprint, ease of use and vast capabilities based on
high speed Internet connectivity," said James W. Miles, President and CEO of
NXTV. "The VIA Eden Platform is perfect for small fanless systems that have to
be unobtrusive but highly capable of broadband Internet based multimedia
applications."
"We are very excited to be involved in what we consider
to be one of the most innovative digital broadband delivery systems available,"
noted Richard Brown, Director of Marketing for VIA Technologies, Inc. "By
combining the fanless VIA Eden Platform and other market leading technologies
like wireless connectivity and dedicated bandwidth to each Broadband
Intertainment System, NXTV has established itself as the recognized leader in
digital TV programming."
About the VIA Eden(tm) Embedded System Platform
With overall system power consumption levels of just
over six watts, the VIA
Eden(tm) Platform is the industry's lowest power native
x86 embedded platform. Market-leading thermal characteristics make the VIA Eden
Platform the ideal solution for ergonomic fanless system designs for a variety
of innovative low profile, small form factors, and translate into lower energy
costs and longer battery life in mobile designs. It features a low power, high
performance sixth generation processor core combined with a choice of VIA Apollo
PLE133 or VIA ProSavage(tm) PN133T chips including integrated graphics, video
acceleration, built-in networking, Super I/O, connectivity, USB, TV-Out, and
Ethernet functions. Additional information can be found at
www.via.com.tw/en/Products/eden.jsp.
About NXTV, Inc.
NXTV, Inc. provides interactive digital entertainment
and information services to the luxury hotel market throughout the world. The
company has developed the NXTV Broadband Intertainment System(tm), a
state-of-the-art digital interactive television system that delivers a variety
of entertainment and information services through the television set,
transforming the television from a passive amenity into a significant source of
in-room revenue. Current services offered include movies-on-demand, high-speed
Internet access, video games, e-mail messaging and hotel portal services. Global
Crossing (NYSE: GX) delivers high-speed Internet access to NXTV's hotel
customers over the worlds most advanced fiber-optic network. Addional
information can be found at
www.nxtv.com.
About VIA Technologies, Inc.
VIA Technologies, Inc. is a leading innovator and
developer of PC core logic chipsets, microprocessors, and multimedia, optical
storage, communication and networking chips. VIA delivers value to the PC
industry by designing, marketing, and selling high-performance VIA Apollo core
logic chipsets for the full range of PC platforms, and cost-effective VIA C3(tm)
processors for Value PCs and Internet Appliances, as well as developing complete
solutions for the PC platform through its VPSD Business Unit. Its customers
include the world's top OEMs, mainboard manufacturers, and system integrators.
VIA is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, at the center of the Greater China
high-tech manufacturing engine, and has branch offices in the US, China and
Europe. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE2388), and
achieved annual revenues of nearly US$1 billion in 2001. Additional information
can be found at
www.via.com.tw.
