Loewe Opta Adds McObject Database to TVs

Deal will allow the EPG to be easily customized for different languages

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/16/2010 8:36:06 PM

Germany consumer electronics manufacturer Loewe Opta has released a new line of digital TVs with electronic programming guide software that is based on the eXtremeDB Fusion data base developed by Issaquah Washington based McObject.

The technology will allow the same programming guide software to be used across all Europe market for different languages and characters, making it much easier for the manufacturer to get its products to market faster and to sell those products over much wider geographical area.

The McObject data-base is also used in DirecTV's set top boxes in the U.S.

"We are unique in that we were the first to create a data management system designed to be embedded in a set top box," noted Ted Kenney, marketing director at McObject in an interview.

Traditional data base management systems from companies like Oracle were too large for use on settop boxes and for many years settop box manufacturers designed the software from scratch, Kenney added. That slowed product development and made it harder to add new feature or customize the applications to specific markets.

"Increasingly you are seeing manufacturers use off the shelf data bases," for both settop boxes and a variety of devices like TVs or Blu-ray players that are connected to the Internet, he noted.

This speeds product development, makes it easier to adapt the products to different markets and reduces costs. The product's tiny code size of about 150K and its equally frugal CPU requirements reduce the television's hardware requirements, producing lower manufacturing costs.

The McObject eXtremeDB Fusion data base will be used on Loewe Opta's new Individual SL and Compose SL connected TVs.