Orb Opens Architecture, Licenses Technology to CE Manufacturers

Orb's Embedded Solutions ("OeS") provides a framework to expose, connect, and abstract device capabilities; manage digital assets; make incompatible devices work together; and connect them with online services on multiple screens in an IP world. Orb's embedded software can tie together digital devices including routers, set-top-boxes, DMAs, smart-TVs, digital photo frames, networked storage devices (NAS), and of course, PCs. Orb expects a new wave of innovation in media consumption as devices can now be linked in a network and integrated with online services, and since OeS is device-independent, a PC is not required.

"The Orb architecture was from the beginning completely modular and dynamic," said Herve Utheza, VP and GM at Orb. "OeS abstracts the capabilities of each application, service, and computing device thereby leveraging the best of peer-to-peer and client / server architectures, and allowing total flexibility in the design of the network, application, and media service. Furthermore, the Orb platform extends the home network to mobile, bringing together all the screens consumers care about, with minimal set-up and networking configuration chores for the user."

Orb's OeS allows the building of content virtualization and other media-centric applications that drive and connect together disparate hardware devices, as well as supporting exciting new use cases such as:

    --  turning today's consumer electronics devices into tomorrow's media
        servers, manipulating media both inside the home and out
    --  creating single media catalogs from both local and broadband delivered
        assets making it easy to simplify services for the consumer
    --  decoupling devices' user interfaces from the device itself, making it
        easy to access and play any media on any screen
    --  building intelligent and flexible home monitoring solutions for the
        broadband home, which the user can control anywhere, anytime, from
        other devices or broadband widgets
    --  extending the power and reach of standards such as DLNA and x10 to
        legacy devices, or devices which do not natively support these
        standards, as soon as they are IP connected
    --  enabling new online applications and services capable of reaching out
        and managing hardware devices

"CE manufacturers can now build differentiated product families which leverage each other's capabilities while preserving interoperability with industry offerings -- bringing the best of open, standards-based solution such as DLNA, while building value-added differentiation enabled by Orb," Utheza said.

The first partners to showcase OeS ported to their devices or integrated with their solutions are:

    --  Buffalo, Inc, which has ported the Orb OeS to its Network Attached
        Storage platform
    --  Oregan Networks, with its embedded browser and middleware solution for
        IPTV and embedded devices
    --  ViXS, which brings hardware-based transcoding to the connected CE
        ecosystem.

About Orb Networks, Inc.

Orb Networks is an award-winning developer of software and services that unlock the digital media stored on personal computers. Orb MyCasting gives consumers secure, free, instant, and everywhere-access to everything from their photos and video to TV and music on virtually any web-enabled device. The company's partners and affiliates include, amongst others, AOL Winamp, AMD, and Creative Labs. Orb Networks is a privately held company in Emeryville, Calif. For more information about Orb Networks and the Orb MyCasting service, please visit http://www.orb.com.

SOURCE Orb Networks