Cablesoft

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 ends, 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, Massachusetts.

References

* [http://www.caruso.com/Various_Commentaries/Msft_Upside95.txt Turning packaged goods into recurring revenues]