ACN Advance Capital

RNS No 6206u
ACORN GROUP PLC
8th September 1998

ACORN CHOSEN BY IMAGICTV FOR
COMMERCIAL ROLL-OUT OF 'TV ON COPPER'  


08 September 1998, Cambridge, UK --  Acorn today announced that they have
signed an agreement with ImagicTV to provide their acTiVe Digital Video
Receiving Devices (DVRD) for end-user implementation in the first commercial
roll-out of a broadcast TV solution over existing copper telephone wires.

Canadian software company ImagicTV, an affiliate of both NBTel (The New
Brunswick Telephone Company Ltd) and Newbridge Networks, has developed the
technology that allows service providers to deliver digital broadcast
television to residential subscribers over high-speed Internet Protocol (IP)
networks.   ImagicTV enables telecommunications companies worldwide to
reinforce their growth strategy to broadband multimedia.  The multi-million
dollar deal initially incorporates Acorn's delivery of 10,000 acTiVe DVRDs to
ImagicTV in the next nine months.

ImagicTV's integrated solution takes advantage of IP Multicasting,
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), MPEG video and digital subscriber loop (DSL)
technologies to enable home access to television and Internet content, through
the Acorn acTiVe device - or a personal computer.  Utilizing an interactive
program guide, residential customers who subscribe to the service will be able
to access the Internet from their TVs, as well as receive an extensive channel
selection, with digital-quality picture and sound. Customers can add or remove
channel packages instantly, at their convenience, eliminating the wait time
for service visits.  Acorn's broadband acTiVe DVRD features high quality MPEG2
decoding and VCR-type functionality.

Acorn Group's CEO, Stan Boland, said, "We are absolutely delighted to be
working with ImagicTV on this trailblazing project. We feel that this
represents a recognition of Acorn's world-beating DiTV technologies, which are
based on many years work in this field."

President and CEO of ImagicTV Inc., Marcel LeBrun, commented on the
announcement, "ImagicTV is excited to be working with Acorn for the first
commercial roll-out of 'TV on Copper'. We selected Acorn because of their
proven product and deep skills in DiTV technology included in the Acorn acTiVe
device."

About Acorn
Acorn is a technology design company, with a strong market focus on Digital
interactive TV (DiTV) and Information Appliances (IA).  Acorn offers
world-class capabilities in complete product, silicon, operating systems and
software component design.  Acorn solutions provide high levels of
functionality, the flexibility that only software can provide, and a reduced
component count.  Due to Acorn's independent status as a design company, their
technologies can be applied in a range of applications across the consumer
electronics industry.

About ImagicTV Inc.
ImagicTV Inc. (www.imagicTV.com) is a software company located in New
Brunswick, Canada.  The ImagicTV product is a complete solution designed to
integrate into a telco's existing business environment and systems.  The
ImagicTV solution is the key application for broadband services. It makes the
business case work because it achieves the complete service bundle required.

For further information please contact:

James Korenchen
Miller/Shandwick Technologies, London, UK
Tel: + 44 (0) 171 240 8666 
email: jkorenchen@miller.shandwick.com       

Andy Mee
Acorn Group, Cambridge, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1223 725000
email: amee@acorn.com


END


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