OpenTV awarded Web-related patent

Interactive TV software maker OpenTV announced Monday that it has been issued a patent covering the delivery of Internet content over cable and satellite networks to set-top boxes.

The patent improves the management of bandwidth for cable and satellite operators, which will create a better experience for subscribers using Internet content and services via television.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based company originally filed for the patent in 1996 and has been using technology based on the patent with satellite TV company EchoStar in the United States.

"What this means in the long run is the better use of content on a set-top box," said Vincent Dureau, OpenTV's chief technology officer. "It means more efficient and automated interactive capabilities for operators, and anything that makes it more simple and seamless is good for the subscriber."

Dureau added that the new patent is just one in a wide portfolio for the company, which is significant in the interactive TV world, where the value of a company is often based on intellectual property holdings.

OpenTV holds 37 U.S. patents and a total of 74 worldwide. The company has 330 applications pending.

The company provides software that acts like an operating system for set-top boxes. There are more than 20 million households worldwide with set-top boxes using OpenTV's software. A majority of those households are in Europe, which has a 12- to 18-month head start over the United States in the interactive TV market, according to analysts.

The company counts Liberate Technologies and Microsoft TV as competitors.