Our STB-1 unit was an early prototype that preceded the actual Acorn Set Top Box 1 (Online Media).
It has a Serial number of STB-1 (100259)
Internal reference numbers are:
Acorn P/N: 1104 010
S/N 0033
Wk 9445
The Acorn Set Top Box was initially produced as the base units for the Cambridge Cable and Online Media trial run. These units were then later on sold commercially. Fitted with a hardware MPEG card (a Computer Concepts Movie Magic card) and an infrared remote control these marked the first machines to be produced targeted towards Acorn's newer market of Digital TV.
2048k Memory. (expandable to 32768kb)
CDFS by default.
Optional CDROM drive.
ARM 610 processor. (33 MHz)
12 MHz RAM.
4096k OS in ROM.
~28.7 MIPS.
STB was the forerunner of Acorn Online Media's second set top box STB20 which was used in trials with Cambridge Cable, The STB20 was based around the ARM7500 processor. with 32MB memory. It had the internal Acorn project name Falcon
Here is the announcement News from Online Media:
"News from Online Media - PR 03/30.09.94
Under embargo until 12.00 noon on 30 September 1994
Online Media Goes Live With World's First Digital Interactive
Television Trial In Cambridge
In Cambridge today, Online Media will be 'switching on' what is believed to
be the world's first interactive television trial to be based on ATM digital
technology.
The trials are being launched by a consortium of Anglia Television, ATM Ltd,
Cambridge Cable and Online Media. The consortium, set up by Cambridge
Cable, is headed up by local firm, Online Media, also selected to supply the
intelligent, digital set-top boxes for the trial. The technologies involved
are Online Media's set-top boxes, ATM Ltd's digital ATM (Asynchronous
Transfer Mode) networking technology and Cambridge Cable's fibre based cable
network, which is already available to some 67,000 homes in the region."
June 9 1999Pace Micro Technology plc acquired Acorn Group's set-top box business on June 9th 1999. The £200,000 purchase brings to Pace Acorn's set-top box engineering team and its expertise in ADSL - the technology that enables telecommunications companies to deliver digital television services through their copper wire telephone networks.
