ACCESS and Ocean Blue Software Partner to Provide CE Manufacturers and the Broadcast Industry with the Best Connected Home and Connected TV Software Solutions

Oberhausen, Germany and Bristol, UK, , 2011 - ACCESS CO., LTD, a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile, beyond-PC and digital TV markets, and Ocean Blue Software, a digital TV software specialist delivering quality DVB and middleware products for the digital home, today announced that they will work together to provide cutting edge middleware solutions supporting IP Connected Home and Connected TV.

ACCESS has extensive experience offering innovative and market leading products for the Connected TV and IP Connected Home, including its NetFront™ Living Connect market-leading Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) Technology Component™ solution and its NetFront™ Browser DTV Profile HbbTV Edition, which supports all major Internet-browsing standards for digital television.

The combination of Ocean Blue Software’s experience in providing innovative middleware software solutions that allow digital TV device manufacturers to deliver outstanding multimedia experiences and ACCESS’ embedded expertise will ensure that the partnership will deliver on all fronts. The partnership between ACCESS and Ocean Blue Software will allow both parties to take advantage of their combined expertise and provide a solution which brings together Connected TV and IP Connected Home to offer new experiences to viewers and revolutionize media consumption over the next decade.

“It’s very exciting to be working with Ocean Blue to provide innovative TV services to consumers,” said Dr. Neale Foster, VP of Global Sales IA, ACCESS. “Connected TV is now ready to fulfill its potential and when integrated with Connected Home offers great possibilities for innovation and enhanced consumer experiences. This partnership will be instrumental in carrying out our vision of the connected future.”

“In ACCESS we have found a capable and hugely experienced partner which has already supplied its NetFront™ products to more than one billion mobile and beyond-PC devices,” said Kenneth Helps, CEO of Ocean Blue. “ACCESS’ knowledge of Connected TV and Connected Home provides us with the possibility to bring both together ensuring our customers can take advantage of the incredible possibilities this convergence can provide.”

About ACCESS in Digital TV
ACCESS provides embedded software solutions that support global and regional TV standards and enable broadcasters, operators and consumer-electronics manufacturers to meet the expanding market for catch-up TV and connected TV services, including HbbTV and VoD. The company also enables seamless media access across connected-consumer devices with a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) Technology Component software solution.

The company’s core offerings for digital TV include:

*NetFront™ Browser DTV Profile – NetFront Browser DTV Profile is optimized for digital TV environments and powers services such as BBC iPlayer, while also providing seamless access to hybrid broadcast and broadband services such as HbbTV.
*NetFront™ Living Connect – NetFront Living Connect is a next generation DLNA Technology Component solution that makes seamless connectivity for home consumer electronic devices a reality.
*NetFront™ Media Player – NetFront Media Player enables playback of streamed and broadcast video for set-top boxes and digital TVs.
*NetFront™ Widgets – NetFront Widgets delivers value added widget-based services for digital TVs.

About Ocean Blue Software
Ocean Blue Software, based in Bristol and with offices in Hong Kong and Korea, specialises in the development, distribution and support of world-class software solutions, which are incorporated into Digital TV consumer electronics products, present in the Digital Home. Ocean Blue middleware software products include DVB-T2, MHEG HD, HbbTV, Connected/Internet TV, Freeview compliant software products, CI Plus and Talking TV technology as examples.

Ocean Blue’s software products stand out in terms of maturity, usability, operability and adherence to international digital broadcast standards, notably DVB and DTG. For further information please visit www.oceanbluesoftware.com

About ACCESS
ACCESS CO., LTD. is a global company providing leading technology, software products and platforms for web browsing, mobile phones, wireless handhelds, digital TVs and other networked devices. ACCESS’ product portfolio including its NetFront™ series provides customers with solutions that enable faster time to market, flexibility and customizability. Recently, ACCESS has launched NetFront™ Life as a global brand with applications and services for end users. Additional information about NetFront Life is available at www.netfrontlife.com. The company, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operates subsidiaries and affiliates in Asia, Europe and the United States. ACCESS is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers’ Index under the number 4813. For more information about ACCESS, please visit www.access-company.com.