| Pace Micro Signs Agreement for
Bitstream's CCTV Font Set Leading developer of digital set-top boxes licenses high-quality fonts that meet FCC requirements for closed captioning display CAMBRIDGE, MA — March 04, 2003 —Bitstream Inc. ( Nasdaq:BITS ) announced a new agreement to supply its CCTV Font Set to Pace Micro Technology plc (LSE: PIC) for use in its digital home gateways (set-top boxes). The agreement will enable Pace to take advantage of Bitstream's font solution for closed captioning display. Pace Micro Technology is a pioneer of technology for the digital gateway (set-top box) market Pace is helping broadcasters, network operators and telecommunications companies worldwide to deliver advanced digital television services across cable, satellite, terrestrial, and IPTV platforms. David Novak at Pace commented: "Closed captioning is an FCC 'must have' and working with Bitstream we can now easily incorporate the latest in font technology. The first Pace gateway utilizing the CCTV Font Set will be our revolutionary high-definition DC-550 HD which is exciting the market with its range of HD firsts." "As the leader of font standards for digital television, Bitstream has been at the forefront of making text very legible on TVs. This includes our work with the Royal National Institute for the Blind and such leading digital TV standards' organizations as the DTG, DVB, and MHP," said Anna Chagnon, President of Bitstream. "We are pleased that Pace, a worldwide leader in the digital set-top box market, has selected our software for its closed-captioned text." About The CCTV Font Set Bitstream created a high-quality CCTV Font Set that supports these FCC requirements for font styles:
The CCTV Font Set includes the Tiresias Screenfont, developed specifically for closed captioning by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). The Tiresias Screenfont is the standard font endorsed by the DTG (Digital Terrestrial Group) and by the DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) organization for the MHP (Multimedia Home Platform). Closed captioning involves displaying the "audio" portion of a TV broadcast as text, which is superimposed over the video portion. Most importantly, it allows viewers who are hearing impaired to access TV broadcasts. To display closed-captioned text, the viewers must have a set-top box decoder or a TV receiver that includes this decoding capability. The FCC has updated its closed captioning requirements for digital TVs. As of July 1, 2002, manufacturers must include FCC-mandated decoder circuitry for closed captioning in their digital TV devices. Bitstream Inc. Founded in 1981, Bitstream is the first digital font foundry. In 1999, Bitstream created MyFonts.com, Inc. (http://www.myfonts.com), the Web site for finding, trying, and buying fonts on line. Bitstream is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. About Pace Micro Technology plc Pace's head office is in Shipley West Yorkshire,
with further offices in Bracknell, Cambridge, the USA, France and
Hong Kong. For further information, please visit Pace's Web site
at http://www.pace.co.uk . Bitstream, the Bitstream logo, and TrueDoc are registered trademarks, and Font Fusion, MyFonts.com, and ThunderHawk are trademarks, of Bitstream Inc. Other technologies and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Contact Anna Chagnon Tammy Snook |