Siemens
Siemens, despite being better known for their mainframes, ovens and refrigerators, had a historically significant impact upon the realm of PC based DVB devices, particularly from a Linux point of view.
Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG, formed from the merger of Nixdorf Computer AG and Siemens' Data Information Services (DIS) division, operated as an independent Siemens subsidiary. SNI designed one of the first PCI based DVB cards, the Siemens DVB-C, a "full-featured" device that is said to be the mother of many later designs.
--insert from linux perspective here ... refer to the slightly inaccurate history account in the API documentation --
In 1999, the SNI division was split apart, with one portion being used to form part of Fujitsu Siemens Computers.