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***GM Selects EAI and Unigraphics
(December 10)
General Motors has selected Engineering Animation and Unigraphics Solutions, under a partnership agreement, to provide enterprise-wide product visualization and collaboration solutions. These are designed to enable fast-to-market strategies and to decrease the development costs of vehicles.
ProductVision, which tightly integrates product visualization technology with Unigraphics computer-aided design/manufacturing/engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE) products, and IMAN product data management (PDM) software, will be deployed worldwide at GM. ProductVision will be used in its Small Car Group, Mid/Lux Car Group, Truck Group, Metal Fabrication Division, Saturn, Powertrain, and its global engineering design centers.
ProductVision will also be implemented throughout the vehicle development process, including design, engineering, styling, testing and validation, purchasing, service and manufacturing engineering for all of GM's vehicles and major components. Together, EAI and UGS provide an integrated environment to enable GM's technical and non-technical users, including suppliers in an extended enterprise, to collaborate globally.
In September 1998, GM announced its use of interactive computer tools in order to save hundreds of millions of dollars on product development. These tools, which include EAI/UGS' ProductVision, will enable cost savings by decreasing the reliance on physical prototypes during development and validation, by reducing engineering changes, and by shortening the lead time during the pre-production part and tooling phases.
ProductVision development is also an integral part of GM's integration project led by Hewlett Packard. GM's vehicle development process is supported by the visualization of virtual product designs.
***OLAP/Data Visualization Utility Surfaces
(December 16)
Jackson Associates today announced the introduction of MAISY GraphSheet. GraphSheet transforms spreadsheet, word processor, database, Web-downloaded data, text files and data from other sources into a free-form chart-based data exploration and visualization system.
GraphSheet requires no user setup. Labels from data tables are automatically incorporated in the analysis while the software analyzes the data and determines appropriate chart characteristics. Since all query, drill-down, visualization and navigation operations are performed on-the-fly with mouse clicks on charts, any area of the data can be explored in an intuitive, easy-to-understand process.
GraphSheet is the first OLAP-data visualization product designed to provide true utility benefits; once opened, it remains in memory, ready to accept data through the clipboard and immediately provide user-directed graphical presentations.
GraphSheet incorporates a patented front-end software provided in MAISY (Multidimensional Analysis and Information System) Energy Marketing Database products which are widely used by utilities, energy service providers, power marketers, ESCOs and other organizations throughout the US and Canada.
***Pinnacle Systems to Acquire Truevision
(December 16)
Truevision announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Pinnacle Systems of Mountain View, California. In a stock-for-stock, taxable purchase transaction valued at approximately $14M, Truevision shareholders will receive .0313 shares of common stock of Pinnacle Systems for every share of Truevision stock. The transaction is expected to close in March 1999 subject to various conditions including customary regulatory approvals and the approval by the shareholders of Truevision.
"We are pleased to be announcing this agreement today", said Louis Doctor, president and chief executive officer of Truevision. "Pinnacle Systems is a strong company, has great products and will be an excellent partner. In joining together, we reinforce each other's strengths and can better address the needs of this exciting digital video market." "We are very excited about merging these two companies", said Mark Sanders, president and chief executive officer of Pinnacle Systems.
"Truevision's product lines complement ours well, and together we will serve a far wider array of customers and applications. Truevision has invested heavily in its next generation TARGA HD architecture and we see clearly how this breakthrough, scalable design fits with our next generation plans."
Pinnacle Systems has indicated its intention to maintain the Truevision engineering, pre-sales and customer support facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. It will merge Truevision's Santa Clara, California engineering, operations and headquarters into Pinnacle Systems in Mountain View, California. The combination of the two California facilities are expected to deliver significant operational and cost savings.
***Panasonic to use FOCUS Enhancements FS300 Digital Video Co-Processor (December 2)
FOCUS Enhancements announced that it has been selected by Panasonic to utilize the FOCUS Enhancements FS 300 digital video co-processer in Panasonic recently announced MicroCast digital video convergence appliance.
The Panasonic Micocast System is a new 5.7GHz digital video convergence appliance that allows home PCs to distribute and control PC-based interactive media and Internet content using a standard TV set.
By combining its experience in cordless telephone and audio/video technologies, Panasonic's MicroCast system enables consumers to control their PC remotely, using a keyboard, mouse, and joystick, from other rooms in the home.
The three-piece MicroCast system incorporates 5.7GHz RF technology.
MicroCast's PC Transceiver captures both full screen and full motion video at resolutions up to SVGA (800x600) from your PC's video graphics system as well as stereo audio from your sound card, and transmits them to the companion MicroCast set-top A/V Receiver unit connected to your television, home entertainment center, or home theater system.
The included MicroCast Control Console gives you real-time wireless control of the PC and supports PS/2 mouse and keyboard interfaces, as well as analog joystick, game controller, or gamepads. Just about anything you can do at your PC you can do from your TV. It's that simple.
The digital video convergence is being processed by the FOCUS Enhancements FS 300 digital video co-processor. The FS300 digital video co-processor is a PC-to-TV video convergence chip that works with TVs, PCs, or set-top boxes to display computer images without any additional software drivers, or external circuitry. It is the only such product available which does not require software to be VGA chip independent, making integration of FOCUS technology easier and more cost effective than other competitive products. The technology is plug and play since it can accommodate any refresh rate up to 90HZ, as opposed to PC-to-TV solutions from recent competitors that accommodate up to 60HZ refresh rates. The FOCUS FS300 digital video co-processor that supports resolutions of 640 x 480, 800 x 600, and 1024 x 768 with variable scaling. The FOCUS single solution convergence chip also provides underscaling, compression, and visibility at levels exceeding all competitive products. FOCUS Enhancements has multiple patents pending on their video convergence processes.
***Softimage and Intergraph Computer Systems Announce SOFTIMAGE DS Version 2.1 for Intergraph's StudioZ GT Workstation (December 7)
Softimage and Intergraph Computer Systems announced shipment of SOFTIMAGE|DS version 2.1 for Intergraph's StudioZ GT Workstation. Version 2.1 is the latest release of Softimage's nonlinear production (NLP) system that provides software-based, real-time effects via two streams of D1 (ITU-R 601) uncompressed video and uncompressed graphics. This turnkey software and hardware system delivers a integrated media production environment for Windows NT, enabling post-production professionals and digital artists to create more dynamic content.
The version of SOFTIMAGE|DS is the first software-based, Windows NT solution to support multiple streams of D1 (ITU-R 601) uncompressed video. SOFTIMAGE|DS version 2.1 includes enhanced OMF support and the ability to import Avid Log Exchange (ALE) files for expanded interoperability with Avid systems and third-party post-production products, as well as several new special effects and presets. In addition, version 2.1 now supports 16:9 anamorphic media, demonstrating Softimage's commitment to developing DTV and HDTV applications that will enable customers to create digital content for this increasingly popular medium.
Intergraph's StudioZ GT Workstation accelerates processing times and performance by 50 to 70% (compared to the previous single-stream workstation) and enables the creation and playback of effects in real time. The StudioZ GT's ability to output uncompressed serial digital component (D1/SDI) video in real time means that the quality of content created in SOFTIMAGE|DS often exceeds the stringent requirements of post-production professionals working in all areas of the video and broadcast content-creation markets. The StudioZ GT for SOFTIMAGE|DS Workstation continues on the commitment to provide an integrated platform for post-production professionals using SOFTIMAGE|DS software to perform high-end video capture, nonlinear video and audio editing, compositing, paint, titling and more, on a single, industry-standard system.
Complete turnkey multi-stream systems, consisting of SOFTIMAGE|DS version 2.1 software and Intergraph Computer Systems StudioZ GT Workstations with one hour of uncompressed storage, are now available through authorized SOFTIMAGE DS resellers for the MSRP of $150,000 (U.S.). Hardware upgrade options providing multi-stream capabilities are available for existing users of SOFTIMAGE|DS running on single-stream Intergraph StudioZ for SOFTIMAGE|DS Workstations. Each SOFTIMAGE|DS system also ships with a coupon valid for one person to attend five days of training, which includes the SOFTIMAGE|DS Introduction (DS201) course and SOFTIMAGE|DS Advanced (DS301) course at a Softimage Authorized Training Center (ATC).
***Nintendo Partners with Softimage to Develop Game Authoring Technology (December 9)
Softimage announced an alliance with Nintendo Co. to design and create game development tools for the Nintendo 64 home video game console. Nintendo has chosen to work with SOFTIMAGE5/83D as a key game development tool, enabling Nintendo's internal game creators and other developers to create visually rich, compelling game titles for the Nintendo label.
Under the development agreement, Nintendo and Softimage will collaborate on defining the NIFF (Nintendo Intermediate File Format) v.2.0 and game development environments. NIFF makes it possible for developers to use the Nintendo-supported standard N64 file format. In parallel, Softimage will create new, advanced tools to support NIFF v.2.0, based on SOFTIMAGE5/83D version 3.8. The tools will provide powerful and flexible solutions for game developers, building on Softimage's tradition of delivering animation features.
SOFTIMAGE5/83D was used in the creation of many award-winning Nintendo 64 titles such as "Super Mario 64", "Wave Race 64" and the recently-released "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time."
SOFTIMAGE5/83D version 3.8 that have helped the game development process include:
· Animation Sequencer - provides high-level animation control for rapid, intuitive animation of segmented characters; allows users to create and save "actions" for each character and to build libraries of actions
· Interactive Polygon Reduction - allows users to maintain surface attributes, such as materials, textures and weights, eliminating the need to reapply attributes once a model is reduced
· Color Reduction - a new tool based on neural network technology that provides high- quality color palettes and indexed images
· GameFilter - allows developers to perform both hierarchy filtering and animation compression on a current scene, lightening the overall scene as necessary for download to a target platform
***Evans & Sutherland Selected for Navy's Major H-60 Trainer Upgrade Program (December 3)
Evans & Sutherland announced that it has been selected by Lockheed Martin Federal Systems (LMFS) to supply the Common Visual Systems (CVS) component of the U.S. Navy's H-60 weapons systems training retrofit program.
Anticipated contract value before options is approximately $17 million. The additional value of options, if exercised, is approximately $40 million; the contract also includes long-lead time systems and options, which will be priced at a later time.
A contract from LMFS, the program's prime contractor, is expected in the first quarter of 1999 for the delivery of visual systems, displays, databases, and system options through 2007.
The CVS initiative is intended to raise the training effectiveness of the Navy's disparate inventory of SH-60B, SH-60F, and HH-60H aircraft trainers and associated weapons training systems to a consistent and significantly higher level of technology, performance, interoperability, and maintainability.
Evans & Sutherland's Harmony image generators will be at the heart of the H-60 visual systems; this is the first U.S.-based military application for Harmony technology, which has already been selected for several advanced helicopter-training programs in the United Kingdom and Germany.
The visual systems will also include a database, database generation system, out-the-window displays for a range of field-of-view requirements, monitors for chin windows, and NVG (night vision goggle) and FLIR (forward-looking infrared) sensor functions.
***Internet Standard Approved to Streamline Process for 'Distributed Authoring' (December 9)
Two years of technical design culminated in the endorsement by the IETF, an international group of computer network designers, operators, vendors and researchers who explore ways of ensuring the smooth evolution of the Internet. The standard will help assure that future software products allowing users to edit and post documents to remote Internet servers, from simple word processing to specialized web applications, will contain compatible technical codes-regardless of who manufactures them.
The new standard is voluntary, but it is expected to be widely adopted, since major web technology vendors-including Microsoft, Netscape, Novell, IBM, Xerox, FileNet and PC DOCS-cooperated in the working group to develop the standard.
The WebDAV Working Group comprises 300 volunteer members from companies, organizations and universities throughout the world. WebDAV was formed in 1997 by the IETF and was charged with enhancing the web for remote collaboration by developing a universal standard that would allow virtually any web editing software to interact with any server. The final standard was developed over the course of 15 meetings, more than 1,000 e-mail messages between members, eleven revisions, and extensive review.
The new standard allows people to easily and collaboratively edit their web documents by providing the following key features:
· Overwrite prevention. The new standard contains a feature that prevents more than one person from working on a document at the same time. This will prevent what is known as the "lost update problem" that currently often occurs as modifications to a document are lost when multiple authors access and attempt to edit a file simultaneously. Overwrite protection will lock out all but one author at a time.
· Properties. WebDAV developed new, efficient means of storing and retrieving what is known as "metadata"-encoded information about a web document such as the author's name, copyright, publication date and keywords used by Internet search engines to find and retrieve relevant documents.
· Name-space management. The WebDAV standard also enables users to conveniently manage Internet files and directories, including the ability to move and copy files, similar to the way word-processing files and directories are managed on a regular computer.
***D.H. Brown Associates Releases 1998-99 Competitive Assessment Of UNIX & Windows NT Operating Systems (December 1)
D.H. Brown Associates released the latest version of its functional review of leading commercial operating systems. The only study of its kind, the "1998-99 Operating System Function Review" ranks the latest versions of six products-IBM AIX 4.3.2, Compaq Digital UNIX 4.0e, Hewlett-Packard HP-UX 11.0, Silicon Graphics IRIX 6.5, Sun Solaris 7, and Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Enterprise Edition-based on their functional capabilities as of January 1, 1999.
Each operating system receives a rating for its support of over 100 technical features across six functional areas: Internet capabilities, scalability, RAS, distributed enterprise services, PC client support, and systems management.
This year's study reveals that AIX 4.3.2 has extended its lead in operating system functions, complementing traditional strengths in systems management with top marks in Internet/intranet functions. Digital UNIX 4.Oe follows, with leading distributed enterprise services and PC client support in addition to strong Internet/intranet functions. With its long-awaited introduction of full 64-bit capabilities, Solaris 7 vaults from 1997's last place finish for UNIX systems to take third place this year, capturing impressive leads in the critical areas of scalability and reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS).
While IRIX 6.5 gains in the overall standing, achieving strong ratings in scalability and RAS, its breakout potential in these areas awaits the delivery of multi-cell NUMA software in 1999. Disappointingly, HP-UX 11.0 has fallen behind, trailing in PC client support and distributed enterprise services. While offering competitive scalability and some innovative RAS features, HP-UX lost some ground because it failed to ship promised Java-based system management tools-a key enabler for remote system management.
Even the Enterprise Edition of Windows NT Server 4.0 trails UNIX in every area except for PC client support. While Microsoft has driven visionary features such as built-in transaction processing and strong links between database and Web servers into the base operating system, NT still falls short of UNIX for advanced Internet protocols and extensions. NT also lags in features for scalability, RAS, and system management, which await significant improvements in Windows 2000 (formerly NT 5.0) -- planned for release in the first half of 1999.
DHBA's Systems Software open systems research program has produced regular, in-depth evaluations on a wide range of products and issues related to open systems-including operating system features and functions-since 1989. The annual functional review assesses the major UNIX variants as well as Windows NT using a disciplined, scorecard-based methodology involving hands-on evaluation, examination of system documentation, and discussions with OS vendors' marketing and engineering staffs. As of December 3, 1998, a copy of the full report, "1998-99 Operating System Function Review," may be viewed online at
***MovieFone to Deliver Movie Showtimes and Tickets to Connected 3Com Palm VII Organizer (December 2)
MovieFone announced plans to deliver movie information to users of the Palm VII connected organizer, a wireless handheld computing product from Palm Computing, a 3Com company.
With mobile connectivity to MovieFone's web site, Movielink.com, Palm VII device users will have access to the latest movie information, including local showtimes and the ability to purchase tickets.
Movielink.com offers up-to-the-minute showtimes for over 16,000 movie screens nationwide. Palm VII organizer users will have the ability to search Movielink.com's database for local listings by entering their zip code or selecting their location from a list of cities. For many of the nation's highest-grossing theaters, Palm VII product users will also be able to purchase tickets in advance using a major credit card.
The Palm VII connected organizer is the first handheld solution for out-of-the-box wireless communications and Internet access. In addition to providing fast and simple access to personal and business information, the Palm VII organizer enables users to obtain information from Web sites via a wireless connection to the Internet and provides a means of instant two-way personal communications. The Palm VII organizer enters a national field trial in January 1999, and is expected to be widely available in the U.S. next year.
MovieFone, Inc. is the leading media company focusing on the moviegoing audience. The company's primary products, the MovieFone interactive telephone service (e.g. 777-FILM) and Movielink.com on the web, comprise the largest movie listing guide and ticketing service in the country, providing millions of moviegoers each week with a complete, free directory of movies, showtimes, theater locations, and the ability to purchase tickets in advance. The company, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, has received over 325 million calls and logged over 40 million online users. The company's services cover more than 16,000 movie screens in 40 cities around the nation, which account for over 65% of the nation's movie attendance.
***Sony Portable Game Delayed in Japan
(December 9)
Kyodo News reports that Sony Computer Entertainment will postpone the release of a new handheld game machine PocketStation until Jan. 23 from the originally scheduled launch on Dec. 23, just ahead of Christmas. The unit of Sony Corp. said that at present, meeting a targeted monthly production of one million units looks difficult to achieve.
PocketStation measures 6 X 4 centimeters and is expected to sell for 3, 000 yen. It uses a fast 32-bit central processing unit for data processing. At home, it can be hooked up to Sony's popular PlayStation game machine, according to Sony Computer Entertainment.
***Net Access Through TV Goes Slow
(December 9)
Reuters reports that two years ago, a tiny Silicon Valley start up came out with a rather novel concept, a way to use the Internet without using a computer. The name of the company was WebTV Network and its WebTV service worked by connecting an ordinary television to a set-top box that was hooked up to the Internet through a standard telephone line. Within months of the first WebTV devices showing up on retailers' shelves, thousands and then tens of thousands of people bought the set-top boxes and signed up for the $19.95 a month service. The attention surrounding WebTV was enough to interest Microsoft Corp. which snapped up the private company for $425 million. Industry observers lauded the acquisition as the dawn of the Internet appliance era, when people would connect to the Net using all kinds of non-PC electronic gadgets. Those predictions have proved partly true.
Today, it's possible to check e-mail or browse the Web from a wireless phone or digital organizer like the PalmPilot from 3Com Corp. But the number of people hooked up to the Net through their TVs remains tiny. In two years, WebTV's customer base has grown to about 500,000, compared with 79 million total Internet users in North America, according to the latest figures from pollster Nielsen Media Research. That number is bound to grow, albeit slowly, as the TV-Net options become more widespread. For instance, this year marked the launch of a second TV-based Internet service, from WorldGate Communications , a private company in Bensalem, Pa. Unlike WebTV, WorldGate doesn't require a separate set-top box. Rather, WorldGate subscribers sign up through their cable TV operators, who offer the service as an add-on, like a premium movie channel, at a suggested price of $4.95 a month. WorldGate sends Internet data to subscribers through their cable TV converters and equipment located at a cable operator's office. The WorldGate service transmits data at speeds of 128 kilobits per second up to 27 megabits per second. Along with e-mail and Web access, WorldGate offers a feature called hyperlinking, which allows subscribers to click from a TV show or commercial directly to special Web pages with related information.
A cable TV system run by Charter Communications in St. Louis was the first to offer WorldGate's service. Since sign ups began in June, Charter has collected about 1,000 subscribers, or 6 percent of its customers in the area. As Charter considers rolling out the service in other cities, WorldGate is signing up new partners, including cable operators in Georgia, Ohio, Washington, the Bahamas and Ecuador. For its part, WebTV has introduced a number of upgrades this year. In November, the service launched a holiday shopping guide, and subscribers who use newer WebTV Plus equipment can now add photos and sound files to e-mail messages and send electronic greeting cards.
But services such as WebTV and WorldGate still have a ways to go. Neither supports Web sites that use the Java programming language, in vogue with a growing number of Web sites. What's more, WebTV doesn't support RealNetwork's popular streaming audio and video technologies. Still, more TV-Internet options are coming. America Online is reportedly working on a WebTV-like device. According to news reports, the company is negotiating with consumer electronics manufacturers to make the devices and with telecommunications carriers to provide Internet access.
A new generation of semiconductors on the market now will make it easier than ever to use your TV to channel surf and surf the Web simultaneously. Chips such as those recently introduced by Broadcom Corp., a semiconductor company in Irvine, Calif., could eliminate the need for special set-boxes by integrating Internet programming technology directly into TVs. The chips also clean up Web graphics, improving text fonts and eliminating fuzzies to make them look better on TV screens.
http://www.webtv.com
http://www.microsoft.com
http://www.3com.com
http://www.nielsenmedia.com
http://www.wgate.com
http://www.chartercom.com
http://www.aol.com
http://www.broadcom.com
***LightWork Design Opens U.S. Subsidiary (December 4)
LightWork Design announced the formation of its U.S. subsidiary, LightWork Design Inc. The new subsidiary is located in Walnut Creek, California.
The U.S. subsidiary will focus on partnership and market opportunities for new 3D graphics technologies developed by LightWork Design's Enterprise Solutions Group. Gordon Doran, Vice President for Business Development, Enterprise Solutions Group, will manage the U.S. operation.LightWork Design develops and markets component software tools for producing 3D computer graphics renderings and simulations. The company licenses its software to application developers for integration into their own software packages, extending the functionality of their applications with industry-leading photo-realistic rendering and simulation capabilities.
LightWork Design develops and markets a photo-realistic rendering system. The LightWorks rendering engine is used in more than 70 software applications worldwide, representing hundreds of thousands of 3D software users.
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