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***C-3D Digital Boosts Media & Internet Strategy with
BeOS Deal
(August 26)
Chequemate International, doing business as C-3D Digital Inc., has announced that the company has signed an agreement with Be Inc. to implement C-3D's line of Strata 3D and Digital Video ("DV") software to the BeOS operating system, which is optimized for the Internet.
C-3D and Be engineers are working together on a BeOS version of StudioPro, a 3D modeling, rendering, and animation package used by digital artists and other creative professionals. StudioPro was used to create NBC's dancing peacock animation.
Strata tools have been used on many projects including the computer game "MYST," and films such as "Wild Wild West," "The Fifth Element," and "Contact." Be and C-3D will offer Strata VideoShop, a non-linear video editor with DV and 3D
functionality.The BeOS operating system is designed to be modular and streamlined to run a variety of computing devices. It was developed from the start with TCP/IP as its networking foundation. With its combination of native Internet services - such as a built-in Web server, Web browser, e-mail client, ftp client, and telnet server - BeOS is a good platform for Internet applications and appliances.
C-3D Digital also has an Internet subsidiary company, 3D.COM which will be launching a Virtual Reality Portal. The 3D.COM portal is being designed to allow visitors to "go in" rather than just "go to" the Web.
***NRTC Files Lawsuit Against DIRECTV to Protect Rural
Customers
(August 27)
The National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative has filed a second breach of contract lawsuit against DIRECTV. NRTC's lawsuit alleges that the satellite television provider has unlawfully withheld tens of millions of dollars in launch fees and programming discounts that has created an uneven playing field for rural distributors of the DIRECTV service to the detriment of rural consumers.
At issue is DIRECTV's refusal to share the financial benefits the company reaps when it enters into distribution contracts with various television programmers for carriage of the programmers' services on the DIRECTV platform. These monies include, but are not limited to: discounts, volume price breaks and other financial benefits based on subscriber count and growth; advertising allowances and revenues relating to the distribution of programming and advertising; cost savings for shared use of satellites, transmission and other facilities; and channel launch fees, which are in essence, payments or credits that TV or cable programming services pay DIRECTV for carriage.
DIRECTV is contractually obligated to share with NRTC its proportionate share of these monies, based on the cooperative's percentage of the total DIRECTV subscriber base. More than 22 percent of the current DIRECTV subscriber base resides in NRTC territories and is served by an NRTC member or affiliate.
This money is used by NRTC's members and affiliates to support promotions and other marketing activities and to help defray operating costs -- all of which keep prices fair for rural consumers. DIRECTV - and other television providers - use the money for the same purpose in the markets they serve.
DIRECTV's actions towards the NRTC regarding distribution of this money has put the cooperative, according to the NRTC, and its members/affiliates, at a competitive disadvantage - compared to DIRECTV, other satellite providers and cable - when it comes to distribution of television services in rural America.
NRTC's relationship with DIRECTV is based upon an agreement NRTC entered into with Hughes Communications Galaxy Inc., DIRECTV's predecessor, in 1992. NRTC members and affiliates invested more than $100 million to capitalize the launch of DIRECTV's business and, in return, received DIRECTV programming rights in rural America. Now NRTC, through its members and affiliates, provides DIRECTV services to more than 1.2 million rural families.
NRTC represents the advanced telecommunications and information technology interests of more than 900 rural electric and rural telephone systems. Many of its members and affiliates provide direct broadcast satellite (DBS) equipment and DIRECTV programming services to homes with small-dish satellite antennas. Members also deliver NRTC's C-band programming service, Rural TV, to homes with large-dish satellite antennas. With over 1.2 million subscribers to its C-band and DBS services, NRTC is the 16th largest television programming provider in the United States, and the largest provider of satellite television to rural homes. NRTC's family of products and services includes Internet services, satellite television, power quality products and utility communications products and services.
***Angel Studios Forms a Technology Group
(August 20)
Angel Studios announced the formation of its Technology Group. The Angel Studios Technology Group will gather Angel's technology under one roof to fulfill the needs of the computer entertainment industry for middleware and related software technology. The Technology Group will operate alongside Angel Studios' software game development operation, and will focus on licensing Angel's software tools to outside developers for application in their game projects.
Stemming from its days in the pre-rendered field of computer imagery for motion pictures and television, Angel Studios created and refined real-time development tools on SGI supercomputers. These tools achieved real-time results comparable to what Angel had achieved in the pre-rendered genre. Based on the results, Nintendo invited Angel to join the N64 "Dream Team" and become one of the developers on the N64 game console. This history of bringing tools from supercomputers to mass-market consoles taught Angel a great-deal about optimization, as games like Ken Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest demonstrate.
Transferring the graphical quality of supercomputers to the super-console needs experience and technical ability. For example, the complex compression, realistic physics, and advanced character simulation seen in the current spate of entertainment raises standards for many developers to meet with internal resources.
The tools provided by Angel's Technology Group will empower developers to meet these standards while staying on schedule and achieving the highest possible performance from their games on the new platforms.
At the start, Angel's Technology Group is supplying tools that address two areas of game development: Specially created
technology (such as Angel's FMV Compression System) will achieve otherwise unavailable performance for a particular facet of games. Second, key software modules (such as Angel's Physics Suite) will allow developers to enhance their respective games and keep abreast with the advancement of technology:-- Angel Studios FMV Compression System - The FMV Compression System can transfer two CDs containing 1.2 GB of data (mostly FMV) onto a 64 MB cartridge. Angel Studios will make its FMV Compression System available on a per title licensing agreement.
-- Angel Studios Physics Suite - The Physics Suite builds on the tools that Angel originally developed for supercomputers and then optimized for consoles, PC, and the arcade. This suite offers a sub-set of modules designed for grassroots development. Initially comprised of a core system that includes software modules for collision detection, ridge body physics, and stacking, the modules in the Physics Suite will be available separately or in a combination that forms a potent physics package.Angel's Technology Group is starting to develop tools for existing and next generation platforms. Future additions will include specific modules for vehicle dynamics and skinned creatures. The company also hopes to support specific requests to apply the modules directly in existing code in development.
Angel's Physics Suite will initially be available for the next generation PlayStation: a special version of this technology will make the specific capabilities of SCEI's hardware available to other developers. SCEI in Japan has already announced Angel's status as a middleware provider. Angel Studios is also establishing similar middleware relationships with other manufactures of next generation gaming architecture.
The WAVE Report recently found two books of interest.
Moller, T. and Haines, E., Real-Time Rendering, A.K. Peters, Natick, MA, 1999.
One of a kind in its discussion of real-time 3D imaging techniques.
Funge, John D., AI for Games and Animation, A.K. Peters, Natick, MA, 1999.
Uniquely mathematical view of game engines.
***S3 Announces Savage2000: A PC Entertainment and
Productivity Graphics Solution
(August 30)
S3 Incorporated announced its next-generation graphics platform, the Savage2000 accelerator. Featuring increased 3D performance for PC gamers, digital video playback and TV-out support for home users and high-resolution 2D image quality and digital flat panel support for professional users, Savage2000 combines functionality and speed to deliver a complete PC graphics solution.
S3 also announced that Diamond Multimedia will produce a Savage2000-based retail add-in card. Scheduled to be available on retail shelves for Christmas, Diamond's Viper 2 series will deliver a sub-$250 solution for end-users seeking high-quality 2D, 3D, HDTV and DVD performance.
Meeting the needs of both the retail add-in card market as well as the performance segment of the OEM PC market, Savage2000 is available in two configurations: the Savage2000 and the Savage2000+. With 128-bit memory support (up to 166MHz) and up to a 150MHz engine clock, the Savage 2000 is targeted at high-performance OEM systems, while the Savage2000+ - with 128-bit memory support (up to 200MHz) and up to a 200MHz engine clock - is targeted at potential retail add-in card designs ranging from $169-249. In addition to high-performance cores, both configurations provide up to 64MB of memory, a 350MHz RAMDAC, DVI-compliant digital flat panel technology, advanced TV-out support and complete AGP 4X technology for optimal performance.
Doubling standard memory configurations, Savage2000 is a volume 3D accelerator with support for up to 64MB of memory which supports resolutions up to 1600x1200 triple buffered with 32-bit per pixel color depth and a 32-bit Z-buffer, while still maintaining 32MB of memory for textures. Savage2000's 64MB support also allows for full-scene anti-aliasing at higher resolutions.
Savage2000 implements several 3D technologies including:
-Dual Pixel/Dual Texture Pipeline - Implementing a single clock, four texel architecture, Savage2000 delivers a sustained fill rate of 700+ MegaTexels/second.
-QuadTexture Engine - With the ability to composite four textures in a single cycle, Savage2000's QuadTexture engine enables developers to use visual effects, such as shadows, reflections, bump, noisy environment and simulation without a loss in performance.
-S3TL Technology - Off-loading the geometry calculation stage of the 3D pipeline from the CPU, S3's first-generation transform and lighting engine (S3TL) will enable the development of future OpenGL and DirectX 7 games that deliver 4-10X the polygon and lighting complexity of PC applications. Delivering up to 8 dynamic hardware lights at 3X the performance of today's CPUs, S3TL also enables real-time load balancing between Savage2000 and the host CPU. This frees up processor cycles that developers can use to further enhance other aspects of their applications such as artificial intelligence, audio, collision detection and physics. To push the development of these future games, S3 has an ISV program underway designed to match S3's existing texture compression technology (S3TC) with S3TL for realistic game play.
Savage2000 delivers a DTV/DVD solution that delivers a level of performance equivalent to stand-alone consumer devices. Highlights of Savage2000's video engine include:
Dynamic Multi-Tap Scalar - Dynamically adjustable up to 16 taps.
Third Generation Motion Compensation Engine -Savage2000's motion compensation engine delivers full DVD frame rates, while leaving the system with plenty of CPU bandwidth to run other applications.
Fully-Compliant VIP 2.0 Bus - With a fully compliant VIP 2.0 bus interface, Savage2000 supports multiple DTV configurations with busmastering for low CPU utilization.
Sampling now, Savage2000 will be in mass production in October of this year. End-users should be able to purchase Diamond Multimedia's Savage2000-based Viper 2 add-in cards during the fourth quarter of this year and Savage2000-based systems in the first quarter of 2000. Savage2000 is priced at $29 (USD) each in quantity of 10,000 units, while the Savage2000+ is priced at $35 each in quantity of 10,000 units.
***America Online Enters Joint Venture for
Internet-Enhanced Television
(August 18)
According to the San Jose Mercury News, America Online and TiVo Inc. planning a set-top box that can bring the Internet to TV and make it easier to find and record appealing programs. AOL had already announced plans for a TV set-top box that enhances television programming with Internet access, instant electronic messaging and other interactive services. Now it has announced it is developing a version of "AOL TV" with TiVo, which makes a video recorder that automatically tries to find programs that match a viewer's tastes.
The combination is similar to what WebTV, a Microsoft-owned company, is developing with satellite TV company EchoStar Communications. But WebTV doesn't have a video recorder on the market - it just has set-top boxes that can add interactivity to TV.
Replay Networks announced that it had raised $57 million from private investors, including several media and entertainment companies that have also invested in TiVo. Among Replay's backers were cable powerhouse Time Warner, owner of HBO; Walt Disney Co., owner of the ABC network; and the NBC network.
Barry Schuler, head of the AOL TV efforts, said his company was trying to create a whole new category of service -- TV enhanced by Internet technology. It plans to bring out a variety of set-top boxes starting next year, including ones that combine AOL TV with DirecTV satellite TV service and the new AOL-TiVo box. TiVo also has a separate deal with DirecTV.
The least expensive TiVo box, made by Philips Consumer Electronics, sells for $499 plus $9.95 per month for the TiVo programming service. AOL and TiVo officials declined to reveal how much their combined box would cost, how much they might charge for the service, when it would hit the market or who would make it.
***CGSD's E-Town 3D Building Models for Real-Time
Applications
(August 8)
CGSD has announced E-Town Building Library, the first in a series of libraries of buildings and other structures ready to use in visual simulation, virtual reality, games, urban planning and visualization, flight simulation, and other interactive simulations. E-Town Building Library is a set of 100 3D computer models of residential, industrial, and public buildings, water towers, electrical transmission towers, and landscaping elements.
The Library includes models with varying levels-of-details for each structure, typically four versions of each model ranging from about 20 to up to 400 polygons. The high-resolution versions include details such as steps, porches with railings, and surrounding bushes and trees. There are a dozen different basic styles of residence, with varying sizes and building materials. There are also many other types of buildings and variations, enabling the developer of a custom variation to quickly and inexpensively create whole cities.
The Library includes 100 models at a cost of $1,795. It is provided in CD-ROM with compatible texture patterns for each resolution. The models are in the OpenFLIGHT file format, and the highest resolution model is provided in 3D Studio format as well. The models can be translated to other formats and modified by the user if desired. The licensing agreement allows users to distribute the databases they construct with the models without additional royalties.
***Justic Department Proposes Secret Searches of Homes
and Offices
(August 20)
According to the CDT Policy Post, a briefing on public policy issues affecting civil liberties online, the Justice Department is planning to ask Congress for the authority to allow federal agents armed with search warrants to secretly break into homes and offices to obtain decryption keys or passwords or to implant "recovery devices" or otherwise modify computers to ensure that any encrypted messages or files can be read by the government.
The proposal has been circulating within the Clinton Administration since late June. On August 5, the Office of
Management and Budget circulated it for final interagency review. In the normal course, after all interested agencies have been consulted, the proposal would be transmitted to Capitol Hill, where it could be introduced by any Member, or offered as an amendment to pending legislation.Normally, under the Fourth Amendment in the Bill of Rights, when the government wants to search your home or office, they must obtain a court order issued by a judge based on a finding of probable cause to believe that a crime is being committed AND they must provide you with contemporaneous notice of the search - show you the warrant and leave an inventory of the items seized.
This notice requirement is based on the notion that the judicial warrant (issued on the basis of the government agent's untested assertions presented to a judge in private) does not provide adequate protection against abuse. Notice is important because it gives you the opportunity to observe the conduct of the government agents and protect your rights. If the agents are exceeding the scope of the warrant, for example, you can even go down to the courthouse and ask a judge to stop the search. And after the search, you can exercise your rights for return of your property and otherwise defend yourself.
Over time, our society has tolerated exceptions to this rule. For example, the government can enter secretly to plant bugs to pick up oral communications or to bug your phone although that is quite rare. Most wiretaps do not involve entry into the home. A few courts have allowed so-called "sneak and peek" searches, in which government agents can enter surreptitiously, provided they don't take anything. And in the name of foreign counterintelligence, the government has long conducted "black bag jobs," such as the one in which they searched the home and computer of CIA employee Aldrich Ames.
The DOJ proposal is an expansion of these narrowly defined exceptions. Thus, the encryption debate, which up until now has been about privacy and security in cyberspace, is becoming a struggle over the sanctity of the home.
The proposal also includes procedures for government access to keys and other forms of decryption assistance stored with third parties.
The DOJ claims that these key recovery provisions provide greater protection for lawful users of encryption, by making it clear that a third party holding a decryption key or other recovery information cannot disclose it or use it except in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Act. The DOJ-drafted procedures are complicated, turning on unanswered questions of what is "generally applicable law" and what is a "constitutionally protected expectation of privacy." They fall short of protections proposed by Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) in the Electronic Rights for the Twenty-First Century (E-RIGHTS) bill, S. 854, described at:
http://www.cdt.org/crypto/legis_106/ERIGHTS/
In any case, few individuals use third party key recovery, and there seems to be little individual or corporate interest in key recovery for communications, so even the strictest procedures for access to escrowed keys would be vastly outweighed by the proposed secret searches of homes and offices.
In the small comfort department, the DOJ proposal makes it clear that key escrow or third party key recovery would not be mandatory.
The full text of the Justice Department proposal, a section-by-section analysis prepared by DOJ lawyers, and related materials are available at:
http://www.cdt.org/crypto/CESA
The Center for Democracy and Technology is a non-profit public interest organization based in Washington, DC. The Center's mission is to develop and advocate public policies that advance democratic values and constitutional civil liberties in new computer and communications technologies.
***Silicon Motion Gains Design Wins in Notebooks
(August 23)
Four of Taiwan's system vendors are basing their notebooks designed for international channel distribution on Silicon Motion's Lynx family of visual controllers, Silicon Motion announced. Those companies, ASUSTek Computers, Chicony, Movita Technology, and Uniwell, manufacture notebooks for distribution under a variety of labels throughout Brazil, Europe, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Taiwan and the U.S.
ASUSTek, a manufacturer of high-end motherboards and add-on cards, is using the Lynx in both their own L7200 and the L7300 products. They also ship product under the Epson label in Japan, the TriGem label in Korea, and the ChemBook label in the US.
Chicony's Mobile Products Division is one of the largest notebook computer companies in Taiwan. It selected the LynxE for its 980, 982, and 987 models. The company is also using the LynxEM for the 995 model.
Movita, a sister company to the scanner manufacturer, Mustek, has introduced four different models into the channel, each using a different member of the Lynx family. The Etna 110 uses the Lynx, while the Etna 125 uses the Lynx3D. Movita's Fuego 210 is also based on the Lynx3D, while the Fuego 215 uses the LynxEM.
Uniwill, the recently spun-off notebook division of the supplier of power supplies and CD-ROM drives, LiteOn Inc. uses various SMI products. Their 290i and 290i2 uses the LynxE and the 520i includes the LynxEM.
***Philips Semiconductors and Stream Machine Jointly
Develop Digital Video Recorder Reference Design
(August 23)
Philips Semiconductors and Stream Machine Company announced an agreement to jointly develop a digital video reference design based on Philips Semiconductors' TriMedia TM-1300 processor and the Stream Machine SM2210 video codec.
The reference design provides audio and video encoding and decoding and supports simultaneous recording and playback for time-shifting applications.
Philips Semiconductors' TM-1300 media processor supports Dolby Digital audio encoding and decoding, DVD descrambling, system control and user interface. In addition, it supports video decoding when the device is simultaneously recording and playing back. Stream Machine's SM2210 supports real-time MPEG-2 video encoding and decoding using a variable bit rate (VBR) MPEG-2 encoding technique.
At the same average bit-rate, variable bit rate (VBR) provides higher video quality than traditional constant bit rate (CBR) MPEG-2 encoding.
Philips Semiconductors' and Stream Machine's reference design and software will be available from Philips Semiconductors and Stream Machine in early fourth quarter of 1999.
Philips Semiconductors' TriMedia processor is based on VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word) hardware and software technology. By processing up to five instructions with each clock cycle, a low cost TriMedia processor can achieve the performance necessary for demanding multimedia applications.
The TriMedia software compiler handles the complex instruction scheduling, and allows a TriMedia processor to be programmed entirely in C/C++ programming languages. For additional information about TriMedia technology, connect to the TriMedia website:
http://www.trimedia.philips.com.
http://www.streammachine.com
http://www.semiconductors.philips.com
***Boston Dynamics Ships PeopleShop 1.2
(August 20)
Boston Dynamics (BDI) announced the shipment of PeopleShop, an application that makes it easy to populate real-time scenarios with life-like human characters.
Highlights of PeopleShop
-- Provides Rapid Scenario Creation
-- Works with OpenFlight terrain models
-- Interactive and Real-Time
-- User works graphically directly in the 3D scene
-- No Programming Required
-- Uses DI-Guy for soldiers and civilians (included)
-- Runs on WindowsNT/98 and SGI IRIX
-- Works with DIS/HLAPricing details are available through Boston Dynamics in the U.S. or Boston Dynamics resellers outside the U.S.
***Internet Advertising Revenues More Than Double in
1998
(May 3)
The Internet Advertising Bureau has announced that Internet advertising continues its steady climb up the ladder of traditional media outlets with $1.92 billion in revenues, surpassing the estimated $1.58 billion in revenue garnered by outdoor advertising. 1998 online advertising revenue grew by 112% over the $906.5 million for 1997. Fourth quarter 1998 revenues increased $165 million (34%) over the same quarter for 1997, to $655.6 million, the twelfth consecutive record-setting quarter for the industry.
According to the report, which was conducted independently by the New Media Group of PricewaterhouseCoopers for the IAB, the categories which lead online spending during the fourth quarter were consumer-related (29%), computing (20%), financial services (19%), telecom (8%) and new media (7%). The report also found that the overwhelming number of revenue transactions, (93%) continue to be cash-based with barter/trade and packaged deals accounting for 6% and 1% of total revenues respectively. Banner advertisements continue to be reported as the predominate type of advertising, accounting for 56%, with sponsorships (30%), interstitials (5%), email (1%) and other (8%) rounding out the category.
Reflecting the continuing growth of e-commerce, hybrid deals accounted for 54% of revenue transactions, with CPMs or impression-based deals at 40% and performance-based deals at 6% of revenues.
Conducted by the New Media Group of PricewaterhouseCoopers on an ongoing basis, with results released quarterly, the "Advertising Revenue Report" was started by the IAB in 1996, and represents data from more than 200 companies representing over 1200 Web sites. All-encompassing in nature, the survey includes data concerning online advertising revenues from Web sites, commercial online services, free e-mail providers, and all other companies selling online advertising.
***Rugged CGSD/Sony HMB Brings Virtual Reality to the Mall
and to Military Training
(August 8)
A head-mounted display (HMD) system rugged enough for use in games, military training, research systems, and for other strenuous activities has been announced by Computer Graphics Systems Development (CGSD) Corporation. Developed in coordination with Sony, the CGSD RA-100 is an adapter that ruggedizes Sony's LDI-100 series of head-mounted displays.
HMDs are key components of virtual reality systems. They make it possible for one to enter a virtual world that seems to surround the user. The HMD can provide stereo color images and spatialized sound that make one feel immersed in the virtual world. However, before the introduction of the CGSD/Sony RA-100 HMD, HMDs were expensive, low quality, and fragile.
The CGSD/Sony RA-100 HMD offers high-resolution (600x800) imagery. It also solved the problem of fragility by repackaging the Sony optical assembly from the LDI-100 in a rugged frame built of space age, high-strength, composites, with a durable black rubberized finish. The optics are enclosed to protect them if the RA-100 is dropped or bumped. CGSD also added a mechanism that permits adjustment of the optics for each user, but retains the correct position. Miniature, high fidelity, non-contact headphones will deliver stereo sound.
The monoscopic Sony HMD mounted in the RA-100 is available now from CGSD. Single units are prices at $3,250 for a limited time. Stereoscopic and PAL versions are also available.
http://www.cgsd.com
http://www.cgsd.com/SonyHMDpages/CGSDRuggedSony.jpg
http://www.sony.com
***CGSD Debuts ARES-100 Augmented Reality System
(August 8)
A commercial augmented reality system, the ARES-100 has been announced by Computer Graphics Systems Development (CGSD) Corporation. The system was developed in cooperation with the Research Department of Hokkaido Electric Power Company.
Whereas virtual reality systems replace real world with a computer-generated world, augmented reality systems add computer graphics imagery to the real world, using a see-through headset to superimpose the computer imagery on the real world. The computer imagery in an augmented reality system can be used to show, graphically, how a real device should be assembled, or repaired. Alternatively, abstract data like temperature may be converted to graphical representations for viewing with the hot object.
For design visualization, an image of a design can be made to hang in space, viewed in the correct perspective by each ARES-equipped person on the design team; the 3D object can be critiqued by pointing at features of the object, and the whole team will observe the action using the see-through headset displays. In such applications, the system offers advantages over traditional projection-based systems such as virtual workbenches and CAVE systems. The augmented reality system works in normal room light.
The system includes a rack-mounted PC system, a specially prepared HMD, a hybrid optical/inertial tracking system, a tracked wand for data interaction, data visualization software and complete manuals. The baseline ARES-100 system is offered by CGSD for $24,900. Options are offered to meet a variety of applications needs, such as increased display resolution.
***International Datacasting's SuperFlex Selected by
Interlink Communications to establish Latin American Broadcast Services via Satellite
(August 23)
International Datacasting Corporation (IDC) has announced that it has received an order from Interlink Communications t o supply a SuperFlex data transmission system to expand its Internet and multimedia services with satellite-based broadcast services for Latin America.
Interlink will initially use the system to provide satellite-delivered Internet fixed and burstable broadcast services to a number of private businesses, universities and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) throughout Latin America. The services, which are uplinked from Interlink's International Teleport in Mountain View, CA, operate over the Satmex system. Interlink also offers value-added services, such as IP networking design, implementation and monitoring.
SuperFlex is a digital satellite networking system designed to distribute Internet services, multimedia data, audio and video by satellite in point-to-multipoint applications. The system incorporates technology using Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), Internet Protocol and MPEG international standards. SuperFlex is already in use by such clients as Loral Orion, Kingston TLI (Teleport London International), Telefonica, GTE and the National Weather Network.
***Seiko Epson and Spyglass Collaborate on Wireless
Communications and Computing Device
(August 23)
Spyglass announced it has licensed Spyglass Prism to Seiko Epson for use with a wireless device. The handheld product was designed to target the Japanese market and includes several built-in features that set it apart from traditional mobile phones and handheld computers. Each unit will serve as a cellular phone, but will include additions such as a Web browser, information directory, driving direction service, and other personal
applications.To add value to the device, Seiko Epson is also rolling out its own Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system and network. Spyglass Prism will work in conjunction with the device and the service to deliver content that has been adapted to display appropriately and quickly on the handheld device. Spyglass Prism is an Internet content delivery platform that acts as a proxy server, identifying the device calling up information and dynamically conditioning and optimizing the data from its source before delivering to the device. As an example, Spyglass Prism will condition and resize the map image data that is sent to the GPS function. This reduces the bandwidth requirements of the network, and also makes the maps legible on the small screen devices.
***XM Signs The Weather Channel
(August 24)
XM Satellite Radio announced that The Weather Channel will be the exclusive provider of weather forecasts and related information for a number of XM's channels.
Since 1982, The Weather Channel has brought weather information to the world. Available in more than 72 million US homes, The Weather Channel also owns and operates a 24-hour all-weather network in Latin America. In addition, The Weather Channel radio network is heard in more than 250 radio markets across the country; its newspaper service provides customized weather packages to print publications.
XM Satellite Radio is developing a new band of radio. The system will use direct satellite-to-receiver broadcasting technology to provide listeners in their cars and at home with crystal-clear sound seamlessly from coast to coast. The subscription service is scheduled to start during the first half of 2001 for $9.95 a month.
***S3 Obtains Early Termination of HSR Waiting Period for
Proposed Merger with Diamond Multimedia
(August 25)
S3 and Diamond Multimedia Systems announced that they received notices of early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act. As a result, special meetings of the shareholders of S3 and Diamond Multimedia to consider and vote upon the merger are scheduled to be held on September 20, 1999.
The merger remains subject to approval by the shareholders of both S3 and Diamond Multimedia, as well as to other customary conditions of closing. S3 and Diamond Multimedia shareholders of record as of August 10, 1999 will be entitled to vote at their respective special meetings.
If the shareholders of both companies approve the merger, it is expected that the merger will close as soon as practicable thereafter.
Proxy materials in connection with the special meetings have been mailed to shareholders of record of S3 and Diamond Multimedia.
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