LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 7, 1997--A starter kit that lets users quickly begin to experiment with
transmitting television-quality video programming over corporate enterprise networks to desktop personal computers is
now available from Precept Software.
Precept's MPEG Starter Pak includes all the components necessary to set up a live video capture session and
broadcast it to the enterprise: Precept's IP/TV, the only standards-based video-multicasting software that supports the
high-quality MPEG-1 standard data-compression technique; FutureTel's PrimeView MPEG video encoder card, sold
by Precept under a reseller agreement between the two firms; and five copies of the IP/TV Viewer client software,
which allows the user to select and play video programs at his desk.
"The ability to transmit full-motion digital video over networks is useful for getting management broadcasts, training
classes or business television programming to users without their having to leave their desks," said Judy Estrin, Precept
president. "Having recently added MPEG-1 support to IP/TV, we sought out the best encoding system to package with
it.
"FutureTel's PrimeView offers high performance and an easy-to-use software development kit that was quickly
integrated with our server software."
"Precept's IP/TV is the only standards-based MPEG multicasting product on the market today," said Franco Franca,
FutureTel's vice president of marketing and sales. "Combining IP/TV with our PrimeView encoder will let users set up
and broadcast a live MPEG video capture session, realizing the benefits of video multicasting on a small scale before
they implement it enterprise-wide."
The MPEG Starter Pak can be used to broadcast cable or satellite TV, VCR or live presentations from video input.
The resulting digital video can be viewed using the IP/TV Viewer or browser plug-ins. The IP/TV Viewer supports
Microsoft's ActiveMovie architecture, which has a built-in MPEG decoder.
The PrimeView is a single-slot encoder card running in the Windows 95 environment. The card resides in the IP/TV
Server PC and accepts analog NTSC or PAL video input and outputs high-quality digital MPEG-1 video streams.
IP/TV uses standard IP Multicast to deliver full-screen, full-motion video to desktop PCs over private IP routed
networks and the Internet. IP/TV has three elements: the Program Guide, which schedules programs, controls user
access and manages bandwidth usage; the Video Server, which delivers live or prerecorded video from such devices as
cameras and VCRs according to schedules in the Program Guide; and the Viewer, which presents the user with a list of
scheduled programs.
Pricing/Availability
Available immediately, the MPEG Starter Pak is priced at $9,000, including one copy of the IP/TV Server and
Program Guide, five copies of the IP/TV Viewer, one PrimeView MPEG-1 encoder card and one year of Precept's
Software Subscription Service.
FutureTel, Inc., a leader in compression technology for digital video publishing and video transmission markets, is
located at 1092 East Arques Ave., Sunnyvale, Calif. 94086. Telephone 408/522-1400, fax 408/522-1404, e-mail
franco@futuretel.com, web site futuretel.com .
Precept Software, Inc., was formed in March 1995 to develop and market standards-based network video applications
for the entire enterprise. The company's flagship product, IP/TV, delivers TV-quality, full-motion video to every
desktop PC using existing network infrastructure for such applications as corporate communication, employee training,
distance learning and dissemination of video news to the workplace.
Precept's approach brings together increasing PC power, bandwidth-efficient networking techniques (e.g., IP
Multicast), and new standard communication protocols (e.g., RTP, RSVP). The privately held firm has raised $11.4
million in venture and institutional financing, including an equity investment by Cisco Systems. For more information visit
Precept's Web site at precept.com .
CONTACT: Precept Software, Inc.
Shelley Hurst, 415/845-5200
or
FutureTel
Franco Franca, 408/522-1481
or
Ulevich & Orrange, Inc. (for Precept Software)
William Orrange or Janis Ulevich, 415/329-1590
or
Carter Elliott Public Relations (for FutureTel)
Carter Elliott, 408/395-1161 |
