And what will THIS do for the share price, if anything ?...
.....From Microsoftinvestor.com.......
NBC Sports to Use Silicon Graphics Technology to Enhance
Coverage of Super Bowl XXXII
Randy Cross to Provide Game Analysis Using Advanced 3D
Graphics Animations
January 21, 1998 08:04 AM
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Graphics,
Inc. SGI today announced that NBC Sports will incorporate Silicon
Graphics-created advanced real-time 3D graphics into its broadcast
coverage of Super Bowl XXXII which will be held at Qualcomm Stadium in
San Diego, on Sunday, Jan. 25. Randy Cross, NBC Sports commentator
and member of three Super Bowl champions, will use these live, real-time,
3D animations to present complex statistics in a way never seen on network
television.
The viewership for this year's Super Bowl is estimated to be more than 130
million people in the U.S. -- the largest TV audience of the year. NBC
Sports turned to Silicon Graphics to create a customized real-time broadcast
quality solution that would provide an informative and entertaining
interpretation of important game statistics, and a dazzling new look. The high
profile nature of the broadcast demanded a solution that would offer
exceptional stability and reliability. This will mark the first time that NBC will
incorporate the real-time delivery of 3D, computer graphics into a Super
Bowl broadcast.
"As a world leader in sports coverage, NBC Sports is dedicated to
presenting viewers with the most compelling Super Bowl experience," said
Jon Miller, senior vice president, NBC Sports. "Incorporating the latest in
real-time 3D graphics with Randy Cross' insiders perspective will allow us to
bring a new level of understanding and visual excitement to the game."
On Super Bowl Sunday, Silicon Graphics powerful Onyx2(TM)
InfiniteReality(R) graphics computers will be used to render and deliver, live,
real-time, 3D graphics. Engineers onsite will also use the company's
O2(TM) desktop workstations to input data about the on-going game and
render the results live on the Onyx2 systems.
At the conclusion of each quarter, Cross plans to use statistical charts
created by Silicon Graphics Onyx2 systems to provide viewers with live 3D
animations of key game elements -- including illustrations of yardage after
catch, receiver patterns, passing charts and quarterback fade patterns. To
arrive at the statistical charts, viewers will "fly" into a lifelike 3D model of
Qualcomm Stadium, created by MultiGen, Inc. using its real-time 3D
modeling tools, MultiGen II Pro. In the digital stadium, the field and stands
approximate the real location, and realism is enhanced with rich surface
textures and stadium details including seats, lighting structures, and goal
posts.
"Statistics are a necessary part of football, but numbers are boring," said
Randy Cross, NBC Sports commentator. "Pictures excite people. These
state-of-the-art graphics are a fabulous way to illustrate the hidden trends
within the game. They will make my job as a commentator a lot easier, and I
know the viewers' first reaction will be 'Wow!'"
Working with Silicon Graphics, Boston Dynamics has developed
Football-Guy, a special version of its DI-Guy(TM) software, created to
visualize football defense formations. This application provides a life-like set
of animated characters that portray each member of the defensive team,
including defensive linemen, linebackers, and backs. The players are
depicted approaching their positions prior to the snap through the moment
when players burst into action from the line of scrimmage.
In the past several years, NBC Sports and NBC Television have used the
full range of Silicon Graphics' workstations, in live television coverage of
other major events, including U.S. Open Golf '97, The Ryder Cup '97 and
"Decision '96 -- Election Night" for which NBC News was awarded a
coveted News and Documentary Emmy Award for "Outstanding Individual
Achievement in a Craft: Graphic Design."
"We're delighted that NBC Sports has selected the Onyx2 workstation to
provide their viewers with unique insights into the game," said Greg Estes,
director of Entertainment Marketing at Silicon Graphics. "The ability to
visualize complex concepts in real-time gives NBC unique power and
flexibility in their Super Bowl presentation, and that translates to a big win for
TV audiences worldwide."
Silicon Graphics, Inc. is a leading supplier of high-performance interactive
computing systems. The company offers the broadest range of products in
the industry -- from low-end desktop workstations to servers and high-end
Cray(R) supercomputers. Silicon Graphics also markets MIPS(R)
microprocessor designs, Alias/Wavefront(TM) entertainment and design
software and other software products. The company's key markets include
the manufacturing, government, science and industries, communications and
entertainment sectors. Silicon Graphics and its subsidiaries have offices
throughout the world and headquarters in Mountain View, California.
NOTE: Silicon Graphics, the Silicon Graphics logo, Onyx and InfiniteReality
are registered trademarks, and O2 and Onyx2 are trademarks, of Silicon
Graphics, Inc. Cray is a registered trademark of Cray Research, Inc., a
wholly owned subsidiary of Silicon Graphics, Inc. MIPS is a registered
trademark of MIPS Technologies, Inc. Alias is a registered trademark, and
Alias/Wavefront is a trademark of Alias/Wavefront, a division of Silicon
Graphics Limited. DI-Guy is a trademark of Boston Dynamics Inc. All other
trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE Silicon Graphics, Inc.
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