VCST and VCSTW- Big Microsoft news just out-
(COMTEX) B: Microsoft and ViewCast.com Unveil First End-to-End Digita
B: Microsoft and ViewCast.com Unveil First End-to-End Digital Video System For
Live Broadcast Streaming Optimized Exclusively for Windows Media, New Osprey
Professional SDI and DV Capture Card Breaks Through Direct Capture and File
Size Barriers for Digital Streaming Broadcasts
LAS VEGAS, Apr 10, 2000 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Today at the National
Association of Broadcasters Conference 2000 (NAB2000), Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:
MSFT) and ViewCast.com Inc. (Nasdaq: VCST), a leading provider of Internet and
networked video solutions, announced the new Osprey-500WM/DVPro, the first
professional-grade video capture card designed specifically for the capture of
broadcast-quality digital video for streaming media. The Osprey-500WM/DVPro was
developed by ViewCast.com's Osprey Technologies Division and was optimized
exclusively to support the Microsoft(R) Windows Media(TM) Format with
cooperation from Microsoft's Digital Media Division. It is the first capture
card to tightly integrate with the new Windows Media Technologies 7 Encoder and
Format for audio and video, also unveiled today at NAB2000.
ViewCast.com's Osprey-500WM/DVPro, with integrated Windows Media support,
delivers the industry's first capture card designed specifically to overcome the
direct capture problems and file size barriers broadcasters face when converting
their professional-quality digital video to a high-quality Internet digital
video stream. This collaboration between ViewCast.com and Microsoft represents a
major milestone for professional broadcasters, because it enables them to target
Internet-based audiences with the same high-quality digital content they have
created for the broadcast domain. It also allows anyone with a digital video
(DV) camera to plug into the world of streaming media without any loss in
quality.
"The Windows Media Format is fast emerging as the industry-leading format for
high-quality streaming of digital media content," said Neal Page, vice president
and general manager of ViewCast.com's Osprey Technologies Division. "The new
Osprey-500WM/DVPro design innovations, integrated with direct capture in Windows
Media Format, make it the first product specifically designed to bring
broadcast-quality and professionally produced video to the Internet and
corporate intranets."
"Our customers' No. 1 request was to create 'pure' end-to-end digital video for
streaming and remove the video-quality degradation caused by the multistep video
conversion process of existing capture cards and software," said Dave Fester,
general manager of marketing in the Digital Media Division at Microsoft. "The
industry-leading card design of the new Osprey-500WM/DVPro, combined with
breakthroughs in the new Windows Media Technologies 7, solves this critical
quality issue for broadcasters and content creators with a state-of-the-art
software and hardware streaming media solution."
The Osprey-500WM/DVPro, together with the new Windows Media Encoder 7, offers
several key benefits to professional and "prosumer" video content creators:
-- Higher-quality streamed video from professional video source content. For the
broadcast industry, the Osprey-500WM/DVPro is the first capture board of its
kind to offer direct real-time streaming of popular digital sources without
conversion to analog stage. Higher-quality, direct digital video capture means
higher-quality streamed video for all types of Internet- and intranet-based
video broadcasts.
-- The Serial Digital Interface (SDI) support allows easy and reliable
integration into any broadcast setting while preserving the full
quality of professional sources.
-- For users of DV cameras and tape decks, the board also includes
hardware decoding and scaling of DV/IEEE 1394 signals, enabling
easy and lossless integration with cost-effective consumer and
prosumer digital sources. For compatibility with full-range video
sources, the Osprey-500WM/DVPro also includes high-quality analog
video capture in the form of composite video and Y/C (S-Video)
inputs.
-- For audio capture, Osprey-500WM/DVPro provides support for the
majority of common analog and digital formats. It sports direct
capture of digital audio in both AES/EBU and S/P-DIF, eliminating
any contamination of the audio signal by the PC hardware. Analog
audio is also supported with professional balanced input with
reliable XLR connections and RCA jacks for input from unbalanced
consumer sources.
-- Eliminates file size barriers with Windows Media Format support. Direct
capture to the Windows Media Format removes the file size barriers traditionally
associated with legacy solutions. Because the new Osprey card captures video
directly into the Windows Media Format, broadcasters can now overcome the 2GB
file size (or 10-minute length) barrier of older video technology. With its
huge, 17-TB maximum file size, the state-of-the-art Windows Media Format
eliminates the need to create intermediate AVI files, saving a considerable
amount of disk space and editing time. The efficient compression of Windows
Media allows the capture of DV sources of almost unlimited length and reduces
the need for a high-performance disk subsystem.
-- Higher-quality live content. Built-in "preprocessing" at the card level,
rather than on the PC, generates higher-quality live content, even in demanding
high-motion sequences. The Osprey-500WM/DVPro card can deinterlace video from
any of the video sources because it captures in real time, which improves the
quality of every video -- particularly motion-intensive scenes such as sports or
action sequences -- at any bit rate. In addition, on-card hardware scaling
delivers the exact image size specified by a user of Windows Media.
About the Osprey-500WM/DVPro
The Osprey-500WM/DVPro is a 32-bit PCI card that provides capture and optional
deinterlacing, scaling and color-converting of video from SDI (SMPTE 259M), DV
(IEEE 1394 Firewire) and analog source inputs (composite video and S-Video).
Audio capture includes balanced and unbalanced analog source inputs, a
professional digital input (AES/EBU via XLR connector), two consumer digital
inputs (S/P-DIF), and audio from the DV source. General availability for the
Osprey-500WM/DVPro is scheduled for June, with limited quantities scheduled to
be available in May. Estimated retail price for the Osprey-500WM/DVPro is
$2,495. Estimated retail price for the Osprey-500WM/Pro, which is SDI only (no
DV), is $1,995. A configuration targeting the high-end consumer market with DV
and consumer inputs is planned for the second half of 2000.
About Windows Media
Windows Media is the leading digital media platform, providing consumers,
content providers, solution providers, software developers and corporations with
unmatched audio and video quality. Windows Media Technologies, which includes
Windows Media Player, Windows Media Services, Windows Media Tools and the
Windows Media SDK, is available for download at
microsoft.com. The Windows Media Player is the
fastest-growing digital media player and is available in 24 languages. To date,
there are over 100 million licensed copies of the Windows Media Player, growing
by more than one every second.
About ViewCast.com
ViewCast.com enables video communication over the Internet and corporate
networks through its components, systems and turnkey solution products. The
company is known as a leading global provider of enterprisewide, digital video
communications solutions for both real-time and on-demand applications.
Osprey(R) video capture cards and codecs, ViewCast(R) Streaming Video Solutions
and Viewpoint VBX System(TM) products deliver a wide array of video solutions
for both analog and digital video communication systems. ViewCast.com's "Your
Video on the Web(TM)" was the first consumer product and hosting service to
bring streaming media capabilities to home users and allow small businesses to
easily add video to their Web sites. ViewCast.com has the ability to deliver
cutting-edge networked video solutions while delivering systems to transition
legacy video communication equipment. ViewCast.com products are available either
directly from the company, or from leading OEMs, system integrators, leading
resellers and application developers worldwide. Visit the company's Web site,
viewcast.com, for more information.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and
Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a
wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great
software -- any time, any place and on any device.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which reflect the company's current
judgment on certain issues. Because such statements apply to future events, they
are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to
differ materially. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially are described in the company's reports on Form 10-KSB and 10-QSB on
file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
NOTE: Microsoft and Windows Media are either registered trademarks or trademarks
of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of
actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their
respective owners.
SOURCE Microsoft Corporation
(C) 2000 PR Newswire. All rights reserved.
prnewswire.com
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icrosoft
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