FutureTel ships its MPEG1 Video Sphinx Pro (CUBE inside).........
FutureTel Announces Shipment of Video Sphinx Pro
PC Week Semifinalist at Comdex Available Online and in Stores Worldwide
Q1 1998
INTERNET WORLD 97 (Booth #2661), NEW YORK, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/
-- FutureTel, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA.) today announced that Video Sphinx Pro(TM),
the external PC peripheral for capturing and editing full-motion video CD-
quality audio, and high-resolution photos and stills will begin limited
shipment in December 1997. The product will be widely available through
traditional retail outlets in the first quarter of 1998.
Video Sphinx Pro is an external plug-in peripheral and integrated software
suite that enables users to capture, edit, and deploy MPEG-standard video and
CD-quality audio for their business, professional or personal applications,
from sales presentations and training CDs to news web pages and home movies.
Video Sphinx Pro is the first product priced for the mass market that allows
users to produce professional quality video and audio -- making it an ideal,
cost-effective presentation tool in the emerging world of video-everywhere.
Best of Comdex Semi-finalist
Video Sphinx Pro was selected as a semi-finalist in the "Digital Media"
category at Comdex by PC Week's "Best of Comdex" awards. Video Sphinx Pro was
also chosen by Computer Reseller News at Comdex as one of fifty-two products
from a pool of 500 to participate in an on-stage "product review." These
nominations capped a week that generated considerable excitement for a product
widely acknowledged to be redefining price / performance equations in the PC
video market.
"We are delighted but really not surprised by this enthusiasm. We have
spent considerable energy leveraging our experience in the high-end digital
video market to come up with a breakthrough product for the mass market," said
Max Hata, CEO of FutureTel. "By combining drag-and-drop ease of use with
video quality that surpasses anything seen before at this price point, we have
knocked down the barrier between the professional and consumer
markets."
In Stores and Online
In addition to leading PC product retailers, Video Sphinx Pro will be
available for purchase from the FutureTel web site, which incorporates a
state-of-the art electronic commerce service that enables secure online
transactions. The web site will complement the retail channel, offering
customers detailed product information and a listing of retail outlets. "Our
goal in making Video Sphinx Pro available online is to offer convenience and
flexibility for the customer," said Steve Gray, Vice President, Business and
Consumer Division for FutureTel. "We expect this service to boost retail
sales, as well, since many customers will use the site for fact-gathering."
Company Information
FutureTel, Inc., founded in Sunnyvale, California in 1993, develops
leading-edge PC-based technologies and product solutions for the digital video
broadcast and distribution markets. The company's MPEGThere encoder, released
in 1994, was the first system to broadcast live video to a remote location
over T1 and E1 lines. Subsequent product breakthroughs include the MPEG
editing tool, ClipView, and Video Sphinx Pro, the first comprehensive solution
for MPEG capture, edit and delivery. In 1996, FutureTel's publishing products
were awarded the NewMedia Magazine "Hyper" and "Awesome" awards. Leading
customers include the BBC, Time Warner, Steven Spielberg and Hewlett Packard.
The company was founded by Dr. Max Hata, who has recorded several patents in
multimedia technologies. Dr. Hata is Chairman and CEO of the corporation.
NOTE: ClipView, FutureTel, MPEGWorks, MPEGWorkshop, MPEGTools,
MPEGPublisher, MPEGThere, PrimeView, SureSync and Video Sphinx are trademarks
of FutureTel, Inc. All other trademarks are acknowledged to their respective
owners.
SOURCE FutureTel, Inc.
/CONTACT: David McHale of Horizon Communications, 408-969-4888, ext.107,
or dmchale@horizonpr.com, or horizonpr.com, for FutureTel; or
Anastasia Yee of FutureTel, Inc., 408-522-1477, or ayee@futuretel.com/
/Web site: futuretel.com
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Here's the initial announcement:
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Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Video Sphinx Pro Offers $399 Palm-Sized Solution
for Real-Time Capture of MPEG Audio and Video for
Desktop and Intranet / Internet
Video Sphinx Pro from FutureTel enables
professional-quality MPEG encoding in a peripheral that
plugs into the PC parallel port; digital video software suite
allows users to produce movies with high-quality video and
CD-quality audio
Sunnyvale, CA - October 13, 1997 - FutureTel, Inc., the leader
in professional MPEG solutions for broadcast and post
production, today announced the introduction of Video Sphinx
Pro, an advanced A/V encoder and software suite for
availability in 4Q 1997. The product enables real-time capture,
editing and deployment of MPEG-standard audio and video
presentations for business, professional or personal applications.
Through Video Sphinx Pro, full-motion movies, stills, photos and
CD-quality music can be easily captured in real-time, organized,
edited, synchronized and then deployed over CD-ROM,
presentations, and the Intranet/Internet.
Video is a superior communication tool, but until now it could
not be effectively harnessed by everyday business professionals
and consumers who wanted to facilitate presentations,
collaborate on complex projects, or simply incorporate video on
their web sites. Enabling applications from greeting cards and
video e-mail to high resolution multimedia productions, Video
Sphinx Pro is the first major digital audio/video device to span
the needs of business users, consumers and professionals alike.
Using Video Sphinx Pro, users can develop corporate or
personal news web pages with video content, create business
presentations and deliver them on CD, laptop or even via the
Internet, develop multimedia titles or collaborate on projects via
the Web, trading revisions via e-mail.
Video Sphinx Pro is the first multimedia product priced for the
mass market that allows users to produce professional-quality
MPEG video - making it an ideal, cost-effective presentation
tool in the emerging world of video everywhere. MPEG is the
industry standard for video and MPEG compatibility is built into
Windows95, major video authoring tools, as well as Netscape
Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Video Sphinx Pros
drag-and-drop interface is easy for novice users to grasp while
the feature-rich environment offers the power and flexibility
demanded by more advanced video producers. Video Sphinx
Pro, which is Microsoft ActiveMovie- compatible, comes
bundled with Kais Photo Soap from MetaCreations and
BackStage from Macromedia.
Video Sphinx Pro:
Professional Punch in Pocket Sized ProductOver the last several
years, falling prices of video, capture and editing software have
turned PC gamers into award-winning filmmakers. The ability to
create and produce video quickly and effectively is in growing
demand, and the virtual 100% installed base of CD-ROM
players plus the accelerating multimedia capabilities of the
Intranet/Internet provide ready-made conduits for audio and
video content.
The Video Sphinx Pro marks a major but inevitable shift in the
video industry, as the convergence of computer and video
technology finally enables a general audience to produce, edit,
and deploy high-quality video quickly and cost-effectively said
Max Hata, Chairman and CEO of FutureTel. Sphinx is the first
generation mass market offspring of FutureTels top-tier
technology, and because this is very much a product built from
the ground up, we are confident that users - from business
personnel to home users - will immediately recognize its
exceptional quality and robustness.
"MetaCreations applauds FutureTel for developing such a
versatile video product that will appeal to such a wide
range of people," said John Wilczak, CEO of MetaCreations.
"Video Sphinx Pro's high quality video is an ideal
complement to our own product line which can help all
Sphinx users from amateur to professional realize the full
potential of their video productions."
"In Sphinx, FutureTel has created the most complete
solution by incorporating uncompromised video and audio
performance in an MPEG Video Peripheral.," said Clint
Chao, director of PC products, C-Cube Microsystems. "We
are proud to have C-Cube's VideoRISC technology invested
in such a landmark product."
Editing Suite:
Intuitive Interface, Rich FeaturesVideo Sphinx Pros included
software video editing suite incorporates the technology used in
FutureTels powerful ClipView software and allows users IPB
frame-accurate editing and trimming inside the easy-to-use
Sphinx interface, which includes a visual storyboard. FutureTels
unique technology allows a user to edit on either the I, P or B
frame, while other MPEG editors only allow I frame editing.
Video Sphinx Pro is designed for the novice user who needs to
create and publish high quality content but also includes
advanced features for more experienced producers. The user
interface divides the editing area into five distinct rooms:
MovieClip Capture & Trim Room:
Standard VCR controls indicate how to capture, play and
stop on the Player in the center of the screen. Audio and
color controls are available at the side, as well as the
pathway to the Media Database, where all media files are
displayed with graphic thumbnails. An advanced trim
panel is available to trim the start and stop points of each
clip.
Album Room:
This room stores the searchable multimedia database of
archived MPEG, JPEG, AVI, MOV, BMP, TIFF, WAV
and MPA files. Each thumbnail allows users to
play/preview its associated file contents without leaving
the Media Database. Album files are OLE compatible,
enabling users to drag and drop media into other OLE
compatible Windows programs, such as Microsoft
PowerPoint.
MediaShow Room:
This room allows the user to assemble video clips, stills,
audio and graphics files into a compiled multimedia
presentation. MPEG, JPEG, AVI, MOV, BMP, TIFF,
WAV, and MPA files can be combined, allowing for
extreme flexibility.
SnapShot Room:
This room is similar to the MovieClip Capture Room, but
is optimized for capturing and playing back
high-resolution still frames from video. Video Sphinx Pro
converts the video into square pixels for the highest
quality computer playback available - up to 1600 X 1200
resolution.ClipGlue Room: This is the editing room
featuring the Sphinx storyboard interface for easy layout
of video projects. Users can drag-and-drop MPEG clips
into the storyboard to create new movies with IPB
frame-accurate editing. If desired, a movies audio track
can be replaced with background music or narration.
Technology Overview: The Mark of MPEG
FutureTels MPEG engine assures maximum compression (up to
200:1) and high quality audio and video, enabling the user to
minimize disk space without sacrificing resolution or quality on
the final product. Video Sphinx also allows the user to save data
at especially low bit rates in order to expedite the transfer of
video over the Internet.
Video Sphinx Pro was designed from the ground up for quality
and features, leveraging FutureTels acknowledged preeminence
in MPEG engineering to realize the most versatile and powerful
video tool possible. The companys patented SureSync
technology ensures that CD quality sound is synchronized with
video at all times, with no loss in video quality, and across all
FutureTel applications.
Video Sphinx Pro Information
Video Sphinx Pro will be available through FutureTel resellers
this year at a suggested retail price of $399 US. For additional
information on Sphinx please call toll-free 888-SPHINX2 or
send e-mail to info@sphinx2.com. Further information on the
product can be found on the Sphinx Web site at
sphinx2.com
Company Information
FutureTel, Inc., founded in Sunnyvale, California in 1993,
develops leading-edge PC-based technologies and product
solutions for the digital video broadcast and distribution markets.
The companys MPEGThere encoder, released in 1994, was the
first system to broadcast live video to a remote location over T1
and E1 lines. FutureTels digital video publishing product line also
includes PrimeView, a family of real-time PC-based MPEG
encoders, MPEGWorks, a comprehensive encoding control
software package for human-assisted or pass-through
compression, MPEGTools, MPEGWorkshop and
MPEGPublisher.
Other breakthrough products from FutureTel include the MPEG
editing tool, ClipView, and Video Sphinx Pro, the first
comprehensive solution for MPEG capture, edit and delivery. In
1996, FutureTels publishing products were awarded the
NewMedia Magazine Hyper and Awesome awards. Founder,
Dr. Max Hata, has recorded seven patents in multimedia
technologies. Dr. Hata is Chairman and CEO of FutureTel. The
companys corporate offices are located at 1092 East Arques
Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086. |
