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To: Rarebird who wrote (26919)	12/19/1997 1:55:00 PM
From: DiViT	Respond to of 50808

Intel Proposes Low-Cost Way to Let PCs Display Digital TV Kristen Kenedy 12/15/97 Computer Retail Week Page 02 Copyright 1997 CMP Publications Inc. Sunnyvale, Calif.-Intel is proposing a low-cost solution to enable digital television reception in home PCs. The technology, which was demonstrated to a group of journalists here earlier this month, uses an algorithm-or small software routine-to convert high-resolution DTV broadcasts into standard PC monitor format. The algorithm, developed by Hitachi, should be available in a DTV decoder board by mid-1998, said Tom Galvin, Intel's director of market development for television and broadband content. The algorithm is important to the PC market because current high-definition DTV broadcasts can't be displayed on an SVGA monitor. Allowing PCs access to DTV broadcasts could lead to new products, such as DTV set-top boxes and PC/TV products, at today's standard prices. TVs that can receive high-definition broadcasts will probably cost $3,000 to $5,000 when they ship in mid-1998, retailers said. The algorithm is important to Intel because it has developed DTV decoder board and digital cable set-top box prototypes. The company also is reportedly working with consumer electronics manufacturers to provide chipsets for digital TV and set-top boxes. Intel declined to name any partners. When the first DTV broadcasts begin in late 1998, broadcasters can send the signals in any one of 18 formats set forth by a standards group called the Advanced Television System Committee. Intel, Microsoft, Compaq and Lucent Technologies have lobbied broadcasters to start sending signals at the low end of those formats, and then scale up over time. This would allow PCs, set-top boxes and low-end DTV sets to receive DTV signals. It would also leave room in the DTV spectrum for additional broadcast space, allowing broadcasters to send video along with data services, such as high-speed Internet access or enhanced TV, a combination of video and data in one signal. Broadcasters didn't initially warm up to that proposal. Many still haven't released their plans, but it appears they will use a combination of HDTV for prime time and lower-resolution broadcasts during other times. Intel's move left Microsoft, Compaq and Lucent-the so-called DTV Team-dismayed, according to industry sources. But, Galvin said, "Our stance on digital broadcasts changed over time from the original phased approach of the DTV Team. We didn't want to dictate what was right for the market...This technology allows more flexibility in very low-cost implementation." A software-based solution for DTV is less costly than a decoder chip. Although Hitachi, which will market the algorithm, has not yet set its price, Galvin said typical licensing fees for algorithms in volume are $10 to $30. The DTV decoder board, which receives and decodes the digital TV signal, will initially cost PC manufacturers about $200 per piece, but will quickly drop to about $100 when volume production is achieved, probably in 1999, Galvin said.

To: Rarebird who wrote (26919)	12/19/1997 4:16:00 PM
From: John Rieman	Respond to of 50808

Herbie............................................ Yes, Virginia, There Is a Business Cycle in Sillycon Valley By HERB GREENBERG c.1997 San Francisco Chronicle The only way to justify some of Sillycon Valley's highest stock prices during the latest boom was to say that technology was no longer cyclical. That was before Hong Kong's Hang Seng index and the Korean won became household words in America, proving once again that business cycles can show themselves when you least expect. Just Thursday 3Com warned that the slowdown in Asia will hurt its profits through at least the first half of its fiscal 1999. That's another full year! Extrapolate 3Com's Asian angst to all of the Valley and I'd say, ''Houston, we have an unbelievably big problem,'' and it doesn't stop with individual companies. Hear me out: As Asia starts to take its toll on the earnings of those companies, stock prices could continue to fall. As stock prices fall, stock options will lose their value. Suddenly, all of those Sillycon Valley big spenders won't feel so rich. How will that play out in the Valley's hyper-inflated housing market? What about the insatiable demand for $1,200 Breitling watches at Gleim Jewelers in the Stanford Shopping Center? You can only imagine. Stephen Levy, director for the Center of the Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto, says housing prices are likely to become volatile, because many homes will no longer be in the hands of what he calls ''patient money.'' Many homeowners ''have never been through anything like this before, so they have no clue how volatile things can get if a real downturn starts.'' (In 1988, yours truly won a three-way bidding war for a house in Palo Alto, but had trouble giving it away three years later, during that down cycle.) While the next down cycle may very well be the worst ever for technology, Levy adds that each technology up cycle has been bigger than the previous, ''and that's not going to change.'' In the meantime, no matter how gut-wrenching it gets, Levy hopes it ''will bring everybody's mind back to the fact that this industry is dependent on cyclical markets, and that nothing is forever.'' Amen. ----- Surprise, surprise. Iomega announced Thursday it's delaying the rollout of its new Jaz 2 portable drive until next quarter. The company said more ''quality testing'' was needed. It didn't elaborate. However, there have been rumblings for months that the Jaz 2, whose disks can hold 2 gigabytes of data, had problems. The drive uses the same platform as the original 1-gigabyte Jaz. In the past, this column has reported an alleged high failure rate with the Jaz. Iomega itself announced a recall of Jaz disks earlier this year. However, just last week I heard from Lynne Porterfield, who's in the graphic design business in San Francisco. She said she has returned at least 15 defective Jaz disks over the past nine months, ''and that's conservative.'' Most weren't from the batch that was recalled. Meanwhile, Tom Santos, owner of Macadam, a San Francisco Mac dealer, says all seven of the Jaz drives he personally owns have quit working. Where have all of the returned Jaz drives and Jaz disks gone? Will the returns ever show up in Iomega's financial statements? Iomega, as has been its policy, has declined all comment to this column. ----- Herb Greenberg can be reached online at bizinsider@sfgate.com, and can be read on The Gate at sfgate.com.