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To: BillyG who wrote (29529)	2/16/1998 7:37:00 AM
From: CPAMarty	Respond to of 50808

AT&T, Cable Elite Discuss A Union in Internet Access By LESLIE CAULEY Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL interactive.wsj.com The nation's top cable-TV companies are in talks with AT&T Corp. about the phone company investing in a cable-industry Internet-access venture, executives familiar with the talks said. The cable companies have been discussing merging Time Warner Inc.'s Internet-access unit, Road Runner, with AtHome Corp., whose backers include cable operators Tele-Communications Inc., Comcast Corp., Cox Communications Inc. and Cablevision Systems Corp. If that merger is completed, AT&T might be interested in a partnership with the venture, the executives said. AT&T declined to comment. The executives said the cable companies have been discussing the possibility of AT&T's contributing to the merged entity its WorldNet Internet unit plus cash. The long-distance company's investment could total as much as $1 billion, most of it cash, the people said. In exchange, AT&T would receive new shares in the beefed-up service. AT&T's new chief executive, Michael Armstrong, who has shown a strong interest in teaming up with the industry, has been directly involved in the negotiations with top officials of the cable companies, the executives said. For AT&T, linking up with the cable companies would give it instant credibility in the growing Internet business, where it has had a slow start. The cable companies, for their part, could benefit from the AT&T name and AT&T's reputation for customer service, a weak spot for cable companies. Under the Road Runner-AtHome merger scenario, Time Warner and its own Internet partner, U S West Media Group, would receive new shares in AtHome, which is publicly traded but continues to be controlled by its big cable allies. In trading Monday on the Nasdaq Stock Market, AtHome closed at $25.50, up 25 cents. The executives stressed that there are numerous issues yet to be worked out, including the number of shares to be doled out to both Road Runner and AT&T, questions over billing, and terms related to valuation and management control. Still, given the eagerness of all the parties to strike a deal, several executives said they remain hopeful. "We all have a strong desire to do something here," said one executive familiar with the talks, adding, "There's always been a natural alliance between long-distance and cable." AT&T and the nation's top cable-TV companies for years have explored the possibility of working together, and AT&T previously had discussions about a possible investment in AtHome. AT&T recently agreed to acquire Teleport Communications Group Inc., a local-telephone company started by TCI and other cable operators, for $11.3 billion in stock.

To: BillyG who wrote (29529)	2/16/1998 4:56:00 PM
From: John Rieman	Respond to of 50808

A new digital video filter chip................................................... Micro Linear's Dual Filter Is First to Replace Discrete Video Function PR Newswire - February 16, 1998 07:55 MLIN %CPR %PDT V%PRN P%PRN ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jump to first matched term * New Chip Replaces Last Remaining Discrete Function in Video Products * Device Also Integrates Three Video Amplifiers and Summer Circuit * High Integration Lowers Costs and Improves Image Quality SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Micro Linear Corp. (Nasdaq: MLIN) today announced a dual video filter that replaces the last remaining discrete function in a wide range of video products. The chip's high-integration reduces cost and improves image quality in video systems. The ML6428 replaces up to 16 discrete components that are required to filter the video output in DVD players, set-top boxes, digital cameras, VCRs, PCs, large-screen TVs, etc. The new device also integrates three video amplifiers and a summer circuit. Prior to this chip, engineers had to do a tedious discrete design to meet the stringent filtering requirements needed to clean up digital video after it was converted to analog for playback. Noise "pickup" was a problem even in the best discrete designs. The ML6428 tightly integrates its filters and output amplifiers, and as a bonus includes a summer circuit to produce composite video. The tight integration reduces noise which improves image quality. The chip's two 4th-order Butterworth lowpass filters achieve outstanding performance with minimal overshoot and flat group delay. The filters have 1 dB pass band flatness. The filters, also known as reconstruction filters, "smooth out" the quantization effect of D/A conversion. Poor filtering and noise cause blinking effects on the television screen. These effects make picture elements such as edges and highlights appear to wink in amplitude as they move across the screen. According to Tony Ochoa, Product Marketing Manager, "Our chip greatly simplifies the lives of engineers by providing a drop-in replacement for a complex discrete design and finicky high-frequency amplifiers. This device is the last major link in the integration of playback circuitry for digital video. The explosive use of digital video has made playback design a common problem for thousands of engineers." The chip reduces board space by integrating 16 discrete components, three video amplifiers and a summer. The device also eliminates the need for the D/A normally used to produce the composite video output by internally generating the signal from the Y (luma) and C (chroma). The two inputs to the chip are Y and C. The outputs include a filtered and amplified Y and C which is known as S-Video. The third output is CV (composite video) which is formed by the internal summing of the Y and C signals. The composite video output is also amplified. All three amplifiers directly drive the standard 75 and 150 ohms cables to monitors and televisions. The Y or C outputs can drive 2V (peak-to-peak) into a 15O ohms load while the CV output can drive 2V (peak-to-peak) into 75 ohms. All three amplifiers have a gain of 2 (6dB) with 1V (peak-to-peak) input levels. Availability and Price The ML6428 is sampling now with production in March. The chip is priced at $ 1.50 for an 8-pin SOIC (Small Outline Integrated Circuit) in quantities of 1,000. Reader Contact Literature Department, Micro Linear Corporation, 2092 Concourse Drive, San Jose, California, 95131 Telephone: 408-433-5200, E-mail: info@ulinear.com Web site: www.microlinear.com Company Background Micro Linear Corporation is a public company that designs, manufactures and markets high-performance analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits for a broad range of technology markets that require high-integration, system-level solutions. These markets include local-area networks, voice-band telecommunications, video products, power supplies, motor controls and data acquisition and power management. Micro Linear is an ISO 9002 registered company. SOURCE Micro Linear Corp. /CONTACT: Tony Ochoa, Product Marketing Manager of Micro Linear Corp., 408-433-5200; or Curtis Panasuk, Principal of Curtis & Associates, 650-594-4800, for Micro Linear/ (MLIN)