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Technology Stocks : Concurrent Computer (CCUR) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nimbus who wrote (3661)	5/5/1998 9:13:00 PM
From: Goodboy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21143

I am delighted to have a conversation about CCUR rather than banter about the price or trading baloney. Here is my opinion and what I know to be facts. Comcast, Cox and others are no where near where Time Warner is in terms of testing these technologies and systems from an internal proprietary basis. Time Warner made the bet along time ago that cable would be the dominant line into the home for digital video, services and internet access. The Full Service Network in Orlando was all about testing different technologies, making them work together without a hitch (billing, degradation of picture, E-commerce, IVOD, etc.) In the end Time Warner walked away with the most valuable experience of any cable company. They learned how to run and deliver an end to end system and they knew what people wanted and what they were willing to pay for it. Time Warner closed the Orlando Test over 1 year ago. The new challenge was to create a system that could deliver internet access via cable (they did it and it is called Road Runner)and a system that could deliver the internet via TV with e-commerce, IVOD and other features (Pegasus). The SFA Explorer 2000 is the culmunation of that effort. NCUBE and SGI were involved in the Orlando test, but had many drawbacks and limitations, the biggest being cost per stream. Time Warner will be selecting and integrating their own system. They learned how to do it themselves and SFA set top box is a product of the FULL SERVICE NETWORK. The guys who ran the network in Orlando (hands on technology developement) left Time Warner as the Orlando Test ended. These guys created the infrastructure of software to run the system (it was called Omnio). They changed their name to Prasara. I believe TWX didn't want them to take the name with them. Comcast and others cannot do what Time Warner is doing. TCI has 3 years before they will have 70 percent of their cable plant upgraded. GI won't have a comparable box to SFA for at least 6 more months or longer. Cablelabs in pushing the digital format has selected SFA to help define standards for all cable companies and providers. CCUR and Prasara are working with SFA to create a end to end solution. There is more going on here behind the scenes as to why what announcement was made or not made. Time Warner is very close to coming public with who they will choose for phase II. I think Ken (who was at the show) might tell you who is the strong contender if not a shoe in for TWX. The other cable companies want to buy into a solution, end to end in place of the many trials they have been running with expensive, limiting systems (such as SGI or NCUBE) that are not commercialy feasable because of cost and performence. They have the infrastructure worked out in their test markets, all they need is a working, economiclly viable, reliable ene to end system to start the Digital roll-out. SFA has stepped into that roll and ccur will play a mjor part in it. Sorry about the type o's, but had to ruch this. Bye. Don't let the naysayers scare you, if this baby drops below four, gift is a fitting word.

To: Nimbus who wrote (3661)	5/5/1998 11:03:00 PM
From: Goodboy	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 21143

In addition to my last post, I will add that you were most helpful in posting the web sight which shows the many trials being run by cable and Telephone companies. They are being done without the benefit of an economiclly viable end to end solution. One that will not take years to implement from testing to roll-out, but only months. That is the benefit SFA is offering the industry with CCUR/Prasara and SEAC (although SEAC is more for their digital prowess then the quality and price of their product). Diva is out there with a different paradigm. They will finance the roll out costs (servers, head end equipment, software and billing systems), but will share the revenue from the movie rental by customer. In reality, small to medium cable companies will find this "no capital expenditure" proposal to be a low risk way to get into IVOD. Pay per view is not that disimilar to the DIVA concept. Testing of the system in sample markets has been going on for some time. We are now at the begining of contracts and orders to begin roll out. Slow at first, but then accelerating as success and cable plant allow. TWX deployment will be the fastest by far. They will set the pace that everyone else will try to catch, making this whole digital roll-out happen faster then if TWX was in the same position as TCI (not prepared). Good luck all. The info is out there. Time Warner has a web sight. Under TW CABLE is plenty of info by them on the Pegasus project, Orlando and VOD video servers. This stuff isn't rocket science. Less hot air, more research. The answers flow from a wealth of info that anyone can access. Company has not been fully discovered yet. That will change very shortly.