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

To: James M. Bash who wrote (3666)	5/6/1998 9:39:00 AM
From: Goodboy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21143

I believe that Ken said that it was Ncube that was not scalable, not Diva. Ncube is the dominant company (private) in selling servers into the broadcasting, cable and movie industry. Their architecture (hypercube) is expensive and is not cost effectively scalable nor I believe is it scalable as an IVOD application vs simply delivering non interactive video streams. I am not willing to write them off. They are involved in many trials and technology inovations can change the game. Right now I think they are in the back seat. You are right about Seachange. I believe you read in an earlier post that I believed that Seachange is the SFA/Cablelabs posterboy for IVOD, trying to convince the cable industry that an end to end soloution is ready and they need to start commiting to build out and orders. The FCC this week has pressured the industry to publish and commit to open standards to expedite the deployment of digital services. They will intervene if the industry doesn't do it themselves. SEAC is well known by cable for digital ad insertion. IVOD should have been a natural extension of their business. Fortunately we know IVOD is no easy task from both a technological nor a economic standpoint. They have come up short, but they have valuable experience (that CCUR does not have) of integrating a digital video server into a cable operators systems and headends. That is really what the SFA agreement is all about. Orders for servers will come from some cable companies directly as part of an internal integration, others will hire a group such as SFA/CCUR/Prasara to handle it for them. Wintel platform has limitations for the cable industry, not as much for the other applications (intranet, hotels, etc.) Oracle Video server is not dissimlar to CCUR Video pump and other aspects of their software. The difference is that CCUR runs on top of their Powermax OS which is really part of the video server software. Oracle runs on top of NT. That is key (a disadvantage for those who have tried to run high end critical aps on NT platform). CCUR has replaced NT and Oracle in one product that is superior in performance. They do like to be percieved as replacing MSFT, but the OS is CCUR and the Video software is CCUR and the system and integration technology is SFA and Prasara (SFA, MediaOne, Sprint are clients of Prasara as Steve Allen posted). IVOD is a killer app for realtime technology. Variable Frame technology is an offshot of RTOS experience. Lot of companies use the word real time, but their systems to past muster when it comes to critical apps. As for DIVA, I think you are 100 percent correct. They are offering a product, while delivering IVOD effectively, will not hold a candle to the power, features and design of SFA explorer 2000. Small companies have no real choice. Either they find the capital to build out their systems then invest millions is boxes, networking equipment and servers or they have to sell out to a top 20 cable MSO. Eventually a cable company with SFA/CCUR/Prasara will take biz away from small cable operator using DIVA. For the next few years it will be viable (TCI won't have the whole country digital on their systems for 3 more years and 1.8 billion and that is up from their 5 year orginal plan because of pressure.). Diva will make money because they split the revs with cable company. Cable co takes little risk, uses little capital and yet offers a valuable and profitable service needed to compete (they are also being squeezed by DBS, many small cable companies only have 40 to 60 channels vs 150 to 200 DBS). Diva may come public to tap the market for funds to commence their business plan. It will be interesting to see their model and profit projections in prospectus. DIVA IPO would be great for CCUR. Wall Street would focus on the industry. CCUR will benefit. Stock is down this morning. I love it. Forgive them, for they know not what they do. One more quote. CAn't help those who can't help themselves. Looking forward to Ken's posts from show. he may shed some more light or correct some of the points I have made here.