Diamond Multimedia Ships Suprasonic II Dual-line Modem
Business Wire - May 12, 1998 09:02
%DIAMOND-MULTIMEDIA DIMD %WASHINGTON %COMPUTERS
%ELECTRONICS %COMED %INTERACTIVE %MULTIMEDIA %INTERNET
%PRODUCT V%BW P%BW
VANCOUVER, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 1998--
SupraSonic II With Breakthrough Shotgun Technology Bonds
Two Ordinary Phone Lines For The Fastest Analog Internet
Connection Available
Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:DIMD), a leader in
interactive multimedia acceleration, today announced shipment of its
highly-anticipated SupraSonic(R) II dual-line modem.
Based on the new V.90 modem standard and priced at less than $200 in
North America, the SupraSonic II utilizes two ordinary phone lines to
double the speed of a single-line modem and receive data at speeds of up
to 112 kilobits per second (Kbps).
The SupraSonic II modem incorporates Diamond Multimedia's new
Shotgun(TM) technology developed by the company's award-winning
modem engineering team. Shotgun uses Internet protocol standards to
bond two phone lines together, seamlessly increasing the bandwidth
potential of a modem's transmission speed. Voice priority, an additional
Shotgun feature, allows the SupraSonic II to detect incoming and
outgoing phone calls and release the second phone line without
interrupting an Internet session.
With the increase in performance, Diamond is targeting consumer and
professional Internet users, as well as small office/home office (SOHO)
users, with access to two telephone lines. At this time, more than 25
million U.S. households have two or more phone lines, a trend industry
researchers attribute primarily to the growing Internet phenomenon. The
number of U.S. homes with multiple lines is expected to reach 30 million
by the year 2000, according to New York-based market research firm
IDC/LINK.
"The SupraSonic II offers a very powerful Internet access solution for
those who either can't afford or don't have access to ISDN," said Jim
Cady, vice president and general manager of Diamond Multimedia's
Communications Division. "The SupraSonic II with Shotgun technology
represents the next quantum leap in analog modem technology. We've
been successfully testing the SupraSonic II with ISPs over the past two
months, and we've started deployment on a national level."
Netcom Supports Shotgun
Netcom, a leading ISP with more than 500,000 current customers, will
complete their first round of Shotgun-enabled deployment in
approximately 100 U.S. cities by mid-May of this year. The company
intends to charge customers an extra $10 over its single-line plans
(Netcomplete(TM), Netcomplete Adavantage(TM), Netcomplete
Advantage Pro(TM) and Identify Pack) for the service. For example,
customers who sign up for the Netcomplete package will only be charged
$29.95 per month for Shotgun dual-line service. In addition, Netcom will
provide a prepaid 100-minute phone card.
For ongoing ISP updates and additional information about the SupraSonic
II modem and Shotgun technology, consumers can visit Diamond's Web
site www.diamondmm.com/shotgun.
Free Software Upgrade With SupraExpress 56K Modems
Diamond Multimedia is also bundling Shotgun software with its new
SupraExpress 56 V.90 modem, which is based on the new International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) standard. This allows SupraExpress
users to bond with a host of other manufacturer's modems for additional
bandwidth over two analog phone lines. Additionally, existing
SupraExpress 56K customers can take advantage of a free Shotgun
software upgrade scheduled for release in late May via Diamond's Web
site at www.diamondmm.com/shotgun.
Pricing and Availability
Diamond Multimedia is shipping the V.90-based SupraSonic II for PCs
with an ISA slot running Windows 95(TM) at an estimated retail price of
$199.95. Support for Windows 98(TM) is also planned. Diamond
Multimedia distributes its award-winning SupraSonic and SupraExpress
product lines to OEMs and through computer distributors, retail stores
and mail order resellers throughout North America.
Shotgun Features
Diamond Multimedia's Shotgun technology bonds two analog modems to
work intelligently over ordinary phone lines and achieve speeds of up to
112Kbps. Shotgun offers the added benefit of releasing one phone line
for voice calls while maintaining an Internet connection on the other line.
Features include:
-- Bandwidth-on-Demand: Shotgun "senses" when greater bandwidth is
needed for an Internet connection and automatically adds the second
phone line. When less bandwidth is required, the second phone line is
automatically released for other uses.
-- Manual Control: Shotgun allows a user to add or release their second
phone line by clicking on a software control button.
-- Voice Priority: During an Internet session, Shotgun detects incoming
and outgoing phone calls and releases the second phone line to allow the
incoming or outgoing call to be completed while maintaining the data
connection on the other line (works with Diamond Multimedia's
SupraSonic II dual-line modem only and requires call waiting service from
the phone company).
Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc.
Diamond Multimedia is driving the interactive multimedia market by
providing advanced solutions for home, business and professional
desktop computer users, enabling them to create, access and experience
compelling new media content from their desktops and through the
Internet. Diamond accelerates multimedia from the Internet to the hard
drive with products that include the Stealth and Viper series of media
accelerators, the Monster series of entertainment
3D and sound accelerators, the Fire series of professional 3D and SCSI
accelerators, and the Supra series of modems. Diamond also markets
DVD and video phone kits. Diamond's common stock is traded on the
Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol DIMD, and its web site address
is www.diamondmm.com.
How to Contact Diamond Multimedia
There are many ways to reach Diamond for sales support, technical
assistance, driver updates and general information:
Internet Web Site: diamondmm.com
Diamond Multimedia's Headquarters and Multimedia Division:
408/325-7000; Fax: 408/325-7070
Communications Division (Supra brand modems) Main Phone Number:
360/604-1400; Fax: 360/604-1401
European Division (Germany): +49-8151-266-0; (UK):
+44-1189-444400; (France) +33-1-55381600;
Korean Office (Seoul): +82-2-551-2700; Fax: +82-2-551-2710
Japanese Office (Tokyo): +81-3-5695-8401; Fax: +81-3-5695-8403
ASEAN Office (Singapore): +65-353-9511; Fax: +65-353-9510
Hong Kong Office: +852-2375-9023; Fax: +852-2375-9021
Australian Office (Sydney): +61-2-9460-2355; Fax +61-2-9460-2360
Swedish Office: +46-417-40060; Fax +46-417-40054
Product Support (Voice), United States: 541/967-2450; Europe
(Germany) +49-8151-266-330; Europe (UK) +44-1189-444444;
TDD/TTY Support 541/967-2451
Product Support (Fax), United States: 541/967-2401; Europe
(Germany) +49-8151-266-331; Europe (UK): +44-1189-444445;
(France) +33-1-47561139
Pre-sales Information: 800/468-5846
Investor Relations: 408/325-7476; 888/474-3463 (U.S. and Canada)
24-Hour Fax-On-Demand Service: 800/380-0030
FTP site: ftp.diamondmm.com
BBS: 541/967-2444 (to 33.6 Kbps); Europe (Germany) BBS at
+49-8151-266333 (to 28.8 Kbps) or +49-8151-266334 (ISDN);
Europe (UK) at +44-1189-444415 (to 33.6 Kbps)
Though 56Kbps modems are capable of 56Kbps download
performance, line impairments, public telephone infrastructure and other
external technological factors currently prevent maximum 56Kbps
connections. Monster 3D, Supra, SupraSonic and Shotgun are either
trademarks or registered trademarks of Diamond Multimedia Systems,
Inc. Monster(R) is a registered trademark of Monster Cable. Viper(R) is
a registered trademark of Directed Electronics, Inc., Used under License.
All other trademarks referenced are the service mark, trademark or
registered trademark of their respective manufacturers. This
announcement relates to products whose introductions are in North
America. The product name, contents, prices and availability may differ
elsewhere in the world according to local factors and requirements.
Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in
this press release, such as statements relating to the Company's ability to
successfully exploit technological and market developments, the timing
and success of new product introductions by the Company and its
competitors, and the Company's ability to invest in new technologies and
to enhance its existing systems are forward-looking statements that are
subject to risks and uncertainties, including the impact of competitive
products and pricing and alternative technological advances, the timely
and successful development and market acceptance of new products and
upgrades to existing products, and other risks as detailed from time to
time in Diamond Multimedia's SEC filings, including its most recent Forms
10-K and 10-Q.
CONTACT: Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc.
Douglas Little, 360/604-1469
dougl@diamondmm.com
or
Faiola Davis Public Relations
Norma Velvikis/Sara Faiola
213/933-4959
fdpr2@aol.com
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