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To: Don Dorsey who wrote (34596)	7/22/1998 11:41:00 AM
From: BillyG	Respond to of 50808

HP Signs Multimillion-Dollar Deal With DIRECTV to Provide Video-Server Systems for New Broadcast Facility NOTE TO MEDIA: Photo is on Business Wire's Web site at www.businesswire.com PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 22, 1998-- DIRECTV Chooses HP MediaStream Broadcast Servers for Their Reliability and Scalability Hewlett-Packard Company, the pioneer in MPEG compression technology for digital servers, and DIRECTV Inc., a leading provider of digital television entertainment and information programming, today announce the signing of a multimillion-dollar deal. Under the agreement, HP will provide on-air digital storage and playback video-server systems for the new DIRECTV Los Angeles Broadcast Center (LABC). HP will provide more than 30 MediaStream Broadcast Servers to perform content-receipt, storage and playback functions for the new DIRECTV broadcast center, which is scheduled to begin full operations in the second quarter of 1999. The DIRECTV programming services currently originate from its uplink facility in Castle Rock, Colo. The two facilities will share broadcasting responsibilities and provide broadcast-system redundancy. DIRECTV chose HP because of HP's commitment to understanding the needs of the new digital facility, its technology leadership and its flexibility in meeting an aggressive delivery and on-air schedule. In addition, HP can provide an on-air digital broadcast solution that significantly enhances the reliability and expandability of DIRECTV's service offerings. "DIRECTV is pleased to have HP as the video-server-subsystem provider for the LABC," said Steve Orland, vice president and general manager, Los Angeles Broadcast Center for DIRECTV. "This subsystem is a strategic part of the LABC's technical infrastructure, and we're confident that HP will meet our needs for reliability, scalability and operating efficiency." When installation is complete, the HP MediaStream Broadcast Server subsystem will provide additional capacity and backup protection for the existing DIRECTV network, as well as allow for future expansion into new service offerings. Other benefits include guaranteed content delivery, reduced operational expenses typically associated with tape dubbing and transfer activities, and excellent chroma resolution and image quality made possible by HP's MPEG 4:2:2 compression technology. HP was the first company to offer broadcasters a full-featured, field-tested MPEG 4:2:2 compression solution. "DIRECTV's demand for high channel capacity, video and audio quality, system reliability and networking is a good match for the HP MediaStream solution," said Greg Hoberg, general manager for HP's Video Communications Division. "HP's expertise and leading technology can help DIRECTV further its position as the state-of-the-art provider of digital television." The new subsystem initially will offer more than 180 outputs (90 fully redundant pairs) and more than 1,000 hours of video storage, which can be expanded in the future. Each of the HP servers will be connected via HP's advanced fiber-channel networking, which is capable of delivering file-transfer rates of up to four times faster than "real time" (the play length of a video clip). HP's open-systems design and use of standard APIs also allow for seamless integration with other tape- and disc-based systems. More.......... newsalert.com