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To: DiViT who wrote (35772)	9/9/1998 10:39:00 AM
From: BillyG	Respond to of 50808

Quadrant/Cube.......... eet.com The link has a diagram for techies. Quadrant touts modular software for digital audio/video solution By Junko Yoshida MALVERN, PA. - PC OEMs seeking a flexible way to implement high-quality DVD are considering the software- and hardware-based digital video and audio solutions of Quadrant International (QI), the company said. QI's algorithms, drivers, graphical user interfaces and applications software has already been incorporated into chips from C-Cube Microsystems, ATI Technologies and STMicroelectronics, and into PC systems from Dell Computer and Packard Bell/NEC. QI is not the only vendor offering software solutions to both chip and systems makers. CompCore Mutimedia, a part of Zoran Corp., and Mediamatics, owned by National Semiconductor, follow the same strategy. But a unique modular software architecture throughout QI's line separate the company from its competitors, said Mike Harris, chief technology officer and cofounder. "We have taken the object-oriented methodology very, very seriously," he said. Other vendors have specific algorithms to help chip companies design MPEG hardware. But QI has a number of functional solutions - MPEG-2 video, AC-3 or DVD Navigation - as independent software modules that can point to different hardware decoder chips or CPUs. So the software modules' portability and flexibility let PC OEMs choose different hardware, hardware-software or all-in-software configurations while maintaining DVD's look and feel. QI's product line includes Hardware CineMaster C.12, a hardware decoder card based on the C-Cube ZiVA DVD decoder chip; CineMaster LP, customer-specific hardware decoder module for laptops based on C-Cube's ZiVA-PC DVD decoder chip; Hardware CineMaster 3.0, the newest member of the CineMaster hardware, fully complies with Microsoft's PC98 (also based on the ZiVA-PC) and provides a highly integrated DVD playback where hardware decoding is needed; DVD Software Suite, including QI DVD Player, Navigator and drivers based on QI's modular architecture; and Software CineMaster, high-performance, all-software, which permits DVD video and DVD ROM decoding and playback on PCs running Windows. Five to seven top PC OEMs will incorporate QI's software DVD solutions in new products set for introduction this coming Christmas season, said Harris, who declined to name the vendors. QI is also preparing to leverage its modular software architecture for non-PC consumer systems such as standalone DVD players and set-top boxes, said Harris. "We can certainly port our software to embedded controllers as well. In fact, we already have our software module-based embedded consumer systems up and running in our lab," he said. QI hopes to show this technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next January. Applications for QI's software technologies will not be limited to DVD system implementation. The company plans to leverage its software designed to manage real-time stream feeds, expanding its product to include software solutions for DVB, DSS, HDTV and digital cable, Harris said.

To: DiViT who wrote (35772)	9/9/1998 11:47:00 AM
From: BillyG	Respond to of 50808

TVPC with DVD player now shipping for $799......... newsalert.com TVPC With DVD Now Shipping; Pre-Shipping Orders Now Exceeds 50,000 Units AUSTIN, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Ino Technologies TVPC is now shipping. This new convergence device of TV and PC or "living room PC" is available for sale directly from the companies web site at tvpc.com. Pre-release orders have exceeded 50,000 units. Mary Cavanaugh, co-founder of Ino Corp stated, "We are extremely pleased with our new product. We have been overwhelmed and surprised by the response from around the world, both from customers and the press. Due to interest outside of North America we delayed shipping the product by a couple of months as we decided to add an international version of the product. Consequently we are able to announce an international PAL version concurrently with the US NTSC version." Ms. Cavanaugh added, "50,000 orders before we even ship the product is somewhat overwhelming, although we don't anticipate a problem filling these orders." There are three versions of the TVPC; one model includes a DVD drive, a CDROM version and an international version with CDROM drive. Otherwise known as the "Living Room PC," the TVPC connects directly to a regular television, and unlike other so called living room devices, TVPC comes complete with a full function remote keyboard, large hard drive, and on one model, a DVD drive. Families can play PC games, access the Internet via the onboard 56k modem, watch DVD movies with surround sound, or use TVPC as a real PC. The TVPC comes in a smooth black finish to match home entertainment equipment and is no larger than a modern VCR. The front panel also includes a microphone, a suspend/resume function to power on the machine in less than two seconds and a floppy drive. All functions are also displayed on screen in a format similar to those found on modern TVs. With the TVPC, families can play games on a large screen TV, so they are transported right into a game's environment. Secondly, many children's titles look fantastic on a TV, in particular those based around animation. Parents concerned that their kids are having a solitary experience playing games on a PC, will be able to directly participate in their kids on-screen adventures. No more making the family huddle around a minuscule PC monitor. TVPC brings computing from the "stuck at the desk" era, to the "family room." Not only will families find themselves navigating through visually-rich, mind- challenging immersive experiences, they will also be able to connect with other gamers around the world via the Internet for multiple-player games. TVPC also includes CouchWare(TM), a unique software utility that makes the included Windows 98 OS (Operating System) perform better in a television environment. Keeping in mind that many families cannot afford a DVD machine or a PC, TVPC has been priced very aggressively at only $799. The CDROM version is only $599. Customers will also have the option to pay $199 up-front, with a monthly payment plan of only $29.95. This entry price point is similar to that charged by non-PC Internet only devices which is far more limited in function than TVPC. TVPC, the PC for the TV generation! About Ino Corp: Ino Corp was founded in Austin, Texas in 1997. Ino focuses on unique technology and content bundled around existing hardware platforms and the Internet. Press inquiries please to the attached telephone number. Sample machines are available for review. For further details on TVPC including FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), please visit our Web site: tvpc.com or call 512-302-1389. SOURCE Ino Corp /CONTACT: Jonathan Langley of Ino Corp, 512-302-1389/ ================================ TVPC specification. The PC for the TV Generation! 233 MHZ GX processor with MMX 2.1 GB Hard Drive 1.44 MB Floppy 24X DVD Drive. Plays DVD Movies, CDROM titles, and music CD's 32 MB of RAM 56k onboard data/fax modem TV outputs for composite, and S-Video. NTSC and PAL. Remote keyboard with mouse functions Windows98 OS and CouchWare tm proprietary software

To: DiViT who wrote (35772)	9/9/1998 4:58:00 PM
From: John Rieman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50808

Sony pushes DVD rentals. Disk-Man due on October 1............ twice.com Sony To Push DVD Disc Rental - -September 9, 1998 By Bob Gerson In a campaign to start late this month, Sony will promote DVD as a rental product in an eight-market joint effort with the home video arms of Warner and Columbia TriStar. Set to launch in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle, the promotion will offer 10 free rentals through participating video software specialty retails to purchasers of any Sony DVD player. The campaign, according to Sony DVD marketing VP Mike Fidler, is part of a broader program designed to expand the scope of the overall DVD market by offering new concepts to consumers. While DVD is considered to be primarily a sell-through software business, VHS video software rental transactions far exceed unit sales, Fidler said at a media briefing in New York. He cited VSDA figures showing that while consumers purchased some 635 million pre-recorded cassettes last year, they also engaged in 2.8 billion rentals. He said West Coast Video and Hollywood Video are among the major chains agreeing to participate in the campaign, and added that Sony, as well as the studios, will be providing dealers with extra promotional funds. The Sony announcement came on the heels of Blockbuster's revelation that it will be rolling DVD hardware, as well as software, rentals out to 500 stores this month, and that it expects the offer to be in all its outlets by year-end. It has been testing DVD software rentals in about 100 stores since April 1997. Initial roll-out markets include Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Richmond, Va., Salinas/Monterey, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. At start-up the outlets will stock 350 DVD rental and 150 sale titles as well as eight Philips-supplied DVD players. Blockbuster said DVD rentals will be priced the same as tape, while the players will be available for a rental not to exceed $14.99. Blockbuster also will offer DVDs for sale through its web site. In addition to its rental campaign, Sony has tied up with the Internet software sales and rental marketer NetFlix in a consumer purchase incentive effort, dubbed You Pick The Flix, that runs from October 1 through January 31. Buyers of Sony DVD players through conventional retailers will be able to order up to five free discs from NetFlix's 1,600-disc library, with the actual number depending on the Sony model purchased. In an extension of that tie, Sony will launch Sony Club DVD on the NetFlix site. Members will get exclusive offers and be able to participate in sweepstakes and give-away promotions staged by Sony and NetFlix. They also will receive a Sony newsletter covering the company's hardware and software products. Separately, Fidler announced Sony has started shipping its five-disc DVD/CD changer to dealers, and said, the unit is expected to retail for about $799. Purchasers will get a free copy of Sony Music's James Taylor Live DVD music video plus a copy of the artist's Hourglass CD. Due October 1, Fidler said, is a personal portable DVD package that includes Sony's screen-less DVD Discman portable and its Glasstron headset LCD TV display. The combo will carry a $1,299 suggested retail and come with a mail-in offer for a free carrying case. Also, coming in mid-to-late November is a new high-end remote surround sound DVD player (DVP-S7700), which can be hooked up to and control Sony's CDP CX220 200-disc CD changer. Suggested retail will be $1,199.