Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Son of SAN - Storage Networking Technologies -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neil S who wrote (845)	10/29/1998 9:28:00 AM
From: J Fieb	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4808

Neil, With the first of the big networkers announcing for FC things may get interesting soon. Where is that FC-Ethernet bridge? 3com will want a lot of those won't they? FC can you help these people.. Here is a PR piece on the build out of a new interactive cable service in the UK that is being built now. Note that Compaq won the video server part of the contract. Seems like SANs will be needed in all systems like this? NTL Selects DiviCom for New Interactive Cable System New Digital Broadcasting System Delivers Digital Video and Interactive Data Services for U.K. London - October 20, 1998 - DiviCom Inc. (Nasdaq: CUBE), a leading provider of compression systems and networking solutions for digital television, today announced that NTL has selected DiviCom to help launch its new digital video cable service. DiviCom will provide the compression, multiplexing and data transmission systems for the new digital cable network. NTL is a leading telecommunications services provider, offering residential cable telephony and television services for 25 percent of the U.K., covering more than 5.2 million homes. NTL's digital cable project is an innovative system designed to deliver television and interactive services to cable subscribers. In addition to high-quality video and CD-quality audio, interactive data services are to include web browsing, e-mail, chat, pay-per-view, games and home shopping. Digital broadcasting for NTL's cable system will be performed using DiviCom compression and transmission systems providing DVB-C compatible and DVB-RC television and data channels to and from the set-top box. "Adding new capabilities to our system required a vendor who understands digital cable and data services," said Jeremy Thorp, Group Managing Director for Digital Services at NTL. "DiviCom was able to deliver what we need: ATM networking, interactive set-top control and high-quality video." Based on the new InterSect™ interactive set-top controller system designed by DiviCom, interactive data services are to be provided over NTL's existing cable network infrastructure utilizing DAVIC-compatibleout-of-band return channels over Hybrid Fiber Coax networks. DAVIC is the Digital Audio-Visual Council, an international standards group focused on developing open interfaces and protocols that maximize interoperability across countries and applications/services. Using a centralized "Super Headend" concept, transmission of video, audio and interactive data services will be performed using asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) protocol. Signals are then distributed to NTL's regional cable franchises over NTL's national Synchronous Digital Hierarchy network. "This NTL project will provide the latest in digital cable services to U.K. subscribers," said Tom Lookabaugh, president of DiviCom. "We thank NTL for putting their confidence in our experience and giving us the opportunity to team with them." In addition to DiviCom, NTL's new digital cable system draws on products and services from a number of vendors. Other key suppliers include Pace Micro Technology (set-top boxes), PowerTV (middleware for the set-top box), ICL (interactive services and applications), Nagravision (conditional access), Lysis (master scheduler) and Compaq Computer Corporation (Near video-on-demand servers). As part of the system build-out, DiviCom engineers will integrate DiviCom hardware and software products with those from the above vendors to deliver a complete, end-to-end solution. About NTL NTL is the U.K.'s leading integrated communications company, offering alternative telecommunications solutions, broadcast and transmission services. NTL is listed on NASDAQ and EASDAQ and has its head office in Farnborough. NTL provides transmission and broadcast services for the whole of ITV, Channel 4, S4C, Channel 5 and most U.K. independent radio stations. The NTL group operates the U.K.'s most successful cable telephony and television company under the NTL CableTel brand from six regional businesses passing more than 2.2 million households and over 140,000 business customers. NTL is at the forefront of digital broadcast and telecommunications development, ensuring NTL business and consumer customers will be amongst the first to benefit from digital tech