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Technology Stocks : Ampex Corporation (AEXCA) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ed Perry who wrote (3733)	11/3/1998 12:50:00 AM
From: flickerful	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17679

Philips LMS Announces New Service for Data Storage Peripherals COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. BUSINESS WIRE -- Nov. 2, 1998 -- Manufacturer to Offer Service Contract on Tape and Optical Drives Providing Customers the Expertise of Philips Trained, Certified Technicians Philips Laser Magnetic Storage announces Service Direct, a new program designed to support customer critical operations by offering quick, efficient factory direct technical service. The program, which was first introduced at FileNET's October UserNET Exhibit in San Francisco, benefits customers with data storage systems based on either Philips LMS optical or tape drives. Besides providing quick response by factory engineers and technicians to analyze potential hardware problems, Service Direct offers factory assistance to on-site maintenance providers and on-site factory engineering support, in-house maintenance training for maintenance personnel, media cleaning capability, media failure analysis, and Hot Swap capability on drive hardware field failures. Service Direct allows customers to choose from four levels of service coverage, each one offering fast response and expert troubleshooting up to seven days a week, 24 hours a day with the added benefit of having Philips trained maintenance technicians service Philips' products. "We can service our data storage systems better and more effectively than a technician from outside who is not familiar with our drive technology or has not been certified as a library technician," said Philips LMS quality director, Ron Koharik. "Our service technicians' knowledge base is enhanced through their constant awareness with product design improvements and manufacturing experience in our Colorado Springs factory." Why get into servicing? "Our customers, especially our library partners, asked us to," said Koharik. "We know what changes and improvements are being made to our drives. We're adding value to our third party partnerships because we can bring the latest product information directly to them. The objective is to have a fail proof system in the field. With Service Direct, we can do what it takes to make that happen." Also, says Koharik, the information technicians collect in the field provides Philips engineers valuable undiluted data that can often times help them see and correct a potential problem before it occurs. The beauty of Philips' Service Direct program is also in its flexibility. "Yes, we offer four levels of service, but if the four don't meet your specific needs, we'll create one that does," said Koharik. Koharik explains that the service contracts don't deal exclusively with drives - they deal with entire data storage systems. "Which is why our technicians are certified with our data storage library partners." Putting Service Direct into action is as easy as dialing a toll free number into Philips LMS Technical Support Center. The problem is evaluated and resolved or on-site repair is arranged. Each level of service coverage promises management of each incident for timeliness and closure as well as aid in coordinating and dispatching outside software support if requested. "There are times when the problem isn't the drive," said Gerald Lange, manager of technical services at Philips. "It may be a bug in the software or application that's affecting the operation of the drive. It's still an issue we're committed to helping our client resolve." What else does Service Direct provide? "Value to our customers," said Koharik. "Service Direct is competitively priced and, more importantly, it gives our customers a choice." Philips LMS is an ISO-9001 registered company. All service activities are performed in accordance with the ISO-9001 standard. For more information, call Philips LMS technical services at 719/593-7900 or 800/777-5674. Or visit the Philips LMS website at www.philipslms.com. Philips LMS, a division of Royal Philips Electronics, has been producing mass storage tape and optical products for over a decade. Its tape and optical products are available through major OEMs and authorized Value Added Reseller channels, providing the end-user with a versatile array of application solutions, finance options, and flexible maintenance support. -0- SAM/dx* CONTACT: PRACO, Ltd.

To: Ed Perry who wrote (3733)	11/3/1998 10:19:00 AM
From: Glenn Perry	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17679

>>>In a word Digital Video Television with Internet Delivery wireless cable packetized twisted copper or otherwise.<<< I think you've hit the nail on the head, Ed. All these details seem quite a coincidence to be occuring at the same time. With Ampex as quiet as a mouse about their real goal, one can only speculate - but based on the details we've seen - we can make an educated guess as to where they intend to be. Consider these facts: -The Micronet acquisition and subsequent abandoning of their lower-end products, and emphasis on the DataDock 7000 low-volume product line. -Their interest in a web hosting service. -The reduction in spending on new projects - and recent upgrade to capacity of DST equipment. -The Imagio press release. I don't think it's a coincidence that it included The Duck Corporation. Based on what Duck is working on (video compression) and has worked on in the past (Telus video-on-demand in Edmonton, Canada) it sure seems to fit in with what appears to be the goal of Ampex. The only missing piece is the current lack of bandwidth - a temporary problem. Multiple solutions to this bottleneck are being worked on aggrssively by many companies eager to reap the potential rewards. While we are all guessing here, there sure does appear to be something going on once you piece all these things together. They sure are tight-lipped about this. Perhaps they don't want to set off alarms for other companies with much deeper pockets to jump in front of their desired lead. Timing appears to be the key - once the infrastructure for delivery is in place, whoever is at bat will be the first to get a chance to hit a homer. Batter up!