Here is the QNTM press release this morning. Hope people at the CC question them closely about digital VCRs. Seems to me that there could be a market for additional external drives that could be hooked onto the VCR for more storage beyond the 10-14 hours that are currently advertised. 10-14 hours isn't much for a recording junkie.
Quantum is First to Market With End-to-end
Storage Solution for Digital Video Applications
--Industry's first one-stop storage solution offers convenience
and reliability for digital video professionals--
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 1999-- --Booth demonstration at NAB conference, April 19-22,
Las Vegas, Booth S9359--
Quantum Corporation (Nasdaq/NMS:QNTM - news), a leader in computer storage technologies, is today exhibiting the
industry's first end-to-end storage solution for digital video professionals at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
trade show, being held this week in Las Vegas.
Quantum is the first company to offer a complete line of storage technology products for the digital video market. Its
solutions include a diverse product range -- from hard disk drives to solid state disks and tape drives that meet the high
performance and reliability requirements for today's digital audio and video applications.
With Quantum's one-stop digital video solution, customers have the convenience of working with a single, reputable vendor
for all of their storage needs. Quantum's storage solutions enable digital audio and video professionals to operate their
systems without interruption and to achieve the maximum level of performance. Furthermore, Quantum's reputation for
reliability means that digital video professionals can focus on developing innovative and creative productions, instead of
spending time worrying about the underlying system.
''At Waskul Entertainment, we've found that our productivity is directly related to our ability to store and retrieve data,'' said
Stephen Waskul, president, Waskul Entertainment. ''Quantum has played a major role in our success by providing us with
reliable storage technology that keeps our business up and running around the clock.''
''It's clear that with the explosive growth of the digital video, 3-D and content creation marketplace, there exists a critical
need for a one-stop, highly reliable storage solution for digital video professionals,'' said Tim Fondiller, marketing vice
president of Quantum's high end storage division. ''Quantum's storage technologies offer uncompromised quality and
industry-leading performance that complement a full range of audio, video and computer graphic applications.''
This week at NAB, Quantum is showcasing its storage products as an important part of several leading-edge applications
and production solutions. Demonstrations include:
-- Electronic cinema that plays back film resolution images at 24fps -- demonstrates how Quantum's Atlas(TM)
hard disk drives can be integrated into a Fibre Channel storage area network (SAN) to deliver sustained data
transfers greater than 200 megabytes per second. This solution will allow content creators to preview film
resolution files in real time.
-- High-Definition Video Capture and Playback -- shows a cost-effective method for capturing and playing back
uncompressed high-definition (HD720P) image files on a Silicon Graphics Inc. workstation, while also running a
variety of cutting-edge software applications like Alias/Wavefront's Composer and Maya. Quantum's new Atlas IV
low-voltage differential (LVD) hard disk drive and Rushmore(TM) solid state disks are incorporated into the
demonstration, which includes a Fibre Channel SAN moving data over long distances. This demonstration also
shows how producers can locate storage away from their studio workstations in order to reduce noise and heat.
-- Non-linear video editing systems -- demonstration features Quantum's Atlas hard disk drives delivering video
files across a Fibre Channel SAN to Media 100 non-linear video editing systems. This SAN solution can be used
as part of a real-world production environment that is similar to the ''direct attached storage'' model that many
content creators are already familiar with.
-- Ease-of-Use DLTtape(TM) demonstration -- shows, in a real-world production setting, how easy it is to use
DLTtape products to back up and restore digital content in its native, digital format.
-- Quantum QuickView(TM) digital recording and playback technology for Panasonic High-Definition Television
(HDTV) -- features the first demonstration of Quantum QuickView, which enables an HDTV receiver to record,
play and pause in multiple HD formats and to instantly and randomly access recorded content.
-- Quantum QuickView technology enabling personal television -- shows how Quantum QuickView digital
technologies give leading consumer electronics companies Replay Networks and TiVo Inc. new capabilities that
enable television viewers to record, store and playback their favorite programs quickly and easily.
As these demonstrations will show, Quantum's storage solutions offer the performance and reliability needed for today's
demanding digital audio and video applications. Following is an overview of Quantum's technologies for the audio and
digital video marketplace:
Quantum High-End Hard Drives
The Atlas family of hard disk drives is design-optimized for A/V and multimedia applications. The drives offer
performance enhancements, interruption-free sequential data transfers, and eliminate most causes for dropped frames. Up to
22 minutes of uncompressed broadcast quality video can be stored on an Atlas 36.4 gigabyte capacity drive, and the Atlas's
Ultra 160/m SCSI interface doubles peak I/O bandwidth when used with an Ultra 160/m controller as compared to the Ultra
II SCSI interface. Furthermore, Atlas drives are RAID-ready for demanding online video systems.
Quantum DLTtape Drives
DLTtape drives are the industry standard for digital video disc (DVD) professionals when transferring video content for
replication. DLTtape is also an ideal solution for storing uncompressed, high-resolution video files. Quantum's high-quality
tape drives lead the industry for speed and ease-of-use, and their rugged design ensures outstanding reliability. The
Quantum DLT 7000 tape drive is Quantum's most recent offering and can hold up to 58 hours of compressed MPeg video
files. The DLT 7000 product provides an industry-leading capacity of 70 gigabytes (GB) (compressed) and a sustained data
transfer rate of 10 megabytes (MB) (compressed)/second. Furthermore, DLTtape has a shelf life of 30 years, and provides
100 percent fidelity in the recorded signal over its entire life span.
Quantum Rushmore Solid State Disks
With access times up to 200 times faster than traditional disk drives, solid state disks (SSDs) offer the fastest storage
solutions on the market today. Quantum's Rushmore SSDs are the ideal solution for projects utilizing video clip
repositories, continuous video transmission, and on-demand video cache for non-linear editing. They take up no more space
in a workstation than a conventional 3.5'' or 5.25'' hard drive. With no spinning platters or seek times to slow them down,
and with Quantum's state-of-the-art DRAM technology, wait times totally disappear.
Quantum QuickView Digital Technologies
Quantum QuickView brings new capabilities to consumer electronics devices for the home with technology that can be
installed in TV set-top boxes, television sets, and digital VCRs. Quantum QuickView makes random access recording and
playback possible. So instead of a VCR winding its way through hundreds of feet of tape, Quantum QuickView enables
instant rewind, slow motion, even pause of live broadcast television.
As part of its focus on the digital video market, Quantum works closely with industry leaders in order to stay abreast of
real-world customer needs. Industry partners that will be featured in Quantum's booth at NAB include: Adobe,
Alias/Wavefront, American Power Conversion, Apogee Sound, Inc., Artbeats, Atomic Power, ATTO, Barco, Chaparral
Technologies, Eyewire, Finisar, Gadzoox, Interactive Effects, JNI, JVC Professional Products, Kingston Memory,
Kingston Storage Products, Media 100, Methode, Nstor, Panasonic, Prisa Networks, Replay Networks, Rhythm & Hues,
Sennheiser, Silicon Graphics, Stewart Filmscreen Corp., and TiVo.
Customers can learn more about Quantum's audio and digital video solutions at the NAB Conference (booth S9359) from
April 19 to 22. More information is also available for video and broadcast professionals at Quantum's web site,
www.quantum.com, and specific information pertaining to Quantum's digital video solutions can be found at
access.quantum.com.
About Quantum
Founded in 1980, Quantum Corporation (www.quantum.com) is a diversified mass storage company committed to
achieving customer satisfaction through high quality and reliability. Quantum is the highest volume global supplier of hard
disk drives for personal computers, a leading supplier of high capacity hard drives and the worldwide revenue leader among
all classes of tape drives. Quantum sells a broad range of storage products to OEM and distribution customers worldwide.
Quantum's sales for the fiscal year ending March 1998 were $5.8 billion.
Quantum, the Quantum logo, Rushmore, and QuickView are trademarks of Quantum Corporation, registered in the United
States and other countries. DLTtape and Atlas are trademarks of Quantum Corporation.
The foregoing statements regarding future technology, products incorporating that technology, the anticipated performance,
capabilities, applications, and estimated availability of future products, as well as the potential market acceptance and impact
of the new products are forward looking statements and actual results could vary. Factors which could affect actual results
include the success of the ongoing technology development efforts, the ability to successfully integrate new technology into
products in a cost-effective manner, the ability to successfully manufacture and distribute new products at sufficient volume,
quality and reasonable cost, the timing of new product introductions, the success of competing products and technologies,
and the significant uncertainty of market acceptance of new products.
Contact:
The Hoffman Agency
Vallee Bubak, 831/440-0338
valleeh@ix.netcom.com
or
The Hoffman Agency
Margaret Pereira, 408/975-3032
mpereira@hoffman.com |
