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Technology Stocks : WavePhore (WAVO)- VBI fed WaveTop for WebTV -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Smilodon who wrote (2706)	5/11/1999 6:21:00 AM
From: TickerHound	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2843

Broadband Access Service To Turn On The TV By Karen J. Bannan May 10, 1999 2:28 PM ET While the industry focuses on broadband access as a delivery route for audio and video files and software, WavePhore, the developer of the WaveTop data delivery service, is looking at television. The company in late July is set to announce a service that will allow the broadcast of multimedia and software using the television virtual blanking interface (VBI). The service, called JamCast, is expected to let anyone with a PCTV card receive TV programming, movies, music and software without the need for an Internet connection. WavePhore also is designing an upgraded JamCast service for broadband customers using Internet Protocol (IP) multicasting, officials said. "Instead of having to go online to receive video and games, you'll turn on your PC and have it waiting for you," a company spokeswoman said. WavePhore plans to create an entertainment portal providing movie, music and television reviews and instant access to all the files broadcast to users. The portal also is expected to list a daily schedule of the service's downloads, so users can plan to watch programming as it's streaming down. It is anticipated that the free JamCast service will concentrate on video content, games and MP3 music files and will be supported by advertising and e-commerce. Much of what is broadcast is expected to be made available for later purchase, according to Patrick Ford, WavePhore's senior vice president of marketing and product development. "If you are going to make a $10 or $50 game or CD [compact disc] investment, you want to make sure that they are good," Ford said. "If they are good, the user can purchase them and keep them. It's a great service for the consumer because it doesn't cost them anything." JamCast is expected to let users set parameters for downloads. For example, if someone likes only rock and alternative music, he or she can set the service to download only MP3 files that fall into those categories, Ford said. This will be especially useful, he said, since JamCast is set to broadcast up to 200 megabytes of data to users every day. The content is intended to be delivered to the user's cache and overwritten daily, keeping system requirements to a minimum. The company plans to use the Public Broadcasting Service's VBI to broadcast JamCast. WavePhore currently uses the PBS VBI to send its WaveTop information broadcasts to users, Ford said. The IP multicasting component should become available as Internet and broadband service providers begin supporting the technology.