VHF logo - dbai.tuwien.ac.at · Web viewSystem of Integrated Tools for the Creation of Multimedia Contents Delivered Off-line and On-line. Classification: Deliverable 1.3. Title:

ESPRIT Project 25652 SIT-MOON

SIT-MOON: ESPRIT PROJECT 25652

System of Integrated Tools for the Creation of

Multimedia Contents Delivered Off-line and On-line

Classification: Deliverable 1.3Title: Permanent Observation Task

Creation date: 10.Nov.97Release date: 30.Mar.98

Author(s): Herzog,TUWStatus: released

Access Rights: restrictedVersion: 01.03Work Package: WP1Filename: document.docAuthority: TU WienDistribution: SIT-MOON consortium,

EC commission

SIT-MOON Permanent Observation of the Market 1


Abstract

This document gives an overview of the latest technical and market developments in the field of multimedia publishing. Important new developments are pointed out and possible changes to the project strategies are indicated. The structure and topics of the report are as follows:

· Digital media· Media editing tools· Multimedia authoring tools· Multimedia archive solutions· Multimedia distribution channels



Table of Contents1. DOCUMENT CONTROL INFORMATION

1.1 CHANGE HISTORY1.2 DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE1.3 SCOPE

2. GENERAL

2.1 INTRODUCTION2.2 TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS USED

3. OBSERVATION STRATEGY

3.1 WHAT WE OBSERVE3.2 HOW WE OBSERVE3.3 WHERE WE OBSERVE3.3.1 CORPORATE WEB SITES:3.3.2 PROFESSIONAL WEB SITES:3.3.3 JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES:3.3.4 ONLINE NEWS SITES:3.3.5 NEWSGROUPS AND FAQS3.3.6 CONFERENCES, FAIRS, AND EXHIBITIONS

4. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

4.1 DIGITAL MEDIA4.2 MEDIA EDITING TOOLS4.3 MULTIMEDIA AUTHORING TOOLS4.4 MULTIMEDIA ARCHIVE SOLUTIONS4.5 MULTIMEDIA DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS

5. DIGITAL MEDIA

5.1 FRAMEWORKS FOR DIGITAL MEDIA DATA5.2 COMPRESSION SCHEMES5.3 ENCODING AND TRANSCODING OF MEDIA DATA5.3.1 LIGOS LSX-MPEG-1/MPEG-2 SOFTWARE ENCODER

6. MEDIA EDITING TOOLS

6.1 TEXT6.2 IMAGES6.3 AUDIO6.4 VIDEO

7. MULTIMEDIA AUTHORING TOOL



7.1 AUTHORING TOOLS FOR ON-LINE DELIVERY7.1.1 FRONTPAGE 987.1.2 NETOBJECTS FUSION 3.07.1.3 MACROMEDIA DREAMWEAVER7.1.4 DRUMBEAT7.1.5 INFORMIX DATA DIRECTOR FOR WEB7.2 AUTHORING TOOLS FOR OFF-LINE DELIVERY7.2.1 SONIC DVD AUTHORING SYSTEM

8. MULTIMEDIA ARCHIVE SOLUTIONS

9. MULTIMEDIA DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS

9.1 ON-LINE DISTRIBUTION9.1.1 ADSL/HDSL9.1.2 CABLE MODEM9.1.3 ATM9.1.4 GIGABIT ETHERNET9.2 OFF-LINE DISTRIBUTION9.2.1 CD-ROM9.2.2 DVD



1Document Control information

1.1Change history Index created 10th of November 1997

1.2Document cross reference 1. System of Integrated Tools for the Creation of Multimedia Contents Delivered Off-line and On-

line - Esprit Project No. 25652 Technical Annex

1.3Scope This deliverable covers task 1.3 of WP1, started 01.09.1997, ending 28.02.1998Responsible partner: TUW. Involved partners: ROB, SIE

2General

2.1Introduction The period covered in this report ranges from September 1997 to March 1998. There has been a continuous update on the content. Please refer to the dates given at the individual news items. We have not identified any new developments that could cause risk to the project. In contrast new achievements in the media domain fit into the overall strategy of the project.

2.2Terms and abbreviations used

ARI AristaED4 EDIT 4PAN Pan-VerlagPMI Politecnico MilanoROB RobotikerSIE SiemensTUW TU-Wien



3Observation Strategy

3.1What we observe

Within this document we observe the latest technological development in the domain of digital audio, video, and multimedia production and its influence on the project. We will observe the market trends for multimedia content products (e.g. CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Web) and multimedia production tools. We will also observe standards bodies and developments in standardisation procedures related to topic of the project.

3.2How we observe

The report is an informal collection of news items, press releases and other information material related to the objectives of the project. The purpose is to compile an internal newsletter which will be distributed to all partners and will serve as common ground for technological decisions taken during technical meetings. This report is an open forum where all partners can contribute. We also comment on individual postings where applicable.

3.3Where we observe

We will take all possible sources of information into account. The following is a list of the most relevant sources.

3.3.1Corporate Web Sites: · Adobe· Apple· Macromedia· Microsoft· Symantec

3.3.2Professional Web Sites: · DVD Forum http://www.dvdforum.org/· MPEG http://www.mpeg.org/

3.3.3Journals and Magazines: · AV Video and Multimedia Producer: http://www.kipinet.com/av_mmp/· DV Magazine http://www.dv.com/· New Media Magazine http://www.newmedia.com/· Emedia Professional http://www.onlineinc.com/emedia/index.html

3.3.4Online News Sites: · Business Wire: http://www.businesswire.com/· C|net: http://www.news.com/· ETHOS News: http://www.tagish.co.uk/ethos/news/default.html· The Electronics Design, Technology, and News Network: http://www.edtn.com/· DVD Digital Domain http://www.dvddigital.com/



3.3.5Newsgroups and FAQs · DVD FAQ http://www.videodiscovery.com/vdyweb/dvd/dvdfaq.html

3.3.6Conferences, Fairs, and Exhibitions

4Executive Summary

4.1Digital Media

The most interesting fact throughout the last period was the adoption of the Apple’s QuickTime file format as standard content „container“ through the ISO for the upcoming MPEG-4 specification. This format will be of interest for all low-bandwith multimedia applications using digital video and audio streams, i.e. typically web-based applications. The MPEG-4 standard is expected by January 1999. Through the adoption QuickTime compliant applications are likely to support MPEG-4.At the same time Apple has released QuickTime 3.0 with support for AVI and DV media formats. Also included in the new version is a new video compression technology from Sorenson that promises scalability form 2 to 200 KByte/s.Ligos LSX-MPEG provides MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 software encoders taking AVI files as input.DVD Cards with MPEG-2 hardware decoder will snap on Intel i740 3-D graphic processors.

Þ SIT-MOON will support MPEG-2 on the short hand and MPEG-4 (when released) in the long run. The development of the DV format for consumer products and its market penetration has to be observed.

4.2Media Editing Tools

Quark has released a new version of its QuarkXPress page layout software.Adobe has released version 5 of its Photoshop software.

Þ The consortium will consider standard applications as media editing tools. The interface for the integration with the CARAT system has to take into account the evolution of those applications and the impact on the interface.

4.3Multimedia Authoring Tools

Microsoft has released Frontpage 98. NetObjects Inc. announced a new version of NetObjects Fusion. Macromedia Dreamweaver sets standards for dynamic HTML, but lacks site management functionality. Drumbeat from Elemental Software is strong in database connectivity

Þ All tools mentioned will be taken into account regarding possible integration into the SIT-MOON environment.

Sonic has released the final configuration of DVD Creator, a system for the authoring and premastering of DVD titles, adopting the standard MPEG-2 for video and AC-3 for audio. DVD Creator has a complete compatibility with Director 6 files and it's possibile import entire projects in the authoring enviroment for premastering. For DVD premastering, the DLT (Digital Liner Tape)



format is recommended. DLT 2000, DLT 2000xt, and DLT4000 mechanism are compatible with the system. Sonic recommends to use DLT Tape Type III Media to ensure compatibility with DVD manifacturing facilities.

4.4Multimedia Archive Solutions

Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG and SAT.1 GmbH have agreed to join forces in setting up the first digital video archive in the German-speaking world. The planned storage capacity is one Petabyte (that is 1015 , or a billion million bytes). The archive is scheduled to commence operations in mid-1999.

Informix announced to build Digital Media Library for RAI (Radio Televisione Italiana) using using Informix database technology. The digital media catalog within RAI's audiovisual library allows users to search TV and radio programs by criteria such as type, title, participant, keyword, date, and other significant information. Through its customized graphic interface and automated documentation system, the RAI catalog provides rapid access to complete information on an entire broadcast program or broadcast segments.

Mediaware Solutions brings digital media processing to MPEG archives held in databases. dbFlix is soon to be released and works together with WebFlix to provide advanced MPEG asset analysis, scene change detection, intelligent MPEG navigation and editing capabilities.

4.5Multimedia Distribution Channels

For on-line distribution channels two terrestrial technologies are at the moment competing for market share: cable modem access and DSL (digital subscriber line), the former pushed by cable companies, the latter by telcos. Cable on the MCNS standard will provide faster service (30-40 Mbit/s) than DSL (1.5 Mbit/s) or ADSL (9Mbit/s) but will be more expensive due to heavy investment needs in two-way cable connectivity. Cable is targeted on the home-user market (entertainment, downstream consumer) whilst (A)DSL will serve the business customers.

Satellite communication is of interest for digital video broadcasting (DVB) and in the near future also for multimedia content delivery to the home user. For multimedia an accompanying up-link channel has to provided for the only down-stream satellite communication to allow for interactive multimedia applications.

For off-line distribution the market will see the change from CD-ROM to DVD-ROM based products. The introduction of DVD on the European market was rather cumbersome due to problems with the PAL system and confusions with the DVD standards and copyright protection mechanism. Nevertheless the market is expected to boost in 1998. CD-ROM production is expected to rise until the year 2000, afterwards it will be replaced by DVD products. In the year 2003 DVD and CD-ROM products will account for a 100 billion ECU global market with a DVD share of 85%.

Þ The trend of exponential rise in digital media information (both in terms of bandwith and storage capacities) rises the need for effective media management environments like SIT-MOON. The integration of editing and authoring tools is vital for the exploitation of the archive content.



5Digital Media

5.1Frameworks for Digital Media Data

5.1.1.1ISO to adopt Apple format http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,19055,00.htmlBy Jim DavisStaff Writer, CNET NEWS.COMFebruary 11, 1998, 12:55 p.m. PT

update Apple Computer's (AAPL) QuickTime technology for multimedia playback and authoring will be used as the foundation for a new generation of interactive content, a move that will likely help cement Apple's favored place among multimedia producers.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a major standards-setting body, has adopted a proposal by Apple, IBM, Netscape Communications, Oracle, Silicon Graphics, and Sun Microsystems to utilize Apple's QuickTime File Format for the MPEG-4 specification.

MPEG-4 is an emerging digital media standard currently being defined by ISO's Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) that will enable users to view and manipulate audio, video, and other forms of digital content. MPEG-2 is the current standard for playback of full-motion video for DVD (digital versatile disc) and other media.

By using the QuickTime file format as the starting point for an MPEG-4 standard, all digital media content can be authored in a common file format that also supports real-time video and audio streaming, according to authors of the proposal. This digital stream can then be delivered over the Internet and corporate networks or broadcast directly into the home, Apple said.

"They've found the container that can hold MPEG-4 content," says Stephan Somogyi, principal of consultancy Gyroscope. "It's a feather in Apple's cap, but it doesn't tell us how MPEG-4 [works]," he says. The method for compressing large amounts of data into manageable sizes that can be transmitted over a variety of networks, for one, has yet to be settled upon.

Apple is not likely to gain a large amount of revenue as a result of the announcement. It said it has not settled on plans to license QuickTime technology, but "Companies



are obligated [by the ISO] to license on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms," said an Apple spokesperson.

"This is not particularly viewed as a fundamental foundation for a large money-making venture," the spokesperson said. The real benefit for Apple is that the majority of existing hardware, software, and digital content will likely be able to work with this next-generation version of MPEG, thus allowing current customers in the content and publishing markets to stay with the company's products.

And while an MPEG-4 standard is not expected until January 1999, the use of a standard content "container" has important implications for multimedia and video producers, analysts say.

"What this [announcement] allows for is more rapid creation of tools and content [that use MPEG-4]," said Ralph Rogers, principal multimedia analyst with Dataquest.

The use of MPEG-4 as a standard playback environment will allow for new kinds of interactive content, according to Dataquest's Rogers. Multimedia and video producers will find it easier to distribute content to a variety of platforms, including digital TV, the Internet, PCs, and DVD discs, he says.

5.1.1.2Apple previews QuickTime 3.0 By Jim DavisStaff Writer, CNET NEWS.COMDecember 1, 1997, 2:30 p.m. PT

Apple Computer (AAPL) is giving software developers a first look at QuickTime 3.0, a much-anticipated revision of popular multimedia software that allows, for the first time, creation of content while using Microsoft's Windows operating system.

Previous versions of Apple's QuickTime only allowed playback of QuickTime files on Windows, not actual content development, meaning this new capability could make QuickTime even more popular among software developers. On the downside, the new Windows authoring strategy might encourage developers to use PCs over Macintoshes, but Apple remains confident that content producers already using Macs will stay with the platform.



Apple's release of QuickTime 3.0 comes on the same day that Microsoft announced the release of its DirectX Media 5.1 software development kit. (See related story)

"QuickTime is a little more advanced and time-tested [than DirectX Media]," said Ralph Rogers, principal analyst for multimedia technologies at Dataquest. "[Apple has] put in the water line and all you have to do is hook the sink up," he added, noting the Microsoft software only offers the basic building blocks for creation of multimedia content.

Microsoft's DirectX is a collection of controls which programmers use to communicate with PC hardware. For those features of DirectX that compete against those offered by QuickTime, Apple still has the technology edge, according to analysts.

More than it did in the past, QuickTime 3.0 incorporates features that are clearly superior to Windows APIs (application programming interfaces), according to Rogers. As an example, Rogers pointed to QuickTime 3.0's "sound manager" technology, which gives developers the ability to play multiple sound tracks. Incorporating this would be very difficult without Apple's technology.

The new QuickTime 3.0 technology offers support for several new digital media technologies including a commonly used full-motion Windows video standard called AVI, and DV, a format used by new digital video cameras.

The support for a broad array of content types means QuickTime-ready software--Adobe Premiere and Macromedia Director, for example--can manipulate many kinds of data on different computer systems.

"The most significant aspect of QuickTime is the fact that the Windows and the Mac versions are feature-equivalent now. Before, [developers] didn't have the same authoring capabilities on both platforms," said Stephan Somogyi, principal of technology consultancy, Gyroscope. "This makes it easier for end users and content creators to use QuickTime."

Apple is planning on extending QuickTime features, too. At a recent industry conference, Apple said it intends to give users the ability to apply different special effects to a video clip in real time. The company is also adding the



ability in QuickTime VR (for virtual reality) scenes to "stitch" a series of photos together automatically to quickly build a 360-degree view of an environment.

The final release of QuickTime 3.0 for the general public is expected to be ready in January of 1998, according to Apple.

5.2Compression Schemes

5.2.1.1Apple Licenses Sorenson Vision's Leading Video Technology for QuickTime 3.0http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1998/q2/980106.pr.rel.sorenson.html

Innovative Video Technology to Provide Increased Clarity for Internet and CD-ROM

MACWORLD/EXPO, SAN FRANCISCO--Jan. 6, 1998--Apple Computer, Inc. announced today that it has licensed a breakthrough new video technology from Sorenson Vision, Inc. The Sorenson Video technology will be included in QuickTime 3.0, the latest version of the Company's award-winning, industry standard software architecture for creating and publishing digital media for Mac OS and Windows. Sorenson's software represents a quantum leap in picture quality for desktop video.

QuickTime Movies comprise over 50 percent of the video content found on the Internet, according to New Media magazine. By incorporating a number of state-of-the-art technologies, Sorenson delivers significantly increased clarity and crispness for low bit-rate and high motion desktop video. The Sorenson video compression technology redefines video compression for CD-ROM or the Internet and is scalable from 2 to 200KBytes/s, providing great results whether publishing to a 28.8kbps modem or to a CD-ROM.

Sorenson provides QuickTime with its first major video leap since it set a precedent with the integration of industry-leading Cinepak, released in 1992. The combination of Sorenson Video and QuickTime will enable Internet media viewers to access a broader variety of high quality, low data rate content while ensuring authors their video will be presented consistently, regardless of the system or web browser being used to view it. Sorenson's software solution allows for a video data transmission rate of up to 30 frames per second, delivering multimedia projects with unprecedented speed and clarity of resolution.

"QuickTime has become an industry standard by providing the highest-quality digital video available," said Jim Gable, vice president of Software Product Marketing, Apple Computer, Inc. "With the integration of Sorenson's ground-breaking technology, anyone from a



casual Web publisher to a sophisticated multimedia professional can leverage the power and ubiquity of the Internet by delivering the highest quality video possible."

"Sorenson Vision chose to work first in QuickTime because of its unquestioned dominance as the multimedia development tool," said Ray Brooksby vice-president of sales and marketing, Sorenson Vision. "As a new, small company with limited resources, we don't have time to create versions of our technology for every "fad" multimedia architecture. Apple's QuickTime 3.0 will deliver to every multimedia market, and we're proud to be a permanent part of it."

"Sorenson Video, in conjunction with Apple's QuickTime 3.0, is poised to redefine the multimedia desktop video market," said Darren Giles, director of technology, Terran Interactive. "This technology combination provides for superior quality at low data rates, ensuring QuickTime remains the industry-leading video architecture."

The latest QuickTime 3.0 Developer Preview Release integrating Sorenson Video is available for immediate download at http://www.quicktime.apple.com/preview/.

QuickTime: The Foundation for Digital Media Creation and Publishing First released in 1991, QuickTime is the recognized leader in software technology for the creation and delivery of multimedia content. QuickTime is used for professional video editing, website creation, CD-ROM development, and the creation of animation content.QuickTime 3.0 has already won several industry awards including Videography's National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) '97 Editors' Choice Award, Television Broadcast Magazine's NAB Editors' Pick of Show Award and New Media's Hyper Award for System Software.

QuickTime 3.0 is significant as it brings the full power of QuickTime--including the ability to capture, edit, compress, process, and playback digital media--for the first time to all major personal computer platforms, including Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 7.x, Windows 95 and Windows NT.

5.3Encoding and Transcoding of Media Data

5.3.1Ligos LSX-MPEG-1/MPEG-2 Software Encoder http://www.ligos.com/products/lproducta.htm

Ligos Technology's LSX-MPEG Encoder is the highest quality MPEG-1/ MPEG-2 Software Encoder available today. It provides fast encoding speeds, small files sizes, low data rates and variable output formats.

LSX-MPEG Encoder has a simple, intuitive interface providing access to special modes and custom-tailored applications.



Ligos Technology’s unique motion estimation algorithm provides the LSX-MPEG Encoder with complete optimization. While maintaining smaller file sizes and lower data rates, the LSX-MPEG encoder utilizes Intel’s MMXtm technology to provide the highest quality, fastest encoding possible.

A fully scaleable, video compression technology which enables real-time, cost effective implementation of video online, the LSX-MPEG encoder is the ultimate software conversion tool for Internet and CD-ROM applications. From novice developers to professional content providers, the LSX-MPEG Encoder is the answer.

5.3.1.1DVD cards from C-Cube, Zoran snap onto i740 boardshttp://techweb.cmp.com/eet/news/98/994news/dvd.html

By Junko Yoshida and Anthony Cataldo SAN JOSE, Calif. -- MPEG-2 chip makers are ready to leap on the bandwagon of Intel Corp.'s i740 3-D graphics processor with multimedia add-ons, some of which will be launched next week.

MPEG-2 chips from C-Cube Microsystems Inc. (Milpitas, Calif.) and Zoran Corp. (Santa Clara, Calif.) will link to the i740 via a Video Module Interface consisting of a video and host port, which is designed to enable DVD, TV, Intercast and video capture. A digital interface--dubbed CCIR601--is the primary capture standard.

Both Zoran and C-Cube have worked closely with Intel over the past several months to ensure their DVD daughtercards can gluelessly snap onto Intel's i740-based 2-D/3-D graphics boards. In addition, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems (Newport Beach, Calif.) hopes to include its new Bt869 video-out and Bt829 video-in devices on the boards, and Hauppauge Computer Works (Hauppauge, N.Y.) hopes to place its TV tuner chips on i740 adapters or daughtercards.

C-Cube and Zoran provide their own hardware-based MPEG-2 audio/video decoder ICs to their respective cards, but their solutions offer diverging design options and road maps for OEMs.

Approaching the under-$1,000 PC market from two directions at once, C-Cube will hit next week's Intel Developers Forum here with a DVD daughterboard, and will follow it with a single-chip MPEG-2 encode/decode IC, which is touted as a key to VCR-like TV recording capability for a PC.

Zoran's daughtercard, meanwhile, offers an option of software DVD audio decoding for PC OEMs. Though the company's Vaddis chip can provide MPEG-2 audio and video decoding in hardware when used on a DVD daughtercard, Zoran wants to give OEMs the option of using its hybrid software/ hardware decoding solutions.

Both daughtercard designs consist of a hardwired MPEG-2 audio/video decoder IC,



a 27-MHz oscillator and memory: four units of 4-Mbit EDO DRAM in C-Cube's card and a 16-Mbit SDRAM in Zoran's.

6Media Editing Tools

6.1Text

www.quark.comQuark has released the new version of the famous page layout program: QuarkXPress 4.0. With the introduction of bezier curves, the possibility of converting text in boxes (paths), management of entires books separated in chapters, the automatic creation of indexes, and other again, the distance with the competitors is yet large. Only Adobe PageMaker is a valid competitor, with the possibility of direct creation of PDF files or automatic generation of HTML Web pages, but the publishing world has choosed QuarkXPress as a standard, on Macintosh and on Windows.

6.2Images

www.adobe.com Adobe Inc., announces the new release of Photoshop - version 5 - that increases the number of undos, increases the import and export capabilities, increases the quality of color management, automatizes some operation like drop shadow or bevel and introduces other useful functions. Adobe consolidate the supremacy of this application in the image editing market. The final release is announced before holidays.

6.3Audio

6.4Video

7Multimedia Authoring Tool

7.1Authoring Tools for On-line Delivery

In this chapter the most important novelties and developments in the field of HTML editors will be presented. Since the trend for WYSIWYG tools is to incorporate a text based HTML editor the analysis will be mainly WYSIWYG focused.

7.1.1FrontPage 98

In December of 1997 Microsoft has released FrontPage 98´s definitive version. The version previously evaluated was a pre-release version but there were no significant differences. The definitive version has increased the number of templates and themes that can be used to create a web easily.



In the pre-release version an SDK for Frontpage 97 SDK was included in order to extend the capabilities of the editor. In the release version Frontpage 98 SDK is available. This SDK increases the funcionalities of the previous version of the SDK and is more deeply documented.

FrontPage is available in retail stores for an introductory price of $149. Current users of older versions of the product can purchase an upgrade for approximately $54.95. In conjunction with the general release of the product Microsoft has reported that a number of ISPs will offer free Web hosting services to FrontPage users.

In the final release the main improvement is in its SDK which makes easiest to add new features through an standarized programming interface.

7.1.2NetObjects Fusion 3.0

NetObjects Inc. has announced that a new version of NetObjects Fusion, named NetOjects Fusion 3.0 for Windows 95/NT will be available on March, 1998. This new version will add more than 150 new features to the previous version.

The main improvements of the tool will be in the field of flexibility. The new version will permit the integration of external HTML and content tools. It will be possible to edit HTML through the graphical editor, a new text based editor or trough external tools that won’t modify the original code.

Additionally it will be possible to create and publish one site with 4.0 browser that works correctly in both Navigator 4.0 and IE 4.0, and in 3.0 and 2.0 browsers as well. It will be possible to add custom scripts or tags, including .jsb, .js.htm and .cgi to any page.

A new tool is added called Dynamic Actions to create interactive effects and animations based on JavaScript trough a visual, message-based environment. Finally NetObjects will provide new components for Database publishing and commerce capabilities. Still there are now news of an SDK that could be used to add new capabilities to the tool.

When the tool releases in March, 1998 it will be available at a recommended price of £199.

This new version will solve the problems of slow preview and CSS unsupported, but it is ignored if new steps in the path of extensibility will be taken.

7.1.3Macromedia Dreamweaver

The version previously evaluated of Dreamweaver was a pre-release. In December the final version was launched. This one doesn’t differ from the evaluated version, but new tools have been added to improve functionality. These tools are:

· Beatnik for Dreamweaver that allows web authors to add high-quality interactive music and sound to their web sites using Rich Music Format(RMF) audio, all from within the Dreamweaver authoring environment.



· AfterShock Flash Player Java Edition that helps designers publish finished Flash movies on the web by generating HTML for all browsers and platforms, detecting the capabilities of browsers, and generating alternate media, like GIFs.

In the final release the range of accepted Multimedia File format has grown, but this tool still lacks the ability to manage web sites, and the developing interface is not completely clear.

7.1.4Drumbeat

Drumbeat from Elemental Software is actually in its Version 1.0 but a new version, Drumbeat 2.0, will be released in short. Drumbeat 1.0 can be adquired at a prize of $599.

This tools provides all the functions expected in visual applications, including page and site design, but also adds content management, JavaScript development and database access. Creating Web pages with Drumbeat is simply a matter of dragging and dropping elements from either Media Palette or the Element Palette into the Layout Area. The Media Palette organizes your text, graphics and multimedia content into virtual folders. The Element Palette holds prepackaged components in the form of JavaScript, Java Applets, ActiveX controls, and plug-ins. You can add new and custom-built components with the Component Center.

Drumbeat also lets you create sites from a database by simply dragging a server element onto the layout and identifying the database to use. Drumbeat automatically generates the server-side JavaScript, and it also features an SQL Builder wizard, so you can create custom queries to the database. It only supports Netscape’s Enterprise Server 3.0, but Elemental plans to add support for Microsoft’s ASPs by the end of the year.

This tool is quite promising, and it should be considered in the future to see how it evolves in future versions.

7.1.5Informix Data Director for Web

7.1.5.1Real Fans Sports Network Selects Informix for Real-Time Web Publishing of Sports Information BW0028 DEC 10,1997 5:01 PACIFIC 08:01 EASTERN

Business Editors and Computer/Sports Writers

Popular Sports Web Network Uses Informix Dynamic Server To Realize Significant Savings in Server and Staffing Overhead

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 1997-- Informix Software, Inc., (NASDAQ:IFMX), a leading provider of innovative database technology, today announced that Real Fans Sports Network has selected Informix Dynamic Server(TM) with the Web Integration Option(TM) and Universal Data Option(TM) as the database solution for its comprehensive Web-based sports information, news and statistics sites. The Informix solution has enabled Real Fans Sports Network, a production of AOL Studios, to increase the depth and breadth of its sites' content, to add 9 sites to its network and to manage a morethan 50% increase in traffic while keeping staff to a minimum. Real Fans is one of the



Internet's most popular sports destinations, and offers an unparalleled amount of sports information to fans on America Online, Keyword: Fans, and on the Internet: www.realfans.com ."We were looking for a solution that would enable us to add several sites to our sports network without adding the significant overhead that a typical Web server model required," stated Gary Heusner, director of technology at Real Fans Sport Network. "We needed a database-oriented solution that would enable us to get information from the news wires and into the system fast, and then out to users instantly as formatted HTML data. And once built, it had to be easy to maintain and manage given our steep growth curve."Heusner added, "We evaluated several options, and chose the Informix database with Web Integration Option and Universal Data Option since it was the only technology available to meet ourneeds. With our Informix database solution, we have dramatically reduced our workload by about 50%. We've also been able to increase the information available on each site by 150%." Real Fans uses Universal Data Option in conjunction with Web Integration Option to dynamically construct HTML pages of its Internet sites from pre-built templates. The site is run from three front-end servers, each of which, maintains a continuous logical connection to the database itself, residing on a single back-end server. Using Informix's technology throughout has enabled Real Fans to avoid having to replicate data across different front-end servers, and has eliminated the CGI overhead that a traditional system of this type would entail.

Instant, Efficient Web Database Publishing

Universal Data Option and Web Integration Option enables Real Fans to dynamically serve customized up-to-the-minute data on over 450 different teams to thousands of users, with minimumHTML coding and site maintenance. The site contains the latest sports headlines for professional baseball and hockey, and professional and college football and basketball. By locating all of the data, as well as the application logic within the Informix database, and using the Web Integration Option to access and format the data as it is requested by users, Real Fans has been able to reduce the number of Web pages it designs to a minimum, while keeping the design and layout of each page extremely flexible. Real Fans uses the Informix solution to create pre-built "templates" which means, for example, that only one page layout is needed for 300 college basketball teams, instead of 300 different HTML pages. Individual pages are then updated simply by modifying an object in the database. The result: instantaneous display of complex, custom sports information in an engaging and lively format.

7.1.5.2Informix Ships Open Web Application Development Environment for Dynamic Web Authoring BW0027 DEC 10,1997 5:00 PACIFIC 08:00 EASTERN

Business Editors and Computer WritersMENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 1997--

Informix Data Director for Web Enables Developers to Build and Manage Enterprise-wide Web Applications within a Single Repository. Informix Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:IFMX), the leading provider of innovative database technology, today announced the availability of Data Director for Web, an easy to use Web application development environment used for developing highly optimized Informix Dynamic Server Web applications. Informix Data Director for Web makes it



easier for database and Web developers to create Web applications and manage their Web site content within a single Informix database repository. Tightly integrated with the Informix Web Integration Option for Informix Dynamic Server, Data Director for Web provides sophisticated project and content management capabilities that allow entire teams to collaborate on one or many development projects, simultaneously. The product also provides a simple, Windows-based graphically enhanced drag-and-drop interface for authoring and designing Web pages. Data Director for Web ensures optimal integration with the enterprise, making it ideally suited fordeveloping sophisticated Web applications that combine automated and dynamic Web publishing with mission critical transaction processing. Data Director for Web also allows developers to work with leading third-party tools such as Haht's Haht Site, Microsoft InterDev, Microsoft FrontPage, Netscape Composer, Allaire Cold Fusion, and Hot Dog by Sausage for rapid application Web page development and native Informix Dynamic Serverintegration. "At Fort Point, the development tool of choice for database-driven Web sites is Informix's Data Director for Web," said Michael Carrier, vice president of technology for Fort Point Partners, a leader in the planning and development of Web commerce and extranet applications. "We use it because our developers are twice as productive using this tool. With Data Director we can build applications more quickly and at the same time control all the content that makes up largecommercial Web sites for our clients such as Egghead Computer, THE GAP, and Moore Corporation." The combination of Web Integration Option, and Data Director for Web allows developers to take full advantage of Informix's Dynamic Scalable Architecture (DSA) server technology to manage all Web content and application logic for increased manageability, security and accuracy. Informix-based Web application solutions allow entire Web applications to be stored in the Informix database, including Web page templates and site content. Organizations can also manage and publish all types of content that make the Web compelling: text, audio, images and video, spatial and time-series data and more, utilizing Informix's DataBlade Technology.

Increased Manageability, Security and Flexibility

Informix Data Director for Web is the ideal development environment for building database-enhanced applications, offering many advanced features and functionality for rapid application prototyping and for development of application pages, or "AppPages." AppPages are pages that combine Web and database calls to allow simple dynamic page generation in Informix Dynamic Server using nothing but standard open languages like SQL and HTML. The Site Manager feature allows developers to import and group content by projects and content types from existing file system-based Web sites. It also supports "staging" -- the production of the Web site across development to production databases and Web servers. The Site Manager allows developers to organize, edit and view Web content by project or file type and provides resource-locking and version-numbering to enable multiple developers to simultaneously work on the same Web site. The AppPage Editor provides a simple, Windows-based graphically enhanced interface for authoring and designing AppPages. The AppPage Editor combines wizard technology, dialogs, a drag-and-drop interface, color-coded HTML, previewing options and on-line help to create and apply dynamic tags that will simplify the building of AppPages. "Data Director for Web offers a



true integrated development environment that allows us to create and maintain our Web site," said Craig O'Conner, senior consultant at Panttaja Consulting Group. "The AppPage Editor gives us feature rich wizards for embedding much of the HTML and Web-specific code we need. The editor also allows us to debug and preview dynamic pages as we code. Data Director for Web has allowed us to jump-start our Web site with minimal startup time and maximum ease and efficiency."

Pricing and Availability

Informix Data Director for Web is available immediately. Price is $1500 per developer.

About Web Integration Option

Web Integration Option is an open platform that provides high-performance connectivity betweenWeb servers and Informix Dynamic Server. Web Integration Option enables Web developers to create intelligent Web applications that dynamically deliver multimedia-rich, tailored Web pages to a corporation's Internet, intranet, and extranet users. Web Integration Option offers a range of features that enable developers to quickly and easily create, manage, and deploy high-performance, scalable Web applications-including tools for managing Web content and application logic; a set of session and connection management services to ensure optimized database connectivity; and an open, robust development environment that delivers enhanced application manageability.

7.2Authoring Tools for Off-line Delivery

7.2.1Sonic DVD Authoring System

BW0071 FEB 19,1998 6:41 PACIFIC 09:41 EASTERN

( BW)(SONIC-SOLUTIONS)(SNIC) Sonic DVD Producer Wins NewMedia 1998 HyperAward; Sonic DVD Authoring System Selected "Best of the Best" by Editors of NewMedia

Business Editors

NOVATO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 19, 1998--Sonic DVD Producer has received New Media Magazine's 1998 Hyper Award in the DVD Authoring Systems category and is featured in the special awards section of the March 3 issue of New Media magazine. Hyper Award-winning products are the best of the best. Criteria for selection include innovation, features, performance, user interface, and price, all relative to the competition. Sonic DVD Producer is the authoring component of Sonic DVD Creator, the most widely-used and the only complete DVD production system available. DVD Creator consists of modules for high-quality MPEG-2 and MPEG-1 video encoding, audio prep and encoding, authoring and proofing. Sonic DVD Creator is network-enabled and available as a stand-alone workstation or in a workgroup configuration. Included with the system are Sonic DVD Studio for video and audio encoding, Sonic's DVD Producer authoring software, and DVD PrePlay for proofing titles.



The Hyper award coincides with the recent introduction of Sonic DVD Vobulator, a professional authoring tool designed for the next generation of DVD-ROM content. Available for both Mac OS and Windows NT, the new application enables multimedia producers to create content for DVD-ROM and digital broadcast use. "With applications specially targeted to customer needs, Sonic continues to maintain its clear leadership position in DVD production solutions," said Christopher Kryzan, VP of Marketing at Sonic Solutions. "NewMedia's recognition with the Hyper Award echoes the views of our users, that Sonic DVD Producer brings unprecedented ease-of-use and creativity to DVD production." "Digital professionals look to NewMedia's Hyper Awards when selecting the products and technologies that will take digital media into the 21st century," said NewMedia Chairman & CEO Richard Landry. Hyper Award winners are chosen by the magazine's editorial staff, contributing editors, and other experts, and they represent the highest achievements in innovation and technical excellence.

About Sonic

Based in Novato, California, Sonic Solutions designs and manufactures tools to assist video, audio and multimedia professionals in preparing music, video, film, graphics and entertainment software. SonicStudio is the leading digital audio workstation used around the world by audio professionals to prepare recorded sound for release on Digital Audio Compact Disc, as well as to prepare sound for film and video soundtracks and for broadcast on radio and television. Sonic DVD Creator is the leading professional system for producing content for the DVD format, and has been used to create hundreds of DVD titles worldwide. Sonic has been a leader in advancing DVD technology and is a full voting-member of the DVD Forum -- the standards-setting body for the DVD format.

About NewMedia

NewMedia magazine, the magazine for creators of the digital future, is published by HyperMedia Communications, Inc. The magazine specializes in comprehensive comparative product reviews supported by the NewMedia Lab, a state-of-the-art digital testing studio. NewMedia serves 215,000 professionals who buy and use digital media products and services.

Note to Editors: Sonic, Sonic Solutions, the Sonic logo, DVD Creator, DVD Production Alliance, DVD Producer, DVD PrePlay, Bit Budget and Sonic LightSpeed are trademarks of Sonic Solutions. NewMedia is a registered trademark of HyperMedia Communications, Inc. All other company or product names are trademarks of their respective owners.Specifications, pricing and delivery schedules are subject to change without notice.

8Multimedia Archive Solutions

First digital TV archive in Germany: Siemens Nixdorf and SAT.1 set up video archive with record-breaking storage capacityhttp://www.sni.de/public/uk_sys/whatsnew/press/pi-166e.htm

Paderborn/Mainz. Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG and SAT.1 GmbH have agreed to join forces in setting up the first digital video archive in the German-speaking world. The planned storage capacity of one Petabyte (that is 1015 , or a billion million bytes) is just one superlative that could be cited. The



project, for which Siemens Nixdorf will function as general contractor, embraces the supplying of hardware and operating software, plus the creation of individual programs. The archive is scheduled to commence operations in mid-1999.

With the digitization of a video archive, Siemens Nixdorf and SAT.1 are taking on a pioneering role in this innovative sector of technology: It will be the first such archive operated by a TV broadcaster to be fully integrated into the TV production process, and thus represents an important step on the road towards universal digital TV production.

With a storage capacity of a petabyte, Siemens Nixdorf and SAT.1 are setting foot into uncharted territory, technologically speaking. In terms of closely-typed pages of text, laid end-to-end, the volume of information held by the archive is equivalent to the distance between the earth and Mars.

In future, SAT.1 editorial staff will be spared the task of having to search the archive for data and images on analog media such as 1" and 2" magnetic tapes. By the year 2002, the conventional image media and analog material will all have been transferred to the digital archive.

The new archive solution will make possible rapid, parallel access to the video data and thus shorter production cycles when putting together material, as well as ensuring that programs are absolutely up-to-date. A further objective is the speeding-up of the production processes and the avoidance of the sort of malfunctions that cost time and money to put right. Furthermore, the new digital archiving technology will put an end to any loss of quality resulting from copying and the aging of data media material.

Informix Powers Digital Mega-Library for Radio Televisione Italianahttp://www.informix.com/cyb-cgi/Webdriver?MIval=cyberzine_view_Story&ID=1340 Informix® announced that Radio Televisione Italiana (RAI), the Italian national radio-television broadcasting corporation, is using Informix database technology to create a digital archive of its extensive library of programming and related media.

Informix Dynamic ServerTM with Universal Data OptionTM enables RAI to reconstruct an extensive catalog of all broadcast material and transfer film, sound, photographs and text from RAI archives into a large, easily accessed digital media library for consultation, production and post-production purposes.

The digital media catalog within RAI's audiovisual library allows users to search TV and radio programs by criteria such as type, title, participant, keyword, date, and other significant information. Through its customized graphic



interface and automated documentation system, the RAI catalog provides rapid access to complete information on an entire broadcast program or broadcast segments.

"For RAI, cataloging, restoring and making available the enormous assets of the Audiovisual Library is a technological challenge," comments Carolyn Layne, Executive Director, Media Business Unit at Informix. "With this solution, RAI has demonstrated that it is possible to utilize Informix technology to create a new method for accessing enormous quantities of unstructured and digital media data, such as audiovisual sequences."

Throughout the television production cycle, the catalog system analyzes, captures and synchronizes information about the audio and video elements that make up television programs. Thumbnail images that represent each visual scene change are extracted, while corresponding audio segments are compressed to optimize storage. Video and audio segments for the program are synchronized with common time code. Additional descriptive elements such as synopses, transcripts or copyright information can be added as needed to the catalog. The catalog recognizes the time codes of all the selected program segments and forwards this information to the library management computer, which makes the requested program segments available to the user.

"The Informix solution provides a database for our customers that excels in scalability, manageability, and performance," says Dan Leighton, Executive Director of Server Marketing at Informix. "The capabilities that Universal Data Option adds to the Informix database allow for even better adaptation to best match a customer's business needs."

RAI's unique content management solution is based on Informix Dynamic Server with Universal Data Option and can be extended to include specialized DataBlade® modules for advanced video, image, and audio recognition, storage, analysis or other functions. Informix Dynamic Server is the industry-leading database server--delivering breakthrough database scalability, manageability, and performance. Universal Data Option extends the Informix Dynamic Server to intelligently manage any information, enabling organizations to incorporate new datatypes along with the business logic and indexes to support them. The only open and comprehensive object-relational technology available today, the Universal Data Option is the ideal foundation for innovative applications such as RAI's digital media library.



The BBC Demonstrates Potential of Digital Content Managementhttp://www.informix.com/informix/corpinfo/ifxnews/press/1998/bbc.htm

Advanced Database Technology from Informix Enables Leading-Edge Production Editing, Scheduling, and Tracking

MENLO PARK, CA, (February 27, 1998)—The BBC and Informix Corporation have joined forces to create one of the most revolutionary multimedia projects in the BBC’s history. Informix, selected by the BBC as the prime contractor, has provided its database technology to help the BBC develop the Pilot Operating Center (POC), which highlights the future potential for broadcasters to quickly view, edit, and manipulate all forms of data associated with an in-production or existing program.

Informix Dynamic Server™ with Universal Data Option™ manages digital content by storing metadata, such as scripts, contracts, and associated program information, attached to specific frames so that all the information about a particular program is kept in one place. This makes it easier for broadcast companies to locate specific information about almost anything associated with a particular production.

"This is one of the most exciting projects we have ever undertaken," said Rodney Baker-Bates, director of finance and information technology at the BBC. "It is unique. It shows a potential future in which the viewer decides what they want to watch, how they want to watch it, and when they would watch it. We are living in a society where choice is paramount and it is vital that we explore new and innovative technology that is out there to help us."

Universal Data Option database technology highlights the potential of digital content management to alter current working practices. Even before filming has taken place, digital-based research on film locations, particular props, or actors in particular genres such as comedy or drama, could be retrieved saving substantial time and money over traditional working practices.

While shooting a television program, Universal Data Option could enable producers to review footage shot off-site that day and make instant decisions about which scenes need to be re-shot. Scenes can be stored in a variety of different resolutions using a video cataloger to simplify the job of editing.

"The BBC was quick to execute a vision of how program production could work in the future using the unique technology from Informix that is available today," said Carolyn Layne, executive director, media business unit at Informix. "Our database technology offers media companies many new business opportunities, and is also well suited to other industry sectors, such as the telecommunications, financial, and retail sectors, where easy access to different datatypes could completely change the way they work."

Several of Informix’s key partners were involved in the project including: Bose Corporation, Bulldog Inc, Cabletron Systems, Communications Engineering Inc., EMC2, Helium3 Limited, Hewlett Packard, Instant Video Technologies, Muscle Fish LLC, Optibase Ltd., Sony Corporation, Sun Microsystems Inc., Toshiba Information Systems,



Totem Technology Ltd., Virage Inc., and Vxtreme Inc.

Mediaware Solutions Pty Ltdhttp://www.mediaware.com.au/

WebFlix Pro

Powerful, integrated tools for searching, analysis, editing and playing MPEG video. Camera events such as dissolve and cut are used to separate different shots in a movie. WebFlix automatically segments the video using our latest content based search technology to detect events and quickly reveal the contents of your video. Key frames of these events are displayed as thumbnails, giving you a graphical overview of the full movie. See the important transitions in the movie at a glance, then use the WebFlix built-in editor to select shots from one or more videos and generate your custom video.

MyFlix

Entry level product in the WebFlix. family specially customized for the home market. It has most of the essential functionalities of WebFlix Pro:

true random-access to individual frames scene change detection (cut) smart key frame extraction for quick overview and navigation generate edit decision lists (EDL) for multiple MPEG files EDLs and key frame lists saved for re-use MPEG stream cut and paste (frame accurate or GOP accurate) snapshots of individual frames released on Windows platforms

dbFlix

Brings digital media processing to MPEG archives held in databases. dbFlix is soon to be released and works together with WebFlix to provide advanced MPEG asset analysis, scene change detection, intelligent MPEG navigation and editing capabilities:

client/server access to video database content Mediaware Solutions is an Informix DataBlade partner integrates with our WebFlix product key frames, motion information and MPEG data for analysis and manipulation of footage enables integration of video data with other modalities (satellite, video, stills, text, audio, etc)

WebFlix 2

Planned extended MPEG stream manipulation for more professional applications. WebFlix 2 is under development and will provide both MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 editing and navigation capabilities. The scene change capabilities are enhanced and some rudimentary audio searching capabilities added:

enhanced scene change, zoom, pan and custom detection



improved performance some audio capabilities MPEG-2 and MPEG-1

Available either as a stand-alone tool or integrated with dbFlix DataBlade tool giving a powerful set of distributed media access and manipulation capabilities.

WebFlix 3

Advanced MPEG stream manipulation. WebFlix 3 is in plan and will capture some of the most advanced R&D in which we are participating offering MPEG-4 type capabilities:

video scene mosaicing for better content-based searching and visual browsing enhanced resolution through multi-frame registration motion analysis and tracking advanced audio and text processing and searching capabilities object tracking and segmentation

9Multimedia Distribution Channels

9.1On-line Distribution

9.1.1ADSL/HDSL

9.1.1.1Cable access future clouded by DSLhttp://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,18277,00.htmlBy Michael KanellosStaff Writer, CNET NEWS.COMJanuary 20, 1998, 1:25 p.m. PT

Although it is faster and currently available, cable modem Internet access faces stiff competition from DSL (digital subscriber line) modems and Internet service.

A heated effort from four of five Bell telephone companies and a panoply of technology giants working to promote high-speed access through DSL is creating a formidable competitor to cable services when perennially cash-strapped cable players need to upgrade their systems.

Cable's biggest problem, observers say, is cash flow. Cable operators are going to have to invest millions over the next few years to upgrade their systems to carry two-way Internet traffic. Although the telephone giants face their own investment requirements, cable companies may have to invest more and may not have the same access to



capital.

"The technological issues [for cable] are trivial. The problems are social and economic," said Radu Andrei, director of engineering at Semico Research. "Their problem is their conflict of economic interest with the telcos...There are not too many users so far, much less than expected."

Cable defenders, on the other hand, point out that inexpensive DSL at this point remains a pipe dream. The technology isn't currently on the market and the main proponents have yet to agree on technical standards. Cable vendors, by contrast, have settled their standards issues and currently provide service, pointed out Lisa Pelgrim, senior analyst at Dataquest. Modems based on the Multimedia Cable Network Systems (MCNS) standard will start to come out this summer, which should boost popularity and ease in implementing cable access.

Cable will also provide faster service, providing a maximum of 30 mbps. Although the speed will slow with the addition of subscribers, it will remain faster than the 1.5-mbps pace promised by DSL.

But while the technological issues facing cable Internet access may not be difficult, they likely will be expensive, according to Will Strauss, president of Forward Concepts. Currently, only five percent of cable subscribers live in zones where two-way cable connectivity exists, he said. An @Home spokesman said that two-way coverage reaches 10 million homes.

Thirty percent of subscribers will live in two-way areas by 2000, but increasing that number will take significant investment, said Strauss. At the same time, the increase of two-way signals will require cable owners to work the means for reducing the noise and interference that will come with increased traffic.

By contrast, DSL will be cheap, said Semico's Andrei. It will cost operators probably only $100 per customer to perform the upgrade as outlined by the phone companies.

As a result, DSL service could be slightly cheaper, said Strauss. Monthly cable Internet access will run around $30 to $40 while DSL should cost $30 to $35. Modems for either will run in the $200-plus range.

Current DSL service is far more expensive. Some of the



telcos charge close to $150 per month for 384-kbps service, sources say, while the charge for 1.5-mbps/384-kbps receive/send capability is around $250 a month.

Investment is not being denied to the larger cable operators. These companies are obtaining funds from some of the same firms funding DSL. Microsoft has invested approximately $1 billion in Comcast, while Microsoft, Sun, Intel, and others jockeyed over themselves to work with Tele-Communications Incorporated to develop set-top box technology that will allow viewers to more easily obtain Internet access via their TVs.

Beyond the investment issue, the speed of cable holds a significant attraction for consumers, said Pelgrim. In addition, the cable/DSL debate is something like the fight between the elephant and the whale. That is, these giants will not really compete directly because they will serve different markets. Cable will mostly target homes because that is where the cable infrastructure leads. DSL, meanwhile, will target businesses.

"Very few users are going to have a choice of both for the next few years," added Pelgrim.

Sandra Colony, vice president of public relations for Road Runner, one of only two cable Internet services available today, asserted that her industry understands how DSL can change the landscape, but she remains confident of cable's viability.

"We see the consumer market and the SOHO [small office/home office] market as our targets. We are not after the enterprise business market [at the present time].

"By the time they [DSL] launch, we will have had a two-year lead," she added.

Meanwhile, @Home Network (ATHM) reported a jump in revenues today as the company signed on additional subscribers to its consumer and its business service, which is called @Work. Revenue grew to $3.7 million for the quarter ending December 31, a 95 percent jump over revenues of $1.9 million reported in the September quarter. The company reported revenue of $535,000 in the fourth quarter of 1996.



Net losses for the quarter, before a non-cash charge of $172.6 million related to a Cablevision distribution agreement, were $11.8 million, or 10 cents per share. Including the charge, the net loss for the quarter was $184.4 million or $1.55 per share, compared to a net loss of $11.9 million or 10 cents per share in the previous quarter of 1997. Revenue and net loss for the fourth quarter of 1996 was $500,000 and $9 million, respectively.

9.1.2Cable Modem

9.1.3ATM

9.1.4Gigabit Ethernet

9.1.4.1Cisco to deliver gigabit gear http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,19020,00.htmlBy Ben HeskettStaff Writer, CNET NEWS.COMFebruary 10, 1998, 12:20 p.m. PT

Rumors, road maps, and reality: That has been the progression of Cisco Systems' (CSCO) closely watched strategy for Gigabit Ethernet, the next generation of the dominant networking technology for connecting PCs and server computers.

Rumors have abounded in recent months that the leading networking company's acquisition of Granite Systems in September 1996 was not resulting in expected products. To quell that notion, the company took the unusual step of announcing a road map and showing off initial products at this past fall's Networld+Interop, the largest trade show for the networking community--even though the new gear was not expected to ship for some time.

Now initial products and release dates have been set in stone, with the first additions rolling out immediately, to be followed by more gear by the second quarter.

"We think we're positioned pretty well in terms of Gigabit," said CEO John Chambers during the company's most recent quarterly earnings call. "We're a little bit later than I'd like to be."

As the rumor mill worked overtime, competitors such as Bay Networks and 3Com have moved forward with



shipment of gigabit-speed gear.

But Cisco's release schedule may have been boosted by word last week of a delay in final approval of the Gigabit Ethernet standard by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Cisco executives said the recent snag in ratification of the final standard for Gigabit Ethernet will not delay the rollout of their gigabit-speed devices, despite previous comments that stressed the need to make sure the standards work was finalized.

"It's always nice to have products out sooner than later," said Soni Jiandani, director of product marketing within Cisco's enterprise line of business. "But there is going to be some hesitancy due to the fact that the standard has been pushed out. We've always maintained that we will be there when customers demand it."

Given Cisco's monstrous installed base of equipment in enterprise corporate networks, some wonder whether the company will take a competitive hit due the arrival of its equipment relative to Bay and 3Com.

"Cisco has clearly had trouble with Gigabit Ethernet, but Cisco can have all the troubles it wants with Gigabit Ethernet," said Fred McClimans, CEO of market watcher Current Analysis. "No one will ever really know exactly what was going on."

McClimans noted that it made sense for Cisco to accelerate its Gigabit Ethernet rollout, given the fact that the company continues to meet analysts' estimates despite wild fluctuations in several overseas markets, particularly in Asia. For example, it continues to find revenue streams despite significant downturns in Japanese business.

Cisco executives believe they will have an advantage vs. its well-healed competitors and the plethora of gigabit-speed start-ups due to a flexible line of Gigabit Interface Converters (GBICs)--essentially a piece of hardware that goes into every port on a switch chassis.

While others may have to make wholesale upgrades to equipment once a standard is finalized, Marthin Debeer, product line manager for switching, said Cisco will be able to simply replace this piece of equipment, about the size of a credit card.



Included in the rollout is a new five-slot Catalyst 5505 switch and a base chassis to house forthcoming gigabit uplinks, called a Supervisor Engine. Both are available now. Gigabit-speed modules with two and three ports will ship next quarter; a nine-port module will debut this summer. To address routing support, the company will introduce a module for the popular Cisco 7500 line this summer.

Jiandani said the market for Gigabit Ethernet should follow the path of fast Ethernet. That technology experienced limited deployment in the immediate aftermath of final standard ratification and started to take off only when networking card companies combined the speeds of original Ethernet with 100-mbps fast Ethernet.

9.2Off-line Distribution

9.2.1CD-ROM

9.2.1.1CD-Roms unsuccessful in entertainment fieldshttp://www.tagish.co.uk/ethosub/lit6/e0c6.htm Publication Date: 19/12/97 Synopsis: In the early 1990s, the CD-Rom was seen as the ideal entertainment medium, and many information technology and publishing companies entered the market. However sales of this multimedia form have not matched forecasts. The top 10% of CD-Roms are of good quality, but many of the rest do not reach acceptable standards. One reason for this could be publishers' assumptions that a CD-Rom could be produced by transcribing the contents of a book. In most cases this led to a product which was boring and difficult to use. Other publishers have produced weird titles which did not appeal to users, and some companies have sold fewer than 100 of some titles.

Successful titles have included Microsoft's Encarta and the Fun School range from Europress.

A further factor in this market's lack of growth may be users' increasing familiarity with the Internet which gives true interactivity and is much cheaper than buying a CD-Rom.

A major CD-Rom publisher, Dorling Kindersley, has decided to cut down its multimedia division, with the loss of 85 jobs. However, the company has predicted a growth in British CD-Rom sales from 43 million in 1997 to 60 million in 1998. Dorling



anticipates a good performance in the market, partly because of its policy of direct selling to customers. Original Source: Independent

9.2.2DVD

9.2.2.1DVD Technology PrimerThe DVD Specification governs the definition of DVD at several levels,

including the media, audio and video formats and file system.

Media is the physical DVD disc itself. The DVD disc is the same size as a CD disc and provides many benefits including:

· Small physical size (12 cm diameter 1.2mm thick) · Durable (no wear from playing, only from physical damage). · Not susceptible to magnetic fields or RF interference. · Resistant to heat. (Limited exposure to the sun does not melt the media)

The file system of DVD video provides the following unique benefits:

· Two hours of high-quality digital video with Dolby Digital (AC-3)· Audio up to eight hours on a double-sided, dual-layer disc · Support for widescreen movies on standard or widescreen (4:3 and 16:9) · Eight tracks of digital audio comprised with up to eight channels per track. · 32 subtitle/karaoke tracks · Automatic "seamless" branching of video (for multiple story lines) · Up to nine camera angles (different viewpoints can be selected) · Menus and simple interactive features (for browsing encyclopedias, etc.) · Multilingual title ID · Rewind and fast forward without noticeable delay · File system independent of operating system

DVD: Not the Same as CD

Data is organized differently on DVD discs than on CD-ROM discs. CD-ROM information is read in a single continuous track of data whereas on DVD discs the information is divided between two different types of information, navigational information and content . DVD data uses a file system independent of computer operating systems.

This organization creates the opportunity for the disc publisher to embed commands and menus within the track buffer to point to audio, video and data content on the disc. Using the embedded commands and menus gives access to the disc at virtually any point and in any order without having to run a specially written application to do so.



DVD Integration: There's Only One Choice

DVD on the home PC offers significant advantages over Laser Disc (LD) systems and even set-top DVD players.

The capacity of a laser disc only offers at the most one hour per side of data compared to DVD which offers four hours when using dual-layer disc. Because of this capacity limitation, a full-length motion picture must use both sides of an LD, therefore involving time and effort to flip the disc manually or wait for the player. LD video can also suffer from the inherent degradation of analog storage. DVD uses a high-compression digital video that's comparable to the masters used in professional studios resulting in more lines of vertical resolution than LD. DVD has up to eight tracks for multiple, digital audio channels, whereas LD has only two tracks.

Second generation DVD-ROM solution offers backwards compatibility with a multitude of CD formats including CD-R. Set Top DVD Players, at the most, offer compatibility with only DVD-Video, CD Audio and Video CD.

DVD Players

The level of interactive navigation now available for DVD video entertainment represents a significant advance over Laser Disc and Video-CD. Even so, set-top players cannot approach the level of interactivity inherent in DVD-ROM titles designed for PC. Such titles can take advantage of excellent audio and video quality and flexible DVD navigation, as well as the full processing power of the PC to deliver game entertainment, educational titles, references and the broad range of PC applications. For example, a popular DVD application from Warner New Media and Interactual Technologies lets a user experience a DVD movie, then dial-up the Internet and order the movie on-line. Other title developers such as Discovery Channel Multimedia are combining an interactive educational title with a movie on one side of a DVD disc. Such titles can only be enjoyed on a computer platform. In addition, DVD on the PC brings compatibility with a broad set of CD formats simply not available on set-top players, including CD-ROM, CD-I, CD-Extra, CD-R and others.

DVD Disc

The DVD Forum designed several standards for disk manufacture ranging from a single sided, single layer disk with 4.7 Gigabytes of data to a double sided double layer disk with 17 Gigabytes of data stored on the disk.

DVD discs can hold nearly 26 times the amount of data that can be stored on a conventional CD. This capacity virtually eliminates the



need to swap discs in the middle of a game or application and at the same time reduces the cost and the number of discs necessary to hold the data.

Disc Type Dia. Sides&Layers Capacity Playback Time CD-ROM 12cm SS 650 Megabytes Max 74 min audio DVD-5 12cm SS/SL 4.7 Gigabytes Over 2 hours of video DVD-9 12cm SS/DL 8.5 Gigabytes Approx. 4 hours DVD-10 12cm DS/SL 9.4 Gigabytes Approx.4.5 hours DVD-18 12cm DS/DL 17 Gigabytes Over 8 hours

To squeeze all this information onto the CD-sized disc, the designers of the DVD disc made several changes. First they made pits and lands used to record data and the track spacing nearly half the size of the original CD design. Next, they made the discs double sided and added another data layer to each side creating a potential for four layers of data per disc.

Movies on a Single Layer

Most movies require only a single layer disc, which will keep the costs down for both the consumer and the content provider. For example, a movie producer with a two-hour feature length movie will only need a single sided single layer disc if they put one version of the movie on the disc. Adding another version such as a letterbox or widescreen, the producer need only add it on the other side of the disc or on the same side but in a different layer. Adding features adds to the cost but even with the added features most retail movie discs sell for about $20.00.

Protection and Encoding

The development and release of DVD technology was delayed significantly while a number of protection and encoding schemes were developed, approved and implemented. Concerned about the ability to make an infinite number of near perfect duplicates of movies, the movie industry insisted on several forms of copy protection and encryption being available for incorporation into DVD discs. All the forms of copy protection are optional for the producer of a disc media and may not be present in a released title.

Regional Coding

Because of a myriad of trade agreements between the publishers and distributors of movie titles, regional coding is designed so that a movie released for one market will not be playable in a different market where the movie has yet to be released. Regional codes consist of a single byte of information that is read by a DVD player to check to see if the disc can be played in the region or locale where



the player was sold. Regional codes are optional to the disc publisher and they are not required by law or trade agreement.

DVD players and drives are required by the DVD Forum and international trade agreements to be sold with only one region code. The Creative PC-DVD Encore permanently stores this user selected region code during the initial installation and allows four changes if an error is made accidentally during installation.

The DVD world is divided into six regions all of which are identified on a world map packaged with movie titles or may be identified by an icon stamped on the player or disc packaging. Often disc publishers of DVD Video will identify the region within a catch phrase or part of the "feature" advertising instead of the world logo on the packaging. If a disc is designed to play in more than one region it may have more than one region number or it may not have any identification at all.

Regional Locales

1.Canada, U.S., U.S. Territories 2.Japan, Europe, South Africa, Middle East (including Egypt) 3.Southeast Asia, East Asia (including Hong Kong) 4.Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central America, South America, Caribbean 5.Former Soviet Union, Indian Subcontinent, Africa (also North Korea, Mongolia) 6.China

Macrovision 7

Macrovision 7 is a proprietary piracy protection scheme that utilizes the signal in the non-displayed region of a video signal to prevent copying. Macrovision varies the signal controlling the automatic gain control (AGC) of a recording deck, thereby washing out and darkening the recording signal of a tape or DVD disc being recorded.

Copy Generation Management System

DVD-Video discs may contain information that can be used to prevent copying of the disc on equipment such as a VCR if the VCR is equipped with copy generation management system (CGMS). Several but not all video recorder manufacturers have adopted CGMS. CGMS works by embedding a signal in the video image in an area of the screen, which is not normally seen by viewers. CGMS does not work unless both the player and recorder allow the signal to be present during playback.

The importance of CGMS is expected to increase in the coming year



as the Universal Serial Bus (USB) and a cable connecting technology called Firewire (IEEE 1394) become widespread and are sold with newer computers. Both technologies will support a digital form of the CGMS standard to prevent digital copying of movies.

Content Scrambling System

To protect its movie titles from being copied in perfect digital fidelity, the motion picture industry endorsed a key-based data encryption system called Content Scramble System (CSS). The operation of the player involves authentication of the device as a licensed CSS implementation, the exchange of keys between disc and device, then decryption of the DVD content. Creative's PC-DVD solution includes hardware decryption integrated within its Dxr2 circuit board, the highest-performance and most secure implementation preferred by the motion picture industry.

Digital Video Express (Divx)

Digital Video Express (Divx for short) is a proprietary encoding scheme principally sponsored by consumer electronics retailer Circuit City and the law firm of Ziffren, Brittenham, Branca & Fischer that requires users to have a Divx player for play back and a dial-up connection. Divx players are more expensive than DVD players, costing nearly $100 more than a standard DVD player and is not expected to reach the market until February of 1998.

After purchasing a Divx DVD disc for a suggested $4.99 the disc will play back for a 48-hour period starting when the disc is inserted in the drive. Once the 48-hours has passed the player will no longer play the disc. Not only will the disc be unplayable, the player automatically registers the disc online via a 1-(800) number when it is inserted in the player. Disconnecting the Divx player from the phone line renders the player unusable until it is able to reconnect to the Divx online service. The disc also may not be played in any other player unless the user chooses to connect and buy more time (pay for view) or if supported pays to completely unlock the disc.

Regular DVD players are unable to access a Divx disc because the access coding method directs playback first to an embedded instruction not recognized by normal DVD players. The normal DVD player will get an error indicating there is no playable files on the disc.

Disc Data Format

File Management system Micro UDF & ISO9660

Universal Disk Format (UDF) is a file system standard that



supports both rewriteable and write-once media. It is a cross-platform data format that allows transparent interchange of data via optical discs or CD-ROMs. UDF also defines methods for reading, writing and other operations. Discs that are read on a UNIX based computer may also be read on a DOS, MAC or Windows based computer. The format can co-exist with CD-ROM data format (ISO 9660) but also incorporates the International Standards Organization interchange standard for rewriteable and write-once media (ISO 13346) thus providing support for CD-Recordable discs (CD-R).

Before UDF was available, every CD-Recordable drive used a proprietary format of writing data, which prevents the ability to interchange files. Fortunately, most drives supported either software or hardware updates to allow the drive to be upgraded so that it could write UDF. The first generation of DVD drives could not read CD-R media and in some cases actually damage the media.

UDF Features

· Enables operating system independent interchange on optical media · Designed to support the massive capacities of optical jukeboxes · Only ISO standard file system for WORM media · Industry selected file system for 2nd generation (high capacity) CD-ROM · Industry selected file system for DVD · Enables full interchange between computer-based and entertainment-based

media · Endorsed by world leading optical manufacturers

Independent hardware vendors must provide support for UDF in all versions of Windows 95 with the exception of OSR-2 (Windows 95 B). Microsoft plans to provide UDF support within the Windows 98 operating system. Stand-alone players use UDF while computer applications use the UDF bridge format which consists of both ISO-9660 CD-ROM format and UDF.

MPEG Standards Supported by DVD

Video ITU-T H.262/ISO-IEC 13818-2 (MPEG-2 Video) ISO/IEC 11172-2 (MPEG-1 Video)

The quality levels of the video standards range from fixed rate MPEG-1 at 30 fields per second at a resolution 352 x 240 to variable bit rate MPEG-2 at 60 fields per second at a resolution of 720 x 480.

DVD-Video supports two mutually incompatible television systems. NTSC 525 scan lines at 60 fields per second and PAL/SECAM (Phase Alternate Line) at 625 scan lines and 50 fields per second.



There are three differences between discs intended for playback on different systems: picture size (720x480 vs. 720x576), display frame rate (29.97 vs. 25), and surround audio (Dolby Digital vs. MPEG). Movies are stored at 24 frames/sec but must be pre-formatted for one of the two display rates.

Audio ISO/IEC 13818-3 (MPEG-2 Audio) ISO/IEC 11172-3 (MPEG-1 Audio) Dolby Digital (AC-3)

A disc can have up to eight audio tracks (streams). Each track can be in one of three formats:

1.Dolby Digital (AC-3): 1 to 5.1 channels 2.MPEG-2 audio: 1 to 5.1 or 7.1 channels 3.PCM: 1 to 8 channels.

Audio sampling rate for MPEG-2 and Dolby Digital (AC-3) is defined as 48 ksps, not 44.1 ksps as in MPEG-1.

System ITU-T H.222 / ISO/IEC 13818-1 (MPEG-2 Systems) Program/PES stream only

System Layer Standard Multiplex streams conform to the MPEG-2 System Layer specification. The average bit rate assumed for a movie with three sound streams is 4.69 megabits per second. The DVD format transport stream can deliver a variable bit rate of up to 11.08 megabits per second of user data containing up to 10.08 megabits useable data.

Squeezing It All In

Even increasing the available space and improving access with breakthroughs in the DVD disc design, to put a movie on a single layer of a DVD disc it took the development of MPEG-2 compression to reduce the amount of information actually recorded and needed for playback.

Once compressed, retrieving the information and displaying it in full motion requires a decoder card like Dxr2. The decoder handles all the components of video playback. These components are decryption, decompression and synchronization of video and audio signals. Creative's Dxr2 technology delivers video decompression, playback and synchronization that is comparable to equipment



costing thousands of dollars.

The movie industry is using CSS encryption for DVD discs with movie titles thus requiring a decryption chip to allow movie playback. To protect the copyright and prevent copying, the movie industry also requires the decryption take place immediately before output to a television or monitor. Without the decryption decoder chip, movie titles will not be playable.

There are many issues still needing to be addressed surrounding MPEG-2 including file format specifications and image resolutions. MPEG-2 information used in DVD-Video by the movie industry is limited to certain formats designed for television standards. Creative supports these standards. Different groups at this time are still working on a common and easy method of identifying different file types and resolutions, but until there is a standard method of identification, software and hardware vendors will independently address MPEG playback problems as they arise.

Moving Data (bit-rates)

The process of displaying a DVD movie starts at the disc media. Data is recorded in DVD discs in the same physical form as found in CD-ROM discs although smaller in size and greater in density. The data is represented by a series of pits of varying length separated by a raised portion of the disc called lands.

Laser light reflected off the pits and lands will vary in intensity. This variation is called modulation and a decoding scheme called 8/16 demodulation translates the modulation into data by recording the change of the reflected light and measuring the duration.

8/16 demodulation gets its name from the fact it takes 16 bits of modulated data and translates it into 8 bits digital data for use by digital devices such as a MPEG decoder.

The rate in which data can flow is measured in the number of bits that can be moved in one second. This measurement of bits per second (bps) is generally counted in the millions of bits and from this measurement the term Mega bits per second (Mbps) was derived. This measurement is called the bit-rate and may be used to describe how much data flow is occurring at any time in a process.

The process of reading data from a DVD goes through several steps and the bit-rate can be affected after each one of the steps.

When reading the raw data from a DVD movie disc on a single-speed DVD drive, the bit-rate is 26.16 Mbps and after the data is decoded using 16/8 modulation the data bit-rate is cut in half to 13.05 Mbps.



Once the data is demodulated the resulting user data must be checked for errors. This error checking further reduces the bit-rate after stripping out the error check codes to a bit-rate of 11.08 Mbps.

After error checking is complete the data can be de-scrambled and decrypted using CSS then the navigation and control information is stripped out for use and the bit-rate for data to be transferred to the MPEG decoder is now been reduced to 10.08 Mbps.

The average DVD MPEG-2 movie with three audio channels only requires a bit-rate starting at 3.5 Mbps. Since a variety of information may be encoded within a MPEG-2 stream, the bit-rate will vary depending on the content. The bit-rate for all three portions of the MPEG stream (video, sound and menu sub-pictures combined) is limited by the DVD specification to 10.08 Mbps. MPEG-1 video, by contrast, is limited to a maximum rate of 1.856 Mbps.

The data rate of a first generation DVD drive is adequate to support the full motion video in a DVD movie, typically encoded from 4 Mbps to 8 Mbps. The full MPEG-2 bit rate for "Main Profile at Main Level" - intended for home entertainment - is 15 Mbps. Higher definition video, for example that required for HD-TV, requires even higher bit-rates.

Creative PC-DVD Encore's second generation DVD-ROM drive technology represents an improvement over first generation drives in several areas. The drive provides a bit-rate over 21 Mbps (2700 Kbytes/sec) with a CLV (constant linear velocity) mode of motor rotation for DVD read. This is fully twice the speed of earlier DVD-ROM drives. This higher bit-rate can support higher definition video as well as quick access to large graphics and other forms of data. The drive has a 512Kbyte ring buffer, larger than most DVD-ROM drives. The large buffer ensures that less media reads are necessary and that when interfacing to the host computer, maximum transfer speed can be obtained for larger data blocks.

Unlike first generation drives, the drive contains a second laser (the DVD laser is a "red" laser at 650 nanometer, whereas the CD laser is "infrared" at 780 nanometer), allowing it to read CD-R media. The drive's optical pickup is of a very light design, allowing faster movement to access data. The pickup employs a single lens which is used by both lasers to read the media. This light weight allows access times better than many first generation drives: CD-ROM access is 100ms (random) and DVD-ROM is 170ms (random).

Aspect Ratios

Aspect ratio refers to the width and height ratio of a television image. Traditional televisions sets have always conformed to the 4:3 ratio,



being square in appearance. Widescreen displays with a 16:9 or 20:9 ratio appear more rectangular. DVD technology brings more versification to on-screen viewing by incorporating four different display capabilities.

Video can be stored on a DVD disc in a standard TV 4:3 format or 16:9 widescreen. DVD players can output video in four different ways:

1. Full frame 4:3 video for 4:3 display 2. Letterbox 16:9 video for 4:3 display 3. Pan & scan 16:9 video for 4:3 display 4. Widescreen 16:9 video for 16:9 display

Full Frame

Full frame video is generally normal television footage converted for storage on DVD disc. This would include most television shows on the market today and movies that have been converted for television viewing.

Letterbox

When viewing a movie in letterbox mode the player adds black bars to the top and bottom of the image. The image is then filtered so that the remaining of the screen is filled in completely allowing the viewer to see the movie in the same aspect as it appeared in the theater. With NTSC titles this results in an image consisting of 360 lines in height. Displayed in this manner the image still contains a third more viewable lines than VHS tape, which consists of 242 viewable lines.

Pan and Scan

Pan and scan can either be automatic or manual panning sideways in a movie title. Automatic pan and scan will change the camera view based upon a prerecorded selection made by the producer of the DVD disc. Manual pan and scan allows the viewer to pick between different camera viewpoints at their leisure. Like other features such as language selection, the publisher of the disc must incorporate the feature for it to be available to the viewer. Zooming, which is often confused with Pan and Scan, is a feature the hardware will store a portion of the screen in memory and then allow a user to dynamically enlarge that portion of the screen. Usually, the zoomed image will be enhanced so that it does not appear grainy when enlarged. Zooming is not a feature supported by the DVD standard but rather an after market feature added to enhance a product's appeal to customers.

Widescreen



Widescreen is often compared to letterbox when on a computer monitor or television but it is not the same thing. This is because TVs and monitors are to a standard 4:3 ratio and the displayed image will be put into a letterbox displayed on the screen. Looking carefully at the top and of a widescreen image there will be a few extra black lines added. The black lines were added when the movie was mastered to DVD because movie film does not exactly match the 16:9 screen ration of widescreen (movies are slightly wider). Unlike letterboxed images, widescreen movies do not sacrifice vertical resolution to fill the display area and on a high-resolution monitor it would be easy to see the crispness of the image to a letterboxed image. If the player did not letterbox the image and the image were allowed to fill the whole screen on a standard monitor or TV the characters in the movie would seem stretched appearing very tall and skinny.

As widescreen digital television becomes more available in the US and Europe, widescreen movies will be able to play back to their full height and width without the letterbox. Owners of movies with widescreen already on one side will not need to buy another copy of the movie. However the publisher can restrict titles so that true widescreen may not be available. The choices available to the consumer are:

· 4:3 full frame · 4:3 LB (for automatically setting letterbox expand mode on widescreen

TV) · 16:9 LB only (player not allowed to pan & scan on 4:3 TV) · 16:9 PS only (player not allowed to letterbox on 4:3 TV) · 16:9 LB or PS (viewer can select pan & scan or letterbox on 4:3 TV) · 16:9 widescreen

Generally players today are only required to support the first five modes. The stand alone players will either add in the full 16:9 when digital television grows in market share or will require the addition of conversion boxes crop out the letterbox banding and display the complete widescreen image on the new digital widescreen TVs.

Audio

DVD-Audio only products may show up around 1999 to start replacing standard Audio discs. The current published information is for audio tracks DVD-Video discs only A DVD-Video disc can have up to eight audio tracks and each may consist of one of three formats:

· Linear PCM: 1 to 8 channels. · Dolby Digital (AC-3): 1 to 5.1 channels · MPEG-2 audio: 1 to 5.1 or 7.1 channels

There are two additional audio types supported by DVD-Video but both require additional external decoders to use the sound and are not usually found on retail movie titles.



DTS (used in theaters) SDDS (used in studio mixing)

All five audio formats support karaoke mode, which has two channels for stereo plus an optional guide melody channel and two optional vocal channels.

Discs containing NTSC video (United States Standard) must use Linear PCM or Dolby Digital (AC-3) on at least one track. Discs containing PAL/SECAM video must use Linear PCM or MPEG-2 audio on at least one track. Additional tracks on the disc may be in any format. Generally most PAL/SECAM disks will contain Linear PCM for compatibility purposes.

Linear Pulse Code Modulation (Linear PCM)

All DVD players have to be able to play Linear Pulse Code Modulated (Linear PCM) audio. Linear PCM is an ultra high quality digital audio akin to original Redbook CD audio but is not limited to the 16-bit stereo sound sampled at the standard CD 44.1 kHz. The sample rate for Linear PCM can be as high as 96 kHz but most audio is sampled for DVD Videos at 48 kHz. The samples can either be uncompressed 16, 20 or 24 bits in size depending on what the disc publisher requires for sound. Standard CD is only sample at 16 bits per sample. The higher bit rate for DVD Linear PCM allows the publisher of the disk to additional data to enhance the playback quality of the sound. Effects such as shaping the sound so that it sound like a concert hall or cathedral or 3D sound for a spatial effect of synchronizing with the video on screen can be added within the extra sample data.

Although DVD players have to play Linear PCM discs, on the other hand, are not required to incorporate Linear PCM audio. A publisher of a disc may decide that Dolby Digital (AC-3) audio is sufficient for the disc. Of course, the publisher is risking losing a sale of a disk if a buyer's player does not support Dolby Digital (AC-3).

DVD discs may have one to eight tracks of Linear PCM, but all audio channels combined can not exceed a bit rate of 6.144 Mega bits per second (Mbps). To maintain audio quality this limit will generally limit the audio on DVD Video discs to no more than five separate channels. All DVD players are required to support the different combinations of Linear PCM but some may not be able to sample at the high 96 kHz rate like the Creative PC-DVD Encore. Players which can not sample at 96 kHz generally halve the rate by sampling the audio rate of 48 kHz to reduce data bandwidth or decrease the sample size, and some may not use all 20 or 24 bits.



Dolby Digital (AC-3)

The United States Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) coordinated the development of Dolby Digital (AC-3) as the national digital audio MPEG compression standard. This standard was deemed essential to the future development and deployment of domestic television services including USA HDTV.

The standard "Dolby Digital (AC-3) Elementary Streams in an MPEG-2 Multiplex," was first approved for distribution in December of 1995 with the primary patent holder, Dolby Labs, first to implement Dolby Digital (AC-3) encoding for MPEG. Dolby Digital (AC-3) is the third perceptual digital coding sound system developed by Dolby. Dolby Digital (AC-3) is used in Cinema, HDTV (High Definition TV), and DVD systems.

The roots for Dolby Digital (AC-3) go back to 1979 Dolby Pro Logic or its enhanced versions - Dolby Digital and Dolby THX. Both are the p rimary methods of creating surround sound effects and are generated during the mastering of a movie. To provide the same performance as THX, Dolby Digital (AC-3) form of Dolby Surround provides six discrete channels - right, left, center, right rear and left rear which are full bandwidth 20 to 20,000Hz and a discrete bass channel 20 to 120Hz for added bass effect. Thus the name "Dolby 5.1" for five channels plus one additional bass channel.

Simpler to encode and decode than traditional surround techniques, several manufacturers of DVD disks have adopted Dolby Digital (AC-3) as the de-facto standard for DVD. Not physically linked to any hardware constraints, Intel has released a software version of Dolby Digital (AC-3) decoding which can used with its line of MMX processors.

Sampling frequency 48 kHz at 16 bits bitrate 64 kbits/sec to 448 kbits/sec per stream 384 being the normal rate for 5.1 channels 192 being the normal rate for stereo with or without surround encoding

MPEG Audio

MPEG stands for Motion Pictures Expert Group. MPEG is a compression method that during playback is capable of providing twice the quality of VHS tape with synchronized digital quality sound. MPEG audio is multi-channel digital audio, compressed from original PCM format with sample rate of 48 kHz at 16 bits. It is the primary



audio source for MPEG titles encoded in the PAL TV standard. Both MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 formats are supported.

Sampling frequency 48 kHz MPEG-1 Layer II only Mono (32 to 192 kb/s) and Stereo (64 to 384 kb/s) MPEG-2 Main MPEG stream same as MPEG-1 Extension stream up to 528 kbps Sum of main and extension stream max of 912 kbps

DTS

DTS is an optional multi-channel (5.1) digital audio format from Digital Theater Systems, compressed from PCM at 48 kHz. The data rate is from 64 kbps to 1536 kbps.

SDDS

Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) is an optional multi-channel (5.1 or 7.1) digital audio format compressed from PCM at 48 kHz. The data rate can go up to 1280 kbps.

The Future of DVD--Standardization

Where does DVD go from here? Recordable and Rewritable. There are currently two recordable versions of DVD-ROM: DVD-R (write-once) and DVD-RAM (rewritable).

The DVD-R format was finalized in September, 1997 by the DVD Forum. DVD-R discs and DVD-R drives were expected to be released in the market one year prior to the release of DVD-RAM. It seems the current focus on a recordable DVD format has been that of DVD-RAM with software and drives expected to be released by the end of 1998.

The current specifications for a recordable and rewritable DVD format are undergoing alternative challenges. Sony, along with Hewlett-Packard, Philips Electronics, Mitsubishi Chemical and Ricoh have announced a new disc, Phase-Change Rewritable, for computers and DVD Players. The big feature of this new rewritable data storage technology is that it offers 3.0 GB of storage space compared to DVD-RAM's 2.6 GB capacity. Sony's new solution would NOT be compatible with the DVD-RAM format.

Hitachi also announced their new rewritable format that offers 4.7GB



per side along with compatibility with the DVD-RAM standard. To complicate the standards even more, NEC hopes to bring to market a 5.2 GB solution, the highest data capacity solution offered for DVD rewritable technology.

9.2.2.2New PC card for DVDhttp://www.tagish.co.uk/ethosub/lit6/e04a.htm Publication Date: 21/01/98 Synopsis: SGS-Thompson has developed a new PC card, Media Blazer, that supports DVD (Digital Video Disc) Class One and Two and also offers telephony, video import and editing and audio features. The card has been described by SGS-Thompson spokesperson as "a perfect opportunity" to take advantage of the new DVD market which will explode in April 1998 and other IT features. Original Source: JWeb

9.2.2.3Troubles face DVD-Audiohttp://www.tagish.co.uk/ethosub/lit6/d29a.htm Publication Date: 12/12/97 Synopsis: Sony Music's Manhattan headquarters was the venue for a meeting of record executives yesterday, who came together to test the various versions of DVD-Audio, regarded as the successor of the compact disc. The tests were designed to diffuse the long-running dispute over the technology for DVD-Audio, the musical version of DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

The release of DVD-Rom, the high memory computer disc, has been fraught with technical disputes, with the eruption of a new dispute this week over the European debut of DVD-Video, the alternative to the video cassette.

DVD-Video and DVD-Audio would provide new sales for electronics companies, particularly when existing products have reached maturity, such as CD players and video recorders. DVD-Rom would be a way in to the growing computing market.

The disagreement over DVD-Audio concerns Sony, who favour a software format that differs from that preferred by a consortium headed by time Warner, the entertainment group. The hardware for DVD-Audio can be designed to play both types of software, so a solution may not be too far away.

The meeting yesterday enabled discussion on the issue by the record executives in the hope that the disagreements could be resolved. It is hoped that DVD-Audio will be ready for release at the end of next year. Original Source: The Financial Times



9.2.2.4German DVD postponedhttp://www.tagish.co.uk/ethosub/lit6/bc7e.htm Publication Date: 17/10/97 Synopsis: The European launch of a Digital Versatile Disk standard for prerecorded movies (DVD-Video) could be postponed until March 1998. DVD-Video titles and playing machines are available in Japan and should be in the stores in the United States before Christmas. The development of the European version has been hampered by technical problems, particularly, with the MPEG-2 audio encoding Philips was charged with developing the MPEG-2 technology disk manufacturers would use to encode the various European national-language soundtracks for DVD-Video titles aimed at the multilingual European market. Original Source: Techweb

9.2.2.5Philips and Sony to develop digital video disks Publication Date: 13/09/97 Synopsis: The Dutch and Japanese electronics giants Philips and Sony have said they would develop DVD-RAMs, digital video disks that can be recorded several times. The new disks would be based on different technical specifications than the ones endorsed earlier this year by the DVD Forum, a group of 11 leading electronics and computer companies to which they belong. The move risks reviving the standards war which raged for months until the DVD Forum managed to strike a compromise between the rival technologies of, on one side, Philips and Sony, and on the other, Toshiba and Matsushita. Philips and Sony have the support of Hewlett-Packard. The other DVD Forum members are Hitachi, JVC, Mitsubishi, Pioneer, Thomson Multimedia and Time Warner. Original Source: Information Society Trends

9.2.2.6Divx, new variant of DVD Publication Date: 10/09/97 Synopsis: Last week Walt Disney announced that it would join Universal Studios, Warner Bros., MGM, and New Line and begin releasing films on disc in line with the national US launch of DVD this autumn. On Monday Disney, DreamWorks and Paramount decided to throw their support behind the new variant of the DVD disc. The new technology is claimed to be the high-fidelity successor to the video cassette.

Known as Divx, the new technology is claimed to have advantages over DVD, principally sophisticated security encryption to protect the studios, it also costs less, which will appeal to consumers. DVD discs are currently on sale for $25 (£15),



but Divx will sell for $5.

The Divx discs require a special player connected by a phone line to the manufacturer. The discs are encoded to allow consumers a two-day viewing period from the time the disc is first played. After this period the disc becomes dormant until it is reactivated, via the phone line, for a further fee of around $3 per viewing. There is also a flat rate fee of about $20 for unlimited viewing offered by existing systems. Divx can also be played on standard DVD players, but only for the initial two days. Original Source: The Financial Times

9.2.2.7Predictions for the growth of DVD Publication Date: 20/06/97 Synopsis: According to research carried out by Paul Kegan Associates, a research consultancy based in California, 40% of households in the US will own DVD (digital video disc) players in 10 years time, and the annual revenue from sales of DVD software will be $13 billion. It is predicted that DVD player sales in the US will increase from 800,000 in 1997 to 40 million in 2006.

Other predictions include that over the next ten years the number of DVD titles sold will increase from 5.6 million to 623 million, worth $140 million and $13.02 billion respectively. The electronics industry hopes that DVD systems will replace the video cassette as the primary medium for watching films at home. The systems are already on sale in North America and Japan, and there are plans to introduce them in Europe later this year. Unfortunately debate over technical specifications is clouding the enthusiasm of the electronics industry. Original Source: The Financial Times


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